Beijing@30: Women's triumphs and struggles in Kenya and Africa
From left: Former Cabinet Minister Nyiva Mwendwa, Anne Ambwere, and Lilian Wakiiya Mwaura. The three were among women who attended the Beijing Women’s Conference in 1995.
What you need to know:
- Despite progress in women’s rights, weak law enforcement and exclusion from leadership hinder true gender equality in Kenya and Africa.
- Empowering young women is key to gender equality—rights advocates call for better policies, grassroots action, and representation in decision-making spaces.
Thirty years have passed since the historic Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action (BPfA), a defining moment in the fight for gender equality.
This milestone also aligns with the 10th anniversary of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and its 17 bold Sustainable Development Goals—powerful frameworks designed to drive real change, ensuring no one, especially women and girls, is left behind.
Today, three extraordinary women of different generations reflect on Kenya’s and Africa’s journey in advancing women’s rights—the hard-fought victories, the challenges overcome, and the unfinished work that still calls for action.
Male ally
For Jane Anyango, the visionary Executive Director of Polycom Girls, an NGO that has impacted over 50 schools through girls’ empowerment and mentorship in Kibra, Nairobi, 1995 was a turning point. At just 23, she was finding her place in Kibra, Africa’s second-largest informal settlement, where inequalities loomed large over young women and girls. She looks back not only at the state of women’s rights in Kenya and Africa in 1995 but also during the decades before—an era that shaped the struggles and triumphs of today.
“Married women were treated as property to the men, just like any other possessions that the man had such as farmland, buildings, cattle and goats. We were cultured to accept that, that is the situation, we are ‘owned’ and we own nothing. Everything we were and had, belonged to the head of the family. After the Beijing Convention and the Platform for Action, we began asking; ‘Do we really belong to people? At the end of the day people die and people marry other wives… Where do we want to be?’
“What I remember about the Beijing Convention, especially in this country, is that there was a big conversation about Nyiva Mwendwa who had flown to Beijing with her hairdresser and people couldn’t understand why she accompanied her. But I think that is really when women started being unapologetically beautiful and taking care of themselves.
Nyiva Mwendwa.
“Girls were worse off before the BPfA in 1995. Even in the BPfA report, there are few mentions of girls in Africa. We now have a special mention about young women and adolescents, and a special programme for girls. Polycom Girls is trying to push for the recognition of adolescent girls and young women to have a special group of their own in the UN because of the unique challenges they face,” Jane says.
Born in June 1995, at the dawn of BPfA, Sinaida Muthoni Nyamu grew up on Huruma Estate, Mathare, a community where girls were often unheard. Her father defied the norm.
“Raised by a single father alongside my three brothers, I was fortunate—my father gave me a voice. While most girls in my neighbourhood were silenced, he encouraged me to speak up and be heard. In our home, we were treated equally, and for that, I will always be grateful,” she reflects.
Today, as the programmes manager at Shine a Light, a community-based organisation in Kiamaiko, Mathare, Sinaida works to empower young girls facing similar challenges. Yet, despite her father’s unwavering support, she faced struggles of her own. “He always protected me, but I never once received a sanitary pad from home. I often wondered—what did he think I was using? It was a silent battle,” she recalls.
Education remains a defining factor in shaping young girls' futures. “Some of my peers had a strong start in life and achieved academic success, while others are still trying to find their footing,” she observes. “Many of us succumbed to peer pressure—falling into alcohol, drugs, and teenage pregnancies. Tragically, some have even normalised gender-based violence, believing mtu akikupenda anakuchapa pia (if he loves you, he will discipline you).”
Determined to make a difference, Sinaida pursued computer studies after completing Form Four. Now, she is eager to further her education in social work and community advocacy, committed to ensuring the next generation of girls have the opportunities and support they deserve.
Shine a Light has been actively educating young girls in Kiamaiko on good citizenship and responsible sexual behaviour. “We engage them in these conversations and, on some days, involve their parents, especially those whose children have turned to crime to support their siblings, as their parents are often absent in drinking dens,” Sinaida shares.
While most girls in Mathare attend school, they do not enjoy the same privileges as boys. “In this predominantly Muslim community, early marriages are still common, and many girls lack access to basic necessities like sanitary products,” Sinaida explains.
Through its girls’ programme, Shine a Light ensures young girls can access sanitary pads, with many stopping by their offices on their way from school. Through the Safe Spaces for Girls Programme, the organisation also provides sanitary packages for young girls and teen mothers, helping them keep their babies clean and healthy.
“We acknowledge that these girls made mistakes, but we cannot change the fact that they are now young mothers with dependents. Many are left to fend for themselves, with little to no support from their families,” she adds.
Disturbingly, girls as young as 14 are becoming mothers. “The youngest I’ve seen had her first baby at 14 and a second by 19, from the same father. She never returned to school, but we enrolled her in our dressmaking programme. In African communities, a young girl who becomes a mother is shamed, while the boy is celebrated,” she laments.
“Gender-based violence is widespread in Kiamaiko, and many girls have sadly come to accept abuse as a sign of love, Sinaida says. They often arrive with bruises, believing that violence is part of relationships. We work to change this mindset, teaching them that real love protects, not harms.
