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Nairobi, October 11, 2010

First Lady Mama Lucy Kibaki has commended the Government for instituting comprehensive and timely measures to mainstream women in national development.

The First Lady made the remarks today in a speech read on her behalf by the Minister for Special Programmes, Esther Murugi, during the official launch of the African Women’s Decade at the Kenyatta International Conference Centre.

Noting that Women in Kenya and world over have recently taken over roles previously reserved for men, the First Lady affirmed the Government had responded well to various challenges facing women in their endeavor to succeed in business and enterprise.

The First Lady said that several public and private financial institutions were offering specialized products to women thus addressing gender inequality in financial access in the country.

Citing the case of the Kenya Women Enterprise Fund, a government intervention to improve rural women’s access to finances, the First Lady acknowledged that the fund not only empowered Kenyan women and families economically but also helped in creating a more equal society.

Mrs. Kibaki affirmed that women constitute the bulk of players in the micro and small business enterprises despite encountering diverse impediments in their ventures.

She underscored that the wellbeing of the society is safeguarded by women who form the backbone of rural agriculture and act as major contributors of food security in the country and the African continent at large.

Mrs. Kibaki affirmed that the Women Enterprise Fund was a clear demonstration of Kenya ’s commitment to the achievement of the third Millennium Development Goal.

The First Lady said, “It is amazing how millions of hard working women are breadwinners in their families today, yet the society does no recognize their contribution and potential. Actually, in Africa one cannot talk of food security without women who are the backbone of rural agriculture which is the economic mainstay in most sub-Saharan countries.”

Mrs. Kibaki noted that women’s low financial literacy, however, inhibited their access to market information and stifled their ability to maximize their business potential.

Noting that women constitute over 50 per cent of the Kenyan population, the First Lady noted that most of them are not only poor but also owned minimal productive assets like land.

She said that it was fulfilling that the country had realized that marginalization of women in various spheres of the economy slowed down national development while at the same jeopardized sustainable peace and security.

Mrs. Kibaki equated women empowerment to smart economics because it translated to family and societal empowerment.

During the occasion the First Lady urged the African Union to support pioneer countries like Kenya in such initiatives to mainstream women in national development by availing more financial resources to enable the country reach a wider clientele.