Gender gap widens in county hiring despite guidelines
Tana River County Governor Dhadho Godhana speaks at an event at Hola Stadium on December 7, 2022. Tana River, Kisii, and Garissa counties are among those that have not complied with the two-thirds gender rule and procurement regulations.
What you need to know:
- County governments are failing to meet gender equality guidelines in hiring and procurement, according to the latest Auditor General's report.
- The audit reveals significant underrepresentation of women in county workforces, with examples from Tana River, Kisii, and Garissa counties showing non-compliance with the two-thirds gender rule and procurement regulations.
- Despite existing policies, gender disparities persist in public service employment and promotions.
Counties have significantly defied hiring and procurement guidelines, leading to the exclusion of women from key labour opportunities. The latest report by the Auditor General, which audits county executives, highlights widespread non-compliance with regulations governing the hiring of county public service workers and the procurement of goods and services.
The audit, covering the 2022/2023 financial year, reveals that several counties have employed more men than women, contravening established gender guidelines.
For instance, in Tana River County, the June 2023 payroll showed that out of a total workforce of 2,004, only 601 were women. This workforce includes county executive committee members, members of the county public service board, chief officers, departmental directors, and support staff for the governor and deputy governor.
According to the Auditor General, this non-compliance breaches Part B.22 (2) of the Human Resource Policies and Procedures Manual for the Public Service (2016), which prohibits more than two-thirds of positions from being filled by one gender.
However, Tana River's acting county secretary, Mwanajuma Hiribae, cited several challenges that complicate the employment of women. She pointed to "negotiated democracy," which mandates the allocation of positions among sub-tribes, as well as the region’s conservative culture, as significant barriers.
“The governor, Dhadho Godhana, nominated me as the first woman for the position of county secretary, but the county assembly rejected my nomination,” Hiribae said during a phone interview last week.
Governor Godhana then appointed her to serve in an interim capacity. Mwanajuma also serves as the County Executive Committee Member (CECM) for Lands, Physical Planning, Agriculture, Livestock, Fisheries, Veterinary Services, and Cooperative Development. She is one of only three women CECMs in the county, alongside Brenda Mokaya (Finance and Economic Planning) and Hadija Algi (Water, Energy, Mining, Wildlife, and Natural Resources), out of a total of nine.
In Kisii County, the gender imbalance is also apparent. Of the 14 chief officers appointed by the governor, only four are women. This violates Section B.26 (2) of the County Public Service Human Resource Manual (2013), which mandates that no more than 66.7 per cent of vacant positions should be filled by one gender.
Similarly, Garissa County allocated only 19 per cent of its Sh2.3 billion procurement budget for the financial year to women, youth, and persons with disabilities—falling short of the 30 percent threshold set by Regulation 149 of the Public Procurement and Asset Disposal Regulations (2020).
Requests for comments on this non-compliance from the governors of Kisii and Garissa counties went unanswered.
Last Friday, the Meru High Court set a precedent by dissolving the County Public Service Board for violating the two-thirds gender rule. The board was comprised of six members — five men and one woman.
Despite clear laws and guidelines promoting gender equality in hiring and advancement, gender disparities in public service remain prevalent.
In 2021/2022, the Public Service Commission reported that 6,172 officers were promoted, with women accounting for just 30 per cent (1,852) of the promotions, while men comprised 70 per cent (4,320). During the same period, the commission recruited 3,018 men compared to 2,164 women, further highlighting the ongoing gender imbalance.
The Human Resource Policies and Procedures Manual for the Public Service (2016) mandates equal opportunities for men and women at all levels of public service. However, the underrepresentation of women in public service positions continues to be a significant issue.