“At the same time, we engage boys in rethinking their attitudes towards girls, encouraging them to treat them with the same respect and care they would for their own sisters. Creating this shift is key to breaking the cycle of violence and fostering a culture of mutual respect.”
Jane, a long-time advocate for women and girls’ empowerment, has engaged in conversations with women leaders—including those involved in the BPfA—to assess progress beyond Beijing. “Yes, we have established strong policies, but implementation remains a significant challenge. When we look at gender representation in leadership across Kenya, the gap is glaring,” she notes.
Shine a Light remains committed to bridging these gaps, advocating policy action, and empowering young girls and women to build a better future. The BPfA outlines commitments made at national, regional, and global levels to end discrimination, promote women’s rights, and advance gender equality. The United Nations, through Resolution E/RES/2022/5, has called on all Member States to conduct comprehensive national reviews every five years to assess achievements and identify gaps in implementing the BPfA.
Three decades after the BPfA
The biggest roadblock remains implementation, says Sinaida. The laws are in place, but enforcement is weak. “Everyone knows child marriage is illegal, but are there strict laws targeting perpetrators? When it comes to teenage pregnancies, the offenders are often known—yet, who holds them accountable? Too often, they’re arrested only to bribe their way out,” she notes.
In informal settlements, advocating young girls’ rights is often met with resistance. “You fight for them, and suddenly, you’re seen as an outsider meddling in family and community affairs,” she says. “We have solid laws, but without proper execution, they remain mere words on paper.”
Even safe spaces for children are disappearing. In Kiamaiko, a community playground meant to keep children engaged after school has been encroached on and turned into a drug den. “Girls tell us they feel unsafe—some have been inappropriately touched there. A place meant for play and growth has become a danger zone. We need to act fast and enforce laws that create truly safe spaces for our children,” she urges.
Another glaring issue is the lack of young women in leadership. Ms Bina Maseno, the executive director of Badili Africa, points out that while women make up 23 per cent of Kenya’s political leaders, less than one per cent are young women, a figure unchanged for the past three elections. “One of the biggest barriers to achieving the goals of BPfA is the exclusion of young women and girls from governance and decision-making,” she explains.
This underrepresentation has serious consequences, particularly in FGM, human trafficking, and GBV, where young women and girls suffer the most. Bina, who ran for Kayole South MCA in 2023, emphasises the need to view progress through the eyes of young girls—because their experiences reveal the true state of society.
Moving ahead
The in-tray for the advancement of gender equality for women and girls in Kenya and in Africa is full, Jane says, but we must also celebrate what we have been able to achieve.
“Right now we can talk about the National Affirmative Action Fund (Ngaaf), the few women who are in Parliament and those in other leadership positions. When the Constitution is not followed, women are able to raise their voices and be heard. This is a step in the right direction, but we need to speed up the implementation process.
For women, peace and security to become a resolution, a huge process takes place. “Kenya has developed national action plans, which are good, but we need more inclusion of local women in leadership positions because in Kenya, a majority of the population is at the bottom of the pyramid.”
There is so much to do at the grassroots, she notes. “When we have issues in the community, like the conflicts in Sondu (Kisumu-Kericho border), it is important to take stock of what women are doing there; this has not been documented.”
Read: Culture or progress? How women are redefining 'traditional' values without losing their heritage
In particular, prevention of femicide should be a priority for the government. “We have had big conversations around femicide, which had been there for years but took a different trend with social media. As a country, we should start investing in prevention at the grassroots.
“Unlike yesteryears, nowadays women are taking themselves to chief, propose agendas at meetings, challenge the status quo and ask questions. We should build on that,” Jane points out.
She notes that whenever a disaster strikes, in most cases women are the ones who respond first, and their interventions go beyond the emergency response. “For instance, when Musician Esther Akoth, aka Akothee, visited the Turkana community on a drought response mission, she first cooked and served food before distributing drinking water, sanitary packages, and food handouts.”
Jane further observes that in their local communities, women have created their own opportunities where none previously existed. “I remember in Kibra when we decided to map the different committees: health, climate change, security, and others, to try to map out how many women are in these spaces. Even if we have not yet made so many gains, we know there is something that should happen if we implement certain actions, and policies.”
What’s next?
With a median age of 20, Kenya and Africa have a predominantly youthful population, with those 30 and below making up the majority. According to Bina, this demographic should shape the political and socioeconomic decisions being made at both national and continental levels.
As countries work towards achieving the SDGs, the key question should be: Who is being left behind? Young women, in particular, remain underrepresented in politics and policymaking, yet these are the spaces where decisions about their priorities are made. “Without a seat at the table, they lack the power to influence policies, drive change, and advocate their own needs. Ensuring their leadership and representation is crucial for an inclusive and equitable future,” Bina says.
Kenya is well structured through the devolved system, right from self-help groups, community-based organisations to national nongovernmental organisations, which the government can capitalise on to drive socioeconomic development for women. “The government can leverage community efforts by ensuring every unit is well funded to handle their implementation priorities to advance the women empowerment agenda the way it is.”
For instance, Jane is concerned that Ngaaf has tried to go to the grassroots, but it has not yet advanced the rights of women. “Going forward, we should come up with clear structures on which women are supported right now, and their geographical location. This will drive change.”