Background:
UN Women, grounded in the vision of equality enshrined in the Charter of the United Nations, works for the elimination of discrimination against women and girls; the empowerment of women; and the achievement of equality between women and men as partners and beneficiaries of development, human rights, humanitarian action and peace and security.
UN Women Kenya Country Programme contributes to the development objectives of Kenyaโs blueprint Vision 2030 and contributes to the implementation of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), particularly SDG 5 on gender equality. The Kenya Country Programme is also aligned with the United Nations Sustainable Development Cooperation Framework (2022โ2025) and the UN Women Global Strategic Plan. The Kenya Country Programme prioritizes four results: (i) increased womenโs leadership and participation in governance; (ii) strengthened womenโs empowerment (WEE); (iii) enhanced protection and access to justice for women and girls; and (iv) womenโs leadership in peacebuilding and humanitarian response. UN Women adopts an integrated approach that recognizes how these thematic areas intersect and reinforce each other.ย
In Kenya, the UN Women Country Programme contributes to the development objectives of Kenyaโs blueprint, Vision 2030, and the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), particularly SDG 5 on gender equality. It is also aligned with the United Nations Sustainable Development Cooperation Framework (2022-2025) and the UN Women Global Strategic Plan. In its new Strategic Note, the Kenya Country Programme aims to achieve the following results: (i) increased womenโs leadership and participation in governance; (ii) strengthened womenโs economic empowerment; (iii) increased protection of women against gender-based violence and access to justice for women; and (iv) strengthened womenโs leadership in peacebuilding and humanitarian response.
Under our current SN, UN Women has invested in partnership with strategic partners to advance Women in Leadership and Womenโs Economic Empowerment (WEE) portfolio. This therefore means that, UN Women Kenya supports initiatives that enhance the productivity of women in the food and natural resources value chains, including agricultural and marine value chains, increase access to markets and procurement opportunities, and promote gender-responsive care policies while placing women at the centre of leadership and decision making. UN Women Kenya recognizes that womenโs economic empowerment and leadership are deeply interconnected, considering that sustainable transformation requires womenโs full and equal participation in leadership and decision-making at all levels. As women gain economicย independence, their influence in governance, community development, and institutional accountability equally expands. Guided by the goal of ensuring that women and girls inhabit an inclusive, enabling, and peaceful society where human rights are upheld, UN Women works to strengthen womenโs capacities to participate in leadership roles and contribute meaningfully to decision-making processes at national and county levels, especially within the economic space. This focus aims to advance transformative governance systems that are gender-responsive, participatory, and grounded in the rule of law.
To guide and harmonize efforts toward womenโs economic empowerment, the Government of Kenya, through the State Department for Gender Affairs and Affirmative Action (SDfGAAA), in collaboration with UN Women, has developed the National Policy on Womenโs Economic Empowerment (NPWEE). This policy provides a comprehensive framework to address structural and systemic barriers to womenโs full and equal participation in the economy, promote gender-transformative programming, and strengthen institutional mechanisms for advancing womenโs economic participation and empowerment, as well as womenโs participation in leadership roles and decision-making processes within the economic sectors. It aims to ensure that women and girls benefit from equitable access to economic opportunities, resources, and services, contributing to national productivity and sustainable development.
This is critical as a National Policy on Womenโs Economic Empowerment (NPWEE) will serve as a catalyst for ensuring financial inclusivity and seamless integration of women within the broader, long-term economic development agenda. The policy is taking on board issues of Sustainable Development Goals, Vision 2030 and emerging development issues related to socio (traditional gender norms) and economic health (poverty, HIV, gender-based violence) and environmental challenges (climate change), that have implications on gender equality. This corresponds with the provisions of the Kenyan Constitution (2010), Kenyaโs Vision 2030, the Medium-Term Plan IV, the Bottom-Up Economic Transformation Agenda (BETA) and international and regional commitments such as the African Union Agenda 2063, and the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA).ย
To this end, UN Women is supporting the Government of Kenya to operationalize the National Womenโs Economic Empowerment (WEE) Policy through capacity building, coordination, and multi-stakeholder engagement at both national and county levels. This includes strengthening the capacities of national and county governments to implement the policy, integrate WEE priorities into planning and budgeting processes, and foster accountability mechanisms for inclusive economic development. At the community level, UN Women is working with partners and the private sector to raise awareness of the WEE Policy and advocate for the inclusion of womenโs economic empowerment and women in leadership initiatives within County Annual Development Plans and budgets, ensuring that policy commitments translate into tangible benefits for women and girls across Kenya.
