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{
    "id": 600695,
    "url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/600695/?format=api",
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    "content": "must agree to deal with it squarely. We must agree that women play an important role in the life of our nation. They have made significant contributions in the development of this nation at all levels and in all spheres. We also know that given an opportunity, women could even contribute more because they have the capacity to do so. It is, therefore, our duty, as a nation, to ensure that we remove all structures which impede participation by women in public affairs. Mr. Temporary Speaker, Sir, this bias is not just against women. The society as a whole has had a bias against women, persons with disabilities and the youth. Having recognised that, we know that a number of policy measures have been put in place to deal with this to ensure that the affirmative action on this category of people is in their favour. This bias can be attributed to cultural and other primitive customs. It is a fact that in certain communities in Kenya, women are given a raw deal. I recall that educating a child was an expensive undertaking. Parents had to make a choice with the limited resources available within the family to choose between educating a girl child or a boy child. Most families opted to educate a boy child. This has generally worked to the disadvantage of women. With the availability of universal education at both primary and secondary schools, this problem has been dealt with gradually. Today, girls have an opportunity to acquire education in our public institutions. This has helped a great deal. Mr. Temporary Speaker, Sir, the resistance which societies had in giving women opportunities for advancement has been historical, cultural and traditional. Going forward, these mindsets will be eliminated so that women have opportunities equal to those given to men. I am personally optimistic that going forward in respect to this question of gender equality because Kenya as a country has made significant commitments to a number of international conventions, for instance, Kenya is party to the Convention on Elimination on all forms of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW). Kenya has ratified that convention. Kenya was a major player in the Beijing Declaration and Platform of Action. Out of this, we have seen a number of significant developments which have promoted the interests of women. The Millennium Development Goals, which Kenya has domesticated, favour the development of women in many ways. Mr. Temporary Speaker, Sir, our Constitution has embraced gender equality and the principles enshrined thereto. The commitment given by the Constitution is satisfactory, in my opinion and, therefore, guarantees equal opportunities to women. Education opportunities are also available through Government policies and programmes. If you visit any local primary school in the village, you will be surprised to see that there are more girls than boys. That development will address some of the challenges we have had in this respect. Neighbouring countries within the East African context have made significant progress way ahead of Kenya. This is bound to have a positive influence in our efforts in trying to address this issue of gender inequalities. The fact that Rwanda has made those significant developments within a short time and more women are playing an important role in Tanzania and Uganda, that in itself poses challenges. I am sure Kenya will not like to be left behind in this respect. The electronic version of the Senate Hansard Report is for information purposes only. A certified version of this Report can be obtained from the Hansard Editor, Senate."
}