Kenya has launched Women Count Phase III, in collaboration with Council of Governors, Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency (Sida), UN Women (Women Count) and partners. This is in celebration of more than a decade of progressin closing gender data gaps, influencing policies, and building resilient systems that are accountable to women and girls. Since 2016, the women count programme has helped transform gender data systems, closing critical data gaps, strengthening institutional capacity, and embedding gender statistics in decision making.
In Kenya, collaboration with the Kenya National Bureau of Statistics (KNBS), the State Department for Gender Affairs and Affirmative Action, and other national stakeholders has strengthened the integration of gender statistics across government. These efforts have driven
evidence-based policy reforms and positioned Kenya as a regional leader in gender data, reflected in its top ranking on the gender data outlook index and leadership across the continent.
Quality gender data
Speaking at the launch, Antonia NGabala-Sodonon, UN Women Kenya CountryRepresentative, said: “A decade of investment in quality gender data has changed the policy conversation in Kenya. 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 bring in partners from around the region to share experiences over 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), to further strengthen subnational planning and long-term coordination of gender statistics.
Dr. Macdonald G. Obudho, Director General, KNBS, noted: “Gender statistics are essential infrastructure for development. 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.”
Global partnerships
Reflecting on the global partnerships that have sustained progress, Marie Ottosson, Head ofDevelopment Cooperation, Embassy of Sweden, said: “Kenya’s leadership shows the power of partnership, persistence, and evidence. Sweden’s longstanding collaboration with UN Women on gender data underscores our shared commitment to transparency and results.”
Women Count Phase III (2026–2029) will 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.