While the National Policy on Womenโs Economic Empowerment (NPWEE) primarily focuses on addressing barriers to womenโs participation in economic opportunities, it also underscores the integral link between economic empowerment and womenโs leadership. Meaningful and sustained economic transformation cannot be achieved without strengthening womenโs voices, representation, and influence in decision-making spaces. Womenโs participation in leadership and governance, whether in political institutions, private sector boards, cooperatives, or community organizations, creates the enabling environment necessary for gender-responsive economic systems to thrive. It ensures that womenโs perspectives shape the formulation, implementation, and monitoring of economic policies and programmes, thus reinforcing accountability, inclusivity, and sustainability in development outcomes.
In light of this, UN Women Kenya seeks to engage a consultant to support the Women in Leadership component of the National Policy on Womenโs Economic Empowerment (NPWEE). The Consultant will provide technical assistance to strengthen the leadership and governance dimensions of the policyโs implementation, with a focus on enhancing womenโs participation in decision-making processes at national and county levels. Specifically, the role will support policyย advocacy, institutional coordination, and capacity building for state and non-state actors to mainstream gender-responsive leadership within economic governance structures. The Consultant will also facilitate partnerships with key stakeholders, including government agencies, the private sector, academia, and civil society, to advance transformative leadership pathways for women and promote accountability mechanisms that sustain womenโs influence in governance and economic decision-making.
Reporting to directly to the Deputy Country Representative with a matrix Womenโs Economic Empowerment Team Lead, the Consultant will support the Programme and Operations Teams in advancing the Women in Leadership component of the National Policy on Womenโs Economic Empowerment (NPWEE) and in democratic governance broadly. The Consultant will contribute to the design and implementation of initiatives that strengthen womenโs participation and leadership in governance and economic decision-making processes at national and county levels. This includes providing technical support for policy advocacy, stakeholder coordination, research, and capacity building, as well as contributing to resource mobilization and ensuring effective programme delivery in line with UN Womenโs mandate.
Description of Responsibilities/ Scope of Work
1. Programme Implementation, Monitoring, and Reporting
- Re-align and update the NPWEE project costed workplan to enable accelerated implementation and delivery of planned outputs.
- Support monitoring and reporting on the progress of NPWEE implementation across counties and stakeholder groups, consolidating data for quarterly, donor, and UNINFO reporting.
- Support donor visibility and reporting efforts by documenting outcomes from high-level dialogues, trainings, and county engagements to demonstrate return on investment and partnership impact.
- Support and manage initiatives that promote women's political participation, with a focus on gender-responsive electoral support and women's leadership in public and private governance.
2. Capacity Building and Technical Support
- Support the sensitization of 16 County Gender Sector Working Groups on Women Economic Empowerment Policy โ WIL component.
- Train women leaders in the private sector to advocate for implementation of the NPWEE.
- Support dialogues on mentorship, training, and participation of women in leadership and decision-making, especially in the economics and business, law, and health sectors.
- Workshops/trainings to increase the capacity of women leaders in the economic sector on the provisions of the NPWEE and to monitor and track the implementation of the NPWEE
- Workshops/training to increase the capacity of women leadership in the national and county assembly and county executive level to support the implementation of the NPWEE.
- Coordinate the development and implementation of a strategy on capacity development for different target groups engaged in elections and womenโs political participation
- Representation in meetings with elections stakeholders as needed
3. Policy Advocacy and Strategic Influence
- High-level dialogues with Permanent Secretaries, Cabinet Secretaries, and relevant Parliamentary committees, Council of Governors, and G7 held to discuss and drive awareness for the implementation of the policy document and promote inter-ministerial coordination.
- Hold a breakfast meeting with the Parliamentary Committee on Social Protection and members of KEWOPA to rally support for the implementation of the Womenโs Economic Empowerment (WEE) Policy and seek support for developing the sessional paper.
- Hold a breakfast meeting with the Council of Governors Gender Committee and the G7 on the NPWEE to support domestication at the county level.
