Summary
The National Gender Research Agenda (NGRA) for Kenya, led by the National Gender and Equality Commission (NGEC), responds to uncoordinated gender research and limited synthesized evidence. The report says research by institutions, think tanks and state and non-state organizations has led to duplication and siloed data that does not build on each other, which limits its use in policy and programming, particularly for Special Interest Groups (SIGs).
The report notes that gender gaps persist despite Kenya's legal and policy framework: women are less likely than men to be employed (60% vs. 70%), earn 17.7% less per hour (UN Women, 2023), and hold 23% of elected and 37% of public institutions' leadership positions.
The Agenda was developed through consultations with stakeholders from 22 institutions in Nairobi on 15 October 2024, a Machakos workshop on 6-7 February 2025, a validation meeting on 30 April 2025 and a Naivasha workshop on 7-8 August 2025. It sets out five strategies for 2025-2027 and five research priority areas: root causes of gender inequality, intersectionality, gender transformation, systemic issues, and emerging and contemporary issues.
Key findings
- Kenya's gender research is uncoordinated: institutions have independently produced data that is duplicated and siloed, which limits its usefulness for policy, decisions and solutions to the root causes of gender inequality.
- In Kenya, 60% of women are employed compared with 70% of men, and women earn 17.7% less per hour (UN Women, 2023).
- Women hold only 23% of elected leadership positions and 37% of leadership positions in public institutions in Kenya.
- Women in Kenya are less likely than men to obtain post-secondary education (19% vs. 21%) and are more likely to experience gender-based violence and discrimination in property ownership, especially land.
- The Agenda was co-created with stakeholders from 22 institutions across government, civil society and academia, including 11 think tank institutions at the Machakos workshop, and was finalized in Naivasha on 7-8 August 2025.
- The Agenda sets five strategies for 2025-2027: inform the Gender Sector Statistics Plan, establish a Gender Equality and Social Inclusion (GESI) Data Hub, strengthen capacity, strengthen collaboration and partnerships, and carry out strategic high-level advocacy.
- The five research priority areas are root causes of gender inequality, understanding intersectionality, gender transformation, systemic issues in gender, and emerging and contemporary issues such as AI, climate change, technology-facilitated GBV and the digital divide.
- From 2025 to 2029 the NGRA committee plans six initiatives, including dissemination through 2026, fundraising, building PhD students' research capacity, developing a gender research data hub, and annual evidence briefs.
Recommendations
- Inform the implementation of the Gender Sector Statistics Plan and its governance framework as part of the Kenya Strategy for the Development of Statistics.
- Establish and operationalize the GESI Data Hub as a one-stop shop for disaggregated, intersectional gender data to reduce duplication.
- Strengthen the capacity of data producers, data users, policy makers, communicators and gender researchers through masterclasses, fellowships, mentorship and skilling.
- Strengthen collaboration among researchers, practitioners and policy makers across government, civil society, academia and the private sector, building on the 22 collaborating institutions.
- Map influential actors and engage them through policy briefs, advisories and high-level round table discussions.
- Leverage technology and AI-driven solutions to make critical gender data widely accessible and open to customization and use.
- Translate the NGRA into fundable concepts and champion fundraising for the priority research areas.
- Build the capacity of PhD students and their supervisors to research the prioritized GESI areas, and use media to champion annual evidence briefs.
How the study was done
The Agenda was co-created through stakeholder consultations: a meeting with 22 institutions from government, civil society and academia in Nairobi (15 October 2024), a two-day workshop in Machakos with 11 think tank institutions (6-7 February 2025), validation at a second Nairobi stakeholders meeting (30 April 2025), and finalization in a two-day workshop in Naivasha (7-8 August 2025).
Questions & answers
What is the National Gender Research Agenda for Kenya?
The National Gender Research Agenda (NGRA) is a framework led by the National Gender and Equality Commission (NGEC) to coordinate gender research in Kenya. It aims to reduce duplication and siloed data, build capacity, strengthen collaboration and advocacy, and generate evidence to inform policy and programming, especially for Special Interest Groups.
Why does Kenya need a National Gender Research Agenda?
The report says gender research in Kenya is produced independently by many institutions without coordination, causing duplication and siloed data that does not build on earlier work. This limits the use of evidence in policy and decisions and in addressing the root causes of gender inequality, so NGEC proposed a coordinated agenda.
What are the five research priority areas in the Agenda?
The five priority areas are root causes of gender inequality, understanding intersectionality, gender transformation, systemic issues in gender, and emerging and contemporary issues in gender. The last includes AI, climate change, health, technology-facilitated GBV, humanitarian crises, disaster preparedness and the digital divide.
What gender gaps in Kenya does the report cite?
The report cites a 60% employment rate for women versus 70% for men, a 17.7% lower hourly wage for women (UN Women, 2023), and women holding 23% of elected and 37% of public institutions' leadership positions. It also cites post-secondary education at 19% for women versus 21% for men.
What is the GESI Data Hub?
The Gender Equality and Social Inclusion (GESI) Data Hub is a planned NGEC platform serving as a one-stop shop for disaggregated, intersectional data and evidence on gender. It is intended to give real-time information for decisions, policy and programming, stamp out duplication and promote access to gender resources.
Who developed the National Gender Research Agenda?
NGEC developed the Agenda with stakeholders from 22 institutions representing government, civil society organizations and academia. Consultations included a Nairobi meeting on 15 October 2024, a Machakos workshop on 6-7 February 2025, validation in Nairobi on 30 April 2025 and a Naivasha workshop on 7-8 August 2025.
What will happen next with the Agenda?
From 2025 to 2029 the NGRA committee plans to disseminate the Agenda through 2026, turn it into fundable concepts, build PhD students' capacity, develop a gender research data hub, publish annual evidence briefs through the media, and hold policy round table discussions.
