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UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 05 NAIROBI 000813 
 
SIPDIS 
 
SIPDIS 
 
FOR      XXXXXX  AND A/S FRAZER 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: PREL PHUM KWMN KPAO KE
SUBJECT:  International Women's Day and Mission Efforts on 
Gender Equity 
 
REF:  07 NAIROBI 4596 
 
¶1.  On March 11 the Ambassador hosted a reception for 500 
prominent Kenya women to celebrate International Women's 
Day.  The event and the Ambassador's remarks were widely 
covered by the media.  Guests included women from civil 
society, the private sector, government, Parliament, and 
various walks of life.  The Ambassador used the event to 
highlight support for gender equity as one of the Mission's 
top priorities.  He also emphasized U.S. support for the 
political accord, and emphasized the key role women played 
in achieving that.  The International Women's Day event was 
part of a coordinated Mission effort to address a wide 
range of issues regarding gender equity.  These efforts 
include the recently-signed Women's Justice and Empowerment 
Initiative.  A Mission working group coordinates efforts to 
ensure a comprehensive approach drawing on all appropriate 
USG resources.  Reftel reported on the Mission's use of the 
International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against 
Women as an opportunity to carry out an extensive program 
during the 16 days of activism and to highlight gender 
equity as a policy priority. 
 
¶2. Begin text of Ambassador's remarks. 
 
 
I warmly welcome you to celebrate International Women's 
Day. We are joining together to celebrate the strength, 
courage, and contributions of women everywhere. I want to 
stress that the United States is strongly committed to 
promoting gender equity.  We want to work with you to 
foster the rights of Kenyan women and their increased 
participation in all aspects of social, political, and 
economic life.  We view this as an integral part of the 
strong and growing U.S.-Kenyan Partnership. 
 
Though their efforts are sometimes invisible in the larger 
world, women are often the real agents for change in 
society, working to improve the lives of the people in 
their communities even as they struggle to feed and educate 
their children. The importance of the role of a woman and 
mother is highlighted in the Kiswahili proverb: Asiyefunzwa 
na mamaye ufunzwa na ulimwengu (If you do not follow your 
mother's teachings, the world will take over).   Unleashing 
the potential of women is crucial in so many ways, from 
economic development to the welfare of families. In fact, 
without full and open participation of women in all aspects 
of society, strong and lasting democratic development will 
not be achieved.  Studies show that when a higher number of 
women hold elected office, the rate of public corruption 
declines while other quality of life indicators rise.   I 
know that some of the distinguished women here recently 
participated in the UN Conference on the Status of Women 
which discussed these very issues.  I congratulate you for 
so ably representing the women of Kenya. 
 
Among so many distinguished women here this evening, I 
would like to recognize Fatuma Abdulkadir Adan.  Fatuma 
works to promote non-violent conflict resolution among the 
Borana and Gabra peoples. She also has worked tirelessly to 
reduce the resistance of Borana and Gabra elders to female 
political candidates. For these efforts, Fatuma was our 
Mission's nominee for the State Department's 2007 Freedom 
Defenders award.  Congratulations to you Fatuma. 
 
-------------------------- 
Political Gains, But Much 
Remains to be Accomplished 
-------------------------- 
 
Kenyan women are making hard-fought gains, but much more 
remains to be accomplished.  In the 2007 elections a record 
number of women ran for public office at all levels, and 
did so with immense courage in the face of threats and 
violence.  Their perseverance paid dividends as 21 women 
were sworn in as members of the 10th Parliament.  Although 
this number is still low, there are reasons for continued 
optimism.  Women MPs from the 9th Parliament who ran for re- 
election recaptured their seats at nearly twice the rate of 
male incumbents.  This shows that when women overcome the 
 
NAIROBI 00000813  002 OF 005 
 
 
many obstacles Kenyan political culture presents and gain 
positions of authority, they gain the respect and loyalty 
of their constituents and are accepted as leaders.  While 
the 10th Parliament will focus particularly on the reform 
process, I urge the women MPs to use their five-year term 
to advance issues of gender equity and build upon the 
legacy of their predecessors who were instrumental in 
passing landmark legislation, such as the Sexual Offenses 
Act of 2006. 
 
The US will continue to assist women in exercising their 
right to political participation by funding programs to 
develop women leaders. Last year, five Kenyan women 
participated in the Embassy's International Visitors 
program, undertaking study programs on politics, law, and 
conflict resolution that they have applied in their work in 
Kenya.   In addition, ten Kenyan women visited the U.S. for 
two weeks under the "Kenyans Working for Good Governance" 
citizen exchange program organized by the League of Women 
Voters and funded by the U.S.  These programs will continue 
to support women in their quest for increased 
representation in Kenya's political life. 
 