- Support strategic advocacy and media engagements with counties and national actors to ensure NPWEE is mainstreamed into local development and budgeting processes.
- Provide strategic advisory services and technical support to UN Women and its partners on womenโs political participation and UN electoral assistance programming, monitoring, and reporting
- Coordinate technical assistance and targeted advocacy to national electoral stakeholders to promote womenโs equal representation in decision making
4. Research, Knowledge Management, and Communication
- Develop a multiyear programme strategy on WPP including key areas on gender-responsive electoral support and womenโs political participation beyond elections
- Mapping of women in leadership positions in the economic sector-related MDAs at the national level to guide WEE-related interventions.
- Conduct media engagements to create awareness and support local support for NPWEE with local radio stations in 16 counties.
- ย Document and disseminate lessons learned and best practices from the county sensitizations, training, and advocacy initiatives.
5. Resource Mobilization and Partnership Development
- Identify and engage partners to support NPWEEโWIL implementation through co-financing, joint advocacy, or technical assistance.ย
- Develop investment briefs and concept notes demonstrating the value of supporting NPWEE implementation, womenโs leadership, and gender-responsive governance. Deliverables Function Activity Deliverables No of Consultancy Man Days
1. Programme Implementation, Monitoring, and Reportingย
(Total: 10 days)
- Re-align and update the NPWEE project costed workplan to enable accelerated implementation and delivery of planned outputs.
- Revised and approved NPWEE WIL costed workplan. 2
- Support monitoring and reporting on the progress of NPWEE implementation across counties and stakeholder groups, consolidating data for quarterly, donor, and UNINFO reporting.
- Quarterly RMS progress reports with county/national updates.
- Inputs for donor and UNINFO reports as necessary. 4
- Support donor visibility and reporting efforts by documenting outcomes from high-level dialogues, trainings, and county engagements to demonstrate return on investment and partnership impact.
- 4 donor visibility briefs and documentation package with success stories and photos. 4
- Support and manage initiatives that promote women's political participation, with a focus on gender-responsive electoral support and women's leadership beyond election
- Report that contains results from needs assessment and mapping of initiatives on WPP
2. Capacity Building and Technical Supportย
(Total: 35 days)
- Support the sensitization of 16 County Gender Sector Working Groups on Women Economic Empowerment Policy โ WIL component.
- 16 sensitization sessions held.
- Consolidated summary report with documented county action points and recommendations. 20
- Train women leaders in the private sector to advocate for implementation of the NPWEE.
- 1 national-level training sessions held.
- Training materials and post-training reports produced. 3
- Support dialogues on mentorship, training, and participation of women in leadership and decision-making, especially in the economics and business, law, and health sectors.
- 1 dialogue/mentorship session convened.
- Summary reports with key recommendations. 3
- Workshops/trainings to increase the capacity of women leaders in the economic sector on the provisions of the NPWEE and to monitor and track the implementation of the NPWEE.
- 1 capacity-building workshop conducted.
- NPWEE monitoring tool developed.
- Workshop report completed documenting discussions, actions and recommendations. 5
- Workshops/training to increase the capacity of women leadership in the national and county assembly and county executive level to support the implementation of the NPWEE.
- 1 session held with assemblies and county executives.
- Workshop report completed documenting discussions, actions and recommendations. 4
- Coordinate the development and implementation of a strategy on capacity development for different target groups engaged in elections and womenโs political participation.
- Report of capacity development strategy implemented for different target groups engaged in elections and womenโs political participation
3. Policy Advocacy and Strategic Influenceย
(Total: 18 days)
- High-level dialogues with Permanent Secretaries, Cabinet Secretaries, and relevant Parliamentary committees, Council of Governors, and G7 held to discuss and drive awareness for the implementation of the policy document and promote inter-ministerial coordination.
- At least 2 high-level dialogues held.
- Concept notes, agenda, briefing notes, and reports produced.
- Policy brief produced 6
- Hold a breakfast meeting with the Parliamentary Committee on Social Protection and members of KEWOPA to rally support for the implementation of the Womenโs Economic Empowerment (WEE) Policy and seek support for developing the sessional paper.
- 1 breakfast meeting convened.
- Concept notes, agenda, briefing notes, and reports produced.
