Civil society organizations in Kisumu County, in partnership with Dreams Redefined Community-Based Organization and Women Volunteers for Peace (WOVOP), have officially launched the Beyond Bias Project, an initiative aimed at fast-tracking the Kisumu County Gender and Equity Bill 2024 into law.
The project, funded by the European Union under the Meaningful Engagement for Transformative Action (META) programme, seeks to support the remaining legislative processes, including public participation, before the bill is enacted.
Speaking during the launch in Kisumu, Dreams Redefined CBO Founder and Chief Executive Officer Yvonne Ogolla said the initiative will first conduct a thorough analysis of the bill before presenting it to members of the public for input.
“Our project is looking into how we can analyse the document before taking it to the public for participation, so that it can pass through all the remaining processes before it is assented to by Governor Professor Peter Anyang’ Nyong’o,” said Ogolla.
She noted that the exercise will cover all wards across the seven sub-counties in Kisumu, adding that the bill belongs to the county government while civil society organizations are only offering support to ensure its success.
Women Volunteers for Peace Programmes Coordinator Florence Sijenje said WOVOP is partnering with Dreams Redefined and the Kisumu County Government through the Beyond Bias Project to champion the Kisumu County Gender Mainstreaming Bill and ensure its full implementation once enacted.
Sijenje said the law will help increase women’s representation in political leadership and decision-making positions.
She revealed that the META programme focuses on three thematic areas: peace-building and governance, digitalisation, and green economy, noting that the organization received EU support because of its peace-building efforts targeting adolescent girls and young women.
According to Sijenje, WOVOP promotes peace building through advocacy, capacity building, education, and sexual reproductive health programmes, especially as the country heads towards the 2027 General Election.
She observed that Kisumu has in the past been identified as one of the regions vulnerable to post-election violence, stressing the need to involve women in peace-building discussions and leadership.
Kisumu County Executive Committee Member for Sports, Culture, Gender and Youth Beatrice Odongo, who attended the launch as the chief guest, welcomed the initiative and affirmed the county government’s commitment to supporting the project.
Odongo said the bill had already been gazetted and is currently before the county assembly, awaiting public participation.
“We need to begin public participation for the bill. It has already been gazetted and is now before the assembly. The Beyond Bias Project will help us reach the public before the governor signs it into law,” she said.
The county executive also urged women to come out in large numbers and vie for elective seats in the 2027 elections, noting that more men than women currently contest political positions.
Odongo further reaffirmed her intention to vie for the Kisumu County Woman Representative seat in the next General Election.
“This is a project aimed at empowering both men and women in Kisumu County,” she added.
