Women governors joined forces on March 7, 2024, to launch the G7 strategy for Women Governors in Kenya, which aims to empower and provide support to women leaders within the devolved structures.
The over 30 women Members of Parliament (MPs) and Members of County Assembly (MCAs) joined six Kenyan Women Governors in endorsing Kirinyaga Governor Anne Waiguru for the DP seat. This is amid the current political wars, the current DP, Rigathi Gachagua, has found himself in.
The G7 group includes Anne Waiguru, the current Chair of the Council of Governors (COG) and Governor of Kirinyaga, alongside the other six female governors: Wavinya Ndeti of Machakos, Kawira Mwangaza of Meru, Susan Kihika of Nakuru, Fatuma Achani of Kwale, Cecily Mbarire of Embu, and Gladys Wanga of Homabay.
The women’s governor’s caucus has now moved its strategy overseas, launching the G7 strategy in New York, following the 68th annual Commission on the Status of Women (CSW68) that was also held in New York.
Women Leaders Laud Waiguru
Speaking during another G7 Summit on Thursday in Kirinyaga County, the leaders hailed Waiguru as a transformative leader. They cited her work in Kirinyaga County and as a Council of Governors (COG) chair, putting her in an excellent position to take over national roles.
The female leaders commended Waiguru’s mentorship of women leaders across the country. Her development projects were also praised, as a benchmark for other counties around the country.
Gladys Wanga, the Homabay County Governor, insisted that Waiguru is an industrious woman fit for any political and leadership position. She noted that all the G7 colleagues had learned a lot from her style of leadership in Kirinyaga.
“Governor Anne Waiguru is a worker. We are here to learn and sharpen each other. We have just seen the Kerugoya Hospital where I got to witness its initiation and I am happy that it was completed and well-equipped. The standards in that hospital are only equitable to those in some of the biggest hospitals in this country.” Wavinya Ndeti, Machakos County Governor, added.
Waiguru’s Achievements
- Before joining the government, she notably worked as Assistant VP for Public Sector at Citi Bank in Kenya.
- She was later appointed Technical Advisor, Public Sector Reforms in President Mwai Kibaki’s government, on secondment by the World Bank, and later by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP).
- At the National Treasury, Waiguru became Head of Governance and later became Head of the Economic Stimulus Programme and the Director of Integrated Financial Management and Information System (IFMIS) between 2007 and 2012.
- Waiguru was appointed the First Devolution CS, where she won a total of 15 awards, including the 2015 UN Public Service Award for her introduction of Huduma Centres.
- She was elected Governor of Kirinyaga County in 2017, becoming one of only three women governors in Kenya. Four months later, she became the first woman in Kenya elected Vice Chair of the Council of Governors.
- She was reelected as Governor in 2022, a position she still holds to date, despite an impeachment scare.
Record Breaker
Holding the record as her colleagues said her determination inspired them to also vie for the position, breaking the glass ceiling for all women across the country.
As for Kwale’s Achani, she referred to Waiguru as an excellent mentor and role model who has been a champion for women’s leadership in the country which puts her in a great position to join the League of National Politics.
Ida Odinga, former Prime Minister first Lady and the patron for the G7 movement, also endorsed her having been impressed by the Kirinyaga county’s developments. She added that this reflected Waiguru’s readiness for the next level, which is national.
She was backed by fellow Women MPs from Nairobi and Samburu Counties; Esther Passaris and Naisula Lesuuda who said Waiguru’s development record at the national level including Huduma Centres was a testament to her readiness.
Defence Cabinet Secretary Soipan Tuya also praised Waiguru’s Kirinyaga County development efforts asserting that only a woman could do that type of work.
“Women Are Agents Of Change..”
Waiguru was overwhelmed with joy as she thanked her colleagues. She observed that women have been underrepresented in positions of power even from history.
One of the main aims of the G7 group is to increase the number of female leaders in Kenya to realize the two-thirds gender rule in the Kenyan Government.
Currently, there are a total of 21 female senators in the 67-member House and only 80 female MPs out of a total of 349 lawmakers. Female governors are only 7 out of 47 governors countrywide.
“Women are not just beneficiaries of development efforts but are powerful agents of change, catalysts for economic growth and pillars of societal stability thus the need to invest in their empowerment,” she said.
This, she said was why the G7 movement was aimed at providing a framework to guide collective efforts in realizing the true potential of devolution in Kenya while amplifying the voices of women in leadership.