While noting how much remains to be accomplished, it is 
also important to take stock of how much has been achieved, 
particularly during the past five years.  I commend 
President Kibaki for the initiative he undertook to 
institute a program of affirmative action in government 
hiring.  I also welcome the government's recently announced 
commitment to increase by 2 billion KS the Women's 
Enterprise Fund. 
 
-------------------- 
The Political Crisis 
-------------------- 
 
As we know too well, the recent crisis and the violence 
which accompanied it caused great pain and suffering in 
Kenya.  Women and their children suffered the most. In my 
visits to displaced persons camps, I have been deeply 
touched by the resilience and strength of women - who have 
often lost everything - and impressed by their desire to 
pick up the pieces and build a better future for themselves 
and their families 
 
Kenyan women played a crucial role in resolving this 
country's recent political crisis.   The voices of the 
mothers, sisters and daughters of Kenya reverberated with 
the leadership of both sides.  Groups like Vital Voices, 
Women for Peace and Justice, and the Federation of Women 
Lawyers, just to name a few, were at the forefront of 
calming tensions and helping achieve an equitable solution. 
Countless women played a similar role in thousands of 
communities and households across the country.   I 
congratulate you for playing such a crucial role to 
energize Kenya's democratic spirit in such an effective 
way.   Your country owes you an immense debt of gratitude. 
 
--------------------------------------------- -- 
Recognizing Defenders of Human Rights and Peace 
--------------------------------------------- -- 
 
There are too many distinguished women in attendance 
tonight to recognize all your contributions to achieving 
the political accord and ending violence.  I will just cite 
one who has played an important role in civil society: 
 
-- Njeri Kabeberi,  Executive Director of the Center for 
Multi-Party Democracy 
 
She is just one of the many Kenyans who spoke out publicly 
for peace, justice and the defense of human rights. As a 
result she, along with other human rights defenders, 
received death threats, but carried on in this important 
work.  Your bravery and dedication to Kenya are an 
inspiration to us all. 
 
I would also like to recognize Ms. Betty Maina who, as 
chair of the Kenyan Association of Manufacturers, organized 
the business community to bring pressure on political 
 
NAIROBI 00000813  003 OF 005 
 
 
leaders.  Working tirelessly, she made known the negative 
economic effects of the crisis on the business community 
and on the average Kenyan. 
 
I urge each and every one of you to continue to press your 
leaders as they implement the reform agenda in order to 
ensure that they fulfill the promise of a more inclusive, 
more prosperous, and more just Kenya. 
 
--------------------------------------- 
Historic Opportunities and U.S. Support 
--------------------------------------- 
 
The unprecedented crisis which Kenya experienced provides 
an historic opportunity for the country to emerge with 
stronger democratic institutions, an even more vibrant 
economy to benefit all citizens, and a more inclusive and 
cohesive society.  I want to note just of few of the many 
efforts we are undertaking both to help Kenya emerge 
stronger from the crisis and, more broadly, to promote 
gender equity. 
 
--The United States will provide support as Kenyans work to 
recover from the crisis and address the underlying causes 
that fueled violence. I recently announced that the U.S. 
government has pledged $25 million to support Kenya's 
reform, reconciliation, and rebuilding process.  Kenyan 
women, who will be at the forefront of these efforts, will 
directly benefit from this support. 
 
--To address gender-based violence, the US and Kenyan 
governments recently signed the Women's Justice Empowerment 
Initiative, which will provide $10 million to the Kenyan 
government as it implements the Sexual Offenses Act of 
¶2006.  This initiative will increase public awareness of 
the availability of legal remedies and care and support 
services and strengthening the capacity of the legal system 
- from investigation through prosecution - to protect women 
from sexual violence. Working together with the Kenyan 
government, we will create Kenya's first-ever rape crisis 
center with DNA forensics equipment, donated by the US 
government.  In addition, we plan to extend and deepen our 
cooperation with our civil society partners whose programs 
address gender-based violence. 
 
--In the area of health, we are continuing to support 
programs reduce the incidence of Female Genital Mutilation. 
The Mission works with teachers to reach a larger 
proportion of affected communities, especially the children 
they teach, to reduce the rate of FGM in Kenya.  In other 
areas of the country, we fund programs that promote an 
alternative coming-of-age rite to take the place of FGM. 
For example, Ruth Konchellah and her organization Cherish 
Others is implementing an anti-FGM/C education program 
aimed at school children in the TransMara region. This 
program will reach approximately 600 young women and 30 
village leaders.   I'm pleased to announce that, for the 
second year in a row, we will support and I will 
participate in Cherish Other's annual anti-FGM run in 
April.  This worthwhile event brings needed public 
attention to the need to eliminate FGM.  I only wish I was 
going to be more of a threat to the Kenyan runners. 
 
