By Matilda Atieno
The CEC member for Sports, Culture, Gender and Youth Affairs Hon. Beatrice Odongo, alongside the County Commissioner Mr. Benson Leparmorijo, joined the forum convened by Nyalenda Young Turks to engage on the gender data and financing at a City hotel.
The forum seeks to address the gap in gender data and financing of the Kisumu gender issues. The Nyalenda Young Turks CBO in partnership with the Center for Rights Education and Awareness ( CREAW) enabled discussions on data and financing of gender.
Over 50 participants, including representatives from state and non-state actors, and community members attended the meeting, spotlighting the urgent need for increased awareness on gender statistics and gender financing as critical accelerators for achieving the Sustainable Development Goals.
Emphasizing the gap in gender statistics and financing, the County Commissioner stated that Kisumu has the highest SGBV reported cases at 30 percent.
“These numbers must change, and change fast if we are to make any meaningful progress toward stopping gender-based violence,” said Mr. Leparmorijo adding that to ensure accountability on SGBV commitment there’s a need to ensure that tracking and reporting systems are clear and accessible for those working at the grassroots level.
On her part, madam Odongo highlighted the county government’s progress across the gender and youth sectors and in strengthening policy frameworks and coordination mechanisms to support gender equality efforts.
Charting the course forward to realize a lasting change in gender equality and mainstreaming the CEC member further reinforced that gender statistics are critical for setting priorities, planning interventions, and assessing their impacts.
The initiative supports efforts to assess gender statistics and identify gender data gaps, mainstream gender in county strategies, and develop county plans to localize gender-related Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) targets and indicators.
The initiative also aims to ensure that data are accessible to all users, including governments, civil society, academia, and the private sector.
