Female Lawmakers Call for Joint Efforts in Advancing Gender Responsive Budgeting

 

Female legislators have urged for stronger collaboration across government and non-governmental sectors to ensure the realization of Gender Responsive Budgeting (GRB), which they say is essential for equitable resource allocation across genders.

Speaking at a breakfast seminar organized by the Centre for Parliamentary Studies and Training (CPST), Gilgil MP Hon. Martha Wangari emphasized that the success of GRB hinges on multi-stakeholder engagement.

“As lawmakers, we may keep talking about GRB, but we won’t achieve it by working in isolation,” she said, adding that ministries like that of Gender must be part of the budgeting conversation for tangible progress to be made.

The seminar, which brought together parliamentarians, fiscal analysts, gender experts, and development partners, was convened by CPST in collaboration with the Kenya Women Parliamentary Association (KEWOPA), UN Women, and the Parliamentary Budget Office. Its focus was to critically analyze the proposed 2025/26 Budget Estimates through a gender lens.

Nairobi Woman Representative Hon. Esther Passaris reinforced that GRB should not be viewed as a women-centric agenda but a national development imperative.

“Gender Responsive Budgeting is not a women’s issue—it’s a governance issue. It’s about inclusion, equality, and people-driven development, anchored in the Constitution, Vision 2030, and global goals like the SDGs,” she noted.

Other leaders in attendance included Hon. Florence Jematiah (Baringo), Donya Aburi (Kisii), Hon. Pamela Njeru (Embu), and nominated Senators Hon. Beatrice Ogola and Hon. Crystal Asige.

The forum reached consensus on several key recommendations to improve GRB implementation, including:

• Establishing a national gender-disaggregated expenditure database
• Requiring Gender Impact Statements in all budget proposals
• Creating a results framework for monitoring gender-sensitive spending
• Enhancing GRB training for ministries, departments, agencies, and county governments
• Increasing public participation in the budget-making process
• Reviewing and strengthening existing GRB guidelines

The participants emphasized that achieving gender equality in budgeting will require not only political will but also technical capacity, transparency, and accountability at every level of government.

May 22, 2025