--In that regard, yet another remarkable example of the 
initiatives women are undertaking is the famous Kenyan 
runner Tegla Laroupe.  We regularly support and I regularly 
attend the peace runs which she sponsors to bring together 
groups in conflict in the Kapenguria area. 
 
--Through the U.S. President's Emergency Plan for AIDS 
Relief (PEPFAR), the U.S. Government is providing 
significant support to Kenyan women and girls in the 
context of prevention, treatment, and care of HIV.  Two- 
thirds of those receiving PEPFAR-supported anti-retroviral 
therapy in Kenya are women.  Nearly 800,000 pregnant women 
in Kenya have received counseling and testing for 
prevention of mother-to-child transmission of HIV, and more 
than 50,000 of mothers testing HIV+ have received a 
complete course of anti-retroviral prophylaxis to protect 
their babies from infection. 
 
NAIROBI 00000813  004 OF 005 
 
 
 
PEPFAR was also the first development partner in Kenya to 
support both integrated gender-based violence and HIV 
programs at Nairobi Women's Hospital and the provision of 
post-exposure prophylaxis (PEP) to women who have been 
raped and potentially exposed to HIV.  PEPFAR remains the 
sole development partner to disaggregate its HIV program 
data by gender, a critical step to ensure HIV interventions 
are targeted to, and sensitive of, the unique 
vulnerabilities faced by women and girls. 
 
--We know that economic empowerment of women is one of the 
most effective ways to improve their status.   Currently 
women provide 80 percent of agricultural labor and manage 
40 percent of Kenya's smallholder farms, yet they own only 
1 per cent of agricultural land and access only 10 per cent 
of credit. USAID Economic Growth programs have helped women 
increase their access to finance, markets and trade, and 
improved agricultural inputs and technologies. We will 
redouble our efforts to see that micro-finance efforts are 
targeted to women who have suffered in the post-election 
crisis. 
 
--Education is another key to improving the lives of women. 
We support girls' education through the Ambassador's 
Scholarship Program, which provides scholarships to 3,000 
female primary and secondary school students. 
 
In these and many other ways, we are working to promote 
gender equity.  It is vitally important that we work in 
close consultation with civil society and the government to 
ensure that programs are effective.  With this goal in 
mind, I am pleased to announce tonight the formation of a 
Women's Advisory Panel on Gender Equity Issues to share 
ideas and feedback with me and my team.  I will invite 
representatives of civil society, business, and academia to 
participate.  I look forward to your insights and advice. 
This initiative testifies to our commitment to intensifying 
our partnership with Kenya's women in order to help empower 
them. 
 
Looking at the accomplishments of Kenyan women, there is 
great reason to be hopeful about the future.  Before 
closing, I want to recognize five outstanding examples of 
young women; from the powerful to the humble. 
 
--I want to congratulate Munza Hanif, who was the top 
female student in  the 2007 KSCE.   I commend you for your 
hard work and initiative.  You have a very bright future 
ahead of you, and we'll be expecting great things! 
 
--Suzanne Kilolo, who is the investment manager for African 
Alliance Kenya Investment Bank.  There she manages client 
portfolios valued at 10 billion Kshs, showing that bright, 
ambitious women can succeed in the financial services 
sector. 
 
--Serah Mwangi, who as managing director of Focus 
Publishers for the past 13 years, has been instrumental in 
nourishing the careers of some of Kenya's best authors and 
built a successful business at the same time. 
 
--Eddah Wambui, a mother of two, who supports her two boys 
working long hours as a shoeshine at city market.   She is, 
quite literally, a shining example. 
 
--Inviolata Mmbwavi, an HIV positive mother of a teenage 
daughter, who has been a tireless advocate for the rights 
of HIV positive  Kenyans.  Inviolata recently formed her 
own organization, Positive Living Support Groups Networks, 
to assist HIV positive persons.  We wish you much success 
in your new endeavor. 
 
Let me close by quoting the writer Margaret Ogola regarding 
the all-important role Kenyan women and mothers play: 
Mamangu alinipa busara na maisha ya mamake pamoja na 
nyanyake.  Nguvu na msaada ambazo zinapatikana katika jamii 
ya Waafrika ni muhimu zaidi kwa kuwa ni sehemu ya utamaduni 
wetu na zinapaswa kuhifadhiwa na kulelewa kwa vyovyote 
vile. ("My mother handed down to me the wisdom and lives of 
 
NAIROBI 00000813  005 OF 005 
 
 
her own mother and grandmother. This strength and support 
that is found in the African family is the most important 
part of our culture, and should be preserved and nurtured 
at all costs.") 
 
Please take advantage of tonight's well-deserved 
opportunity to celebrate your many accomplishments. Thank 
you all for coming. I wish you all continued success as you 
work to ensure a brighter future for Kenya and Kenyan 
women. 
 
End text. 
RANNEBERGER