- Policy brief produced 3 ย
- Hold a breakfast meeting with the Council of Governors Gender Committee and the G7 on the NPWEE to support domestication at the county level.
- 1 breakfast meeting convened.
- Concept notes, agenda, briefing notes, and reports produced.
- Policy brief produced 3
- Support strategic advocacy and media engagements with counties and national actors to ensure NPWEE is mainstreamed into local development and budgeting processes.
- Advocacy materials and media briefs produced.
- At least 3 media engagements conducted. 6 ย
- Coordinate technical assistance and targeted advocacy to national electoral stakeholders to promote womenโs equal representation in decision making.
- High level advocacy paper with key data, arguments, and messages for WPP and gender-sensitive elections to be used by UN Women.
4. Research, Knowledge Management, and Communicationย
(Total: 19 days)
- Mapping of women in leadership positions in the economic sector-related MDAs at the national level to guide WIL-related interventions.
- Comprehensive mapping report and database developed. 6
- Conduct media engagements to create awareness and support local support for NPWEE with local radio stations in 16 counties.
- Media engagement plan developed.
- TV or Radio interviews or media briefings conducted to cover the 16 counties and also at the national level.
- Media summary report. 7
- Document and disseminate lessons learned and best practices WEE and WPPL initiatives including pre-election cycle.
- 1 consolidated lesson learned report ย
- 4 success stories produced in collaboration with the communications team 6
5. Resource Mobilization and Partnership Developmentย
(Total: 8 days)
- Identify and engage partners to support NPWEEโWIL implementation through co-financing, joint advocacy, or technical assistance.
- Partnership engagement plan with potential partners.
- Report highlighting collaboration opportunities and meeting summaries with potential partners
- Participate in at least 1 partner meeting to resource mobilize for NPWEE-WILย component 5
- Develop investment briefs and concept notes demonstrating the value of supporting NPWEE implementation, womenโs leadership, and gender-responsive governance.
- At least 1 investment brief or concept note finalized and shared. 3
Consultant's Workplace and Official Travel
The Consultant will be based in the UN Women Nairobi Office on a part-time basis with flexible arrangements for outreach programmes.
Competencies :
Core Values:
- Integrity;
- Professionalism;
- Respect for Diversity.
Core Competencies:
- Awareness and Sensitivity Regarding Gender Issues;
- Accountability;
- Creative Problem Solving;
- Effective Communication;
- Inclusive Collaboration;
- Stakeholder Engagement;
- Leading by Example.
Please visitย this linkย for more information on UN Womenโs Values and Competencies Framework:ย
Functional Competencies:
- Good knowledge of programme management.
- Ability to administer and execute administrative processes and transactions.
- Ability to create, edit and present information in clear and presentable formats.
- Ability to manage data, documents, correspondence and reports information and workflow.
- Good people and communications skills
- Strong coordination and partnership management skills
- Strong understanding of Kenyaโs gender equality policy frameworks, governance structures, and decentralization context.
- Excellent analytical, facilitation, and report writing skills.
IV. Required Qualifications
Education:
- Masterโs degree or equivalent in Gender Studies, Public Policy, Political Science, Development Studies, Economics, or a ย related field is required.
- A first-level university degree in combination with two additional years of qualifying experience may be accepted in lieu of the advanced university degree.
Experience:
- At least 5 years of progressively responsible experience in the areas of womenโs leadership, gender equality, governance, or womenโs economic empowerment.
- Experience inย designing and implementing programmesย that advance womenโs participation in governance or decision-making at national and county levels.
- Proven experience inย policy analysis, advocacy, and institutional capacity development, preferably in collaboration with government institutions or intergovernmental mechanisms.
- Demonstrated track record inย facilitating multi-stakeholder coordination and partnerships, including with government, private sector, and civil society.
- Experience withย UN agencies or international organizations will be considered an asset.
Language:
- Fluency in English is required.
- Working knowledge of Kiswahili is an asset.
Statements :
In July 2010, the United Nations General Assembly created UN Women, the United Nations Entity for Gender Equality and the Empowerment of Women. The creation of UN Women came about as part of the UN reform agenda, bringing together resources and mandates for greater impact. It merges and builds on the important work of four previously distinct parts of the UN system (DAW, OSAGI, INSTRAW and UNIFEM), which focused exclusively on gender equality and women's empowerment.
