By Dorothy Musyoka
The Council of Governors (CoG) has reaffirmed counties’ commitment to advancing women’s economic empowerment through targeted policy reforms and gender-responsive procurement strategies.
This commitment was highlighted during the 2nd EmpowerHer Conference convened under the UN Women–UAE Strategic Partnership Framework (2024–2027), a platform focused on strengthening inclusive economic growth and expanding opportunities for women entrepreneurs.
Speaking at the forum, H.E. Dr. Moses Badilisha, Chairperson of the Council’s Trade and Cooperatives Committee, emphasized that counties have shifted from viewing gender-responsive procurement as a compliance requirement to positioning it as a strategic economic growth tool.
“Gender responsive procurement is no longer a compliance exercise. It is an economic growth strategy. Through the Access to Government Procurement Opportunities (AGPO) Framework and county level reforms, women owned enterprises are increasingly participating in supply chains across sectors. Counties have deliberately unbundled large tenders into smaller, accessible lots; streamlined supplier registration processes; and improved payment timelines to safeguard small enterprises from cash flow strain,” Dr. Badilisha said.
Additionally, he noted that Counties are complementing procurement reforms with broader enterprise development interventions aimed at strengthening women-led value chains and enhancing market competitiveness.
Beyond procurement reforms, counties are implementing broader enterprise development interventions to strengthen women-led value chains and enhance market competitiveness. These efforts aim to support women entrepreneurs to formalize operations, scale businesses, and expand into export markets.
“Economic empowerment is not a favour extended to women; it is a constitutional imperative and an economic necessity. Counties are committed to creating enabling environments where women entrepreneurs can start, formalize, scale and export,” added Badilisha.
The Council of Governors continues to collaborate with development partners to expand gender-responsive budgeting, improve market access and institutionalize frameworks that guarantee long-term economic inclusion for women across Kenya’s 47 counties.