The call for diversity, gender equality and inclusion of women in peace and security globally and in Kenya remains logical and day in day out, institutions, governments and organizations express support for this course.
More than two decades since the United Nation Security Council passed its revolutionary resolution on Women, Peace & Security (Resolution 1325) however, states including Kenya continue to face challenges in the implementation of the provisions of the resolve.
Women in the security sector in Kenya continue to encounter discrimination during recruitment, deployment, promotion and even pay.
In August last year, UN Women released a damning report exposing the dramatic decrease of women police officers in Kenya between 2018 and 2023. The report showed that while 14,042 women were registered in the police services in 2018, the figure dropped in 2021 to 13, 279. As of March 2023, of the 106,830 Kenyan police officers, a paltry 7,457 were women – which translates to just 6.9%.
This was attributed to the lack of support women receive in policing institutions, unfair recruitment practices that discriminate against women, and a lack of upward mobility for women in the police services. Historically, male police officers perceive females as not being able to fulfil certain job requirements yet research by various institutions have proved otherwise.
Recently, the Independent Policing Oversight Authority (IPOA) noted that female police officers in Kenya face significant challenges, with a lack of support both within the police force and society at large.
Some of the recommendations by IPOA to the National Taskforce on Police and Prisons Reforms include; having an approach to ensure that the gender perspective is considered in all areas and at all levels of police work, Gender sensitive recruitment, promotion and deployment in all the NPS Colleges and Campuses and development of a gender policy in the NPS to ensure deployment of both male and female officers in all police stations.
IPOA also recommended training Officers on gender issues and creation of awareness by the National Police Service to ensure strict adherence of the provisions of the Sexual Offences Act. IPOA also recommended the establishment of child care unit rooms for lactating mothers to attend to their children while on duty.
The taskforce adopted the recommendations and additionally, wants the NPS and the National Uniforms Committee to prepare and approve maternity uniforms for female officers and setting up of a fully-fledged Gender Directorate and decentralise its services.
As Kenya moves towards implementation of the affirmative action measures, there is need for bridging research and training in the implementation of the Women, Peace, and Security agenda.
All stakeholders in the Security sectors should create and implement measures to end Sexual and Gender Based Violence within their spaces. There needs to be a well-structured system for reporting SGBV. Apart from other measures, IPOA has in place, a SGBV online toolkit where police officers can report cases of sexual harassment against them and their colleagues.
An example of this is that IPOA, in recognition that both men and women are essential to build sustainable peace and security continues to call for women’s inclusion in the security sector reforms.
Integrating a gender perspective in the security sector serves the different needs of women, men, girls and boys and is a prerequisite for an effective and accountable security sector.
Ms. Fatuma Mohamed is a Commissioner at the Independent Policing Oversight Authority (IPOA)