EU Ambassadors promote female leaders in Kenya

16.11.2021

The European Union Ambassador to Kenya, Henriette Geiger on Thursday 11 November held a dinner in honour of Kenyan women who are making a difference as leaders in the society. The dinner brought together the EU’s female ambassadors and women from different parts of the country and different professional fields and activities.

In attendance were women leaders including the Nairobi County elected women’s representative, Hon Esther Passaris, the Garissa Governor Hopeful Ms Gedhia Mamo, the Ms President Kenya finalists Nereah Oketch, Anne Waruguru and the young climate activist Ms Ellyanne Wanjiku, Kenya Climate and Gender Working Group member Vexinah Mueni and women rights activists Janet Mbugua and Adele Onyango. Also present were five European Union member states ambassadors, including the Ambassador to Germany, H.E Annett Gunther, the Ambassador to Ireland, H.E Fionnuala Quinlan and the Ambassadors’ from Portugal, Slovakia and Spain, H.E Luisa Fragoso, H.E Katarina Leligdonova and H. E Cristina Diaz.

Jane Kubai, one of the participants who recently received an award for her efforts to combat Covid 19, was very happy to have been invited at the dinner. “I really got encouraged, I know if we work together as women, we can achieve much more. I have a dream to one day be an ambassador and I know I will get there.”

Umulkheir Harun, a young woman leader from Garrisa, said she was excited that the ambassadors have shown great interest in bringing together the women. Bringing us together in this round table is really important, we can find ways of expanding our voices and engaging each other to better reach out to other girls and women,” she noted.

Dr Zippy Okoth, a filmmaker noted that it was encouraging to know that the struggles of Kenyan women is really not very different from the struggles of European women.  She was reacting to the presentation from the Ambassadors who shared the situation in their own countries, where women’s rights are still an issue.

This dinner is the first in a series of round table discussions that the female European Union Ambassadors hope to hold with women leaders, to bring out their voice as a key stakeholder and an important part of the national dialogue.