Nairobi: Kenya has launched Women Count Phase III in collaboration with the Council of Governors, Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency (Sida), UN Women (Women Count), and partners. This initiative celebrates over a decade of progress in closing gender data gaps, influencing policies, and building resilient systems accountable to women and girls.
According to Kenya News Agency, since 2016, the Women Count programme has been pivotal in transforming gender data systems by closing critical data gaps, strengthening institutional capacity, and embedding gender statistics in decision-making processes. In Kenya, the collaboration with the Kenya National Bureau of Statistics (KNBS), the State Department for Gender Affairs and Affirmative Action, and other national stakeholders has significantly enhanced the integration of gender statistics across the government.
These collaborative efforts have driven evidence-based policy reforms and positioned Kenya as a regional leader in gender data, as reflected in its top ranking on the Gender Data Outlook Index and its leadership across the continent. Speaking during the launch in a Nairobi hotel, UN Women Kenya Country Representative, Antonia NGabala-Sodonon, emphasized the transformative impact of a decade of investment in quality gender data on policy discourse in Kenya. She stated, “Partnership is not an add-on; it is the engine of progress. When women and girls count in data, they count in policy, budgets, and outcomes.”
The two-day event will gather partners from around the region to share experiences from the first decade of impact. It will also unveil the second editions of two flagship national products, the 47 County Gender Data Sheets and the Gender Statistics Strategic Plan (GSSP), aimed at further strengthening subnational planning and long-term coordination of gender statistics.
Director General of the Kenya National Bureau of Statistics (KNBS) Macdonald Obudho highlighted the essential role of gender statistics as infrastructure for development. He remarked, “With updated county data and a clear strategic plan, Kenya is focusing on quality, comparability, and timely use of statistics across all levels of government.”
Reflecting on the global partnerships that have sustained progress, Head of Development Cooperation Embassy of Sweden, Marie Ottosson, noted that Kenya’s leadership demonstrates the power of partnership, persistence, and evidence. She added, “Sweden’s longstanding collaboration with UN Women on gender data underscores our shared commitment to transparency and results.”
Women Count Phase III (2026-2029) aims to deepen the production and use of gender statistics, strengthen county-level systems in the country, and expand regional learning across East and Southern Africa, ensuring that women and girls are visible in data and central to policy action. Women Count is UN Women’s global gender data programme dedicated to closing gender data gaps and transforming how gender statistics are produced and used. Since 2016, Women Count has supported countries in strengthening statistical systems, improving data availability and quality, and ensuring women and girls are visible in national and global development agendas. The programme operates in nearly 100 countries worldwide, partnering with governments, national statistical systems, civil society, academia, and the private sector.