Diversity and inclusion:
At UN Women, we are committed to creating a diverse and inclusive environment of mutual respect. UN Women recruits, employs, trains, compensates,ย and promotes regardless of race, religion, color, sex, gender identity, sexual orientation, age,ย ability, national origin,ย or any other basis covered by appropriate law. All employment is decided on the basis of qualifications, competence, integrity and organizational need.
If you need any reasonable accommodation to support your participation in the recruitment and selection process, please include this information in your application.
UN Women has a zero-tolerance policy on conduct that is incompatible with the aims and objectives of the United Nations and UN Women, including sexual exploitation and abuse, sexual harassment, abuse of authority and discrimination. All selected candidates will be expected to adhere toย UN Womenโsย policiesย and proceduresย andย theย standardsย of conduct expected of UN Women personnelย and will therefore undergo rigorous reference and background checks. (Background checks will include the verification of academic credential(s) and employment history. Selected candidates may be required to provide additional information to conduct a background check.)
Note: Applicants must ensure that all sections of the application form, including the sections on education and employment history, are completed. If all sections are not completed the application may be disqualified from the recruitment and selection process.
ย
- At least 1 investment brief or concept note finalized and shared. 3
- Develop investment briefs and concept notes demonstrating the value of supporting NPWEE implementation, womenโs leadership, and gender-responsive governance.
- Identify and engage partners to support NPWEEโWIL implementation through co-financing, joint advocacy, or technical assistance.
- Document and disseminate lessons learned and best practices WEE and WPPL initiatives including pre-election cycle.
- Conduct media engagements to create awareness and support local support for NPWEE with local radio stations in 16 counties.
- Comprehensive mapping report and database developed. 6
- Mapping of women in leadership positions in the economic sector-related MDAs at the national level to guide WIL-related interventions.
- High level advocacy paper with key data, arguments, and messages for WPP and gender-sensitive elections to be used by UN Women.
- Coordinate technical assistance and targeted advocacy to national electoral stakeholders to promote womenโs equal representation in decision making.
- Support strategic advocacy and media engagements with counties and national actors to ensure NPWEE is mainstreamed into local development and budgeting processes.
- Hold a breakfast meeting with the Council of Governors Gender Committee and the G7 on the NPWEE to support domestication at the county level.
- Hold a breakfast meeting with the Parliamentary Committee on Social Protection and members of KEWOPA to rally support for the implementation of the Womenโs Economic Empowerment (WEE) Policy and seek support for developing the sessional paper.
- High-level dialogues with Permanent Secretaries, Cabinet Secretaries, and relevant Parliamentary committees, Council of Governors, and G7 held to discuss and drive awareness for the implementation of the policy document and promote inter-ministerial coordination.
- Report of capacity development strategy implemented for different target groups engaged in elections and womenโs political participation
- Coordinate the development and implementation of a strategy on capacity development for different target groups engaged in elections and womenโs political participation.
- Workshops/training to increase the capacity of women leadership in the national and county assembly and county executive level to support the implementation of the NPWEE.
- Workshops/trainings to increase the capacity of women leaders in the economic sector on the provisions of the NPWEE and to monitor and track the implementation of the NPWEE.
- Support dialogues on mentorship, training, and participation of women in leadership and decision-making, especially in the economics and business, law, and health sectors.
- Train women leaders in the private sector to advocate for implementation of the NPWEE.
- Support the sensitization of 16 County Gender Sector Working Groups on Women Economic Empowerment Policy โ WIL component.
- Report that contains results from needs assessment and mapping of initiatives on WPP
- Support and manage initiatives that promote women's political participation, with a focus on gender-responsive electoral support and women's leadership beyond election
- 4 donor visibility briefs and documentation package with success stories and photos. 4
- Support donor visibility and reporting efforts by documenting outcomes from high-level dialogues, trainings, and county engagements to demonstrate return on investment and partnership impact.
- Support monitoring and reporting on the progress of NPWEE implementation across counties and stakeholder groups, consolidating data for quarterly, donor, and UNINFO reporting.
- Revised and approved NPWEE WIL costed workplan. 2
- Re-align and update the NPWEE project costed workplan to enable accelerated implementation and delivery of planned outputs.