Lack of data hurting women empowerment in the country
Rift Valley
By
Antony Gitonga
| Aug 21, 2025
The lack of adequate data has been identified as a major obstacle to advancing women’s empowerment in the country and across the region.
Rural women remain disproportionately affected by the digital divide, largely due to insufficient statistical data to shape policies that meet their needs, particularly in access to finance.
According to Harriet Chiggai, the President’s Advisor on Women’s Rights, less than 0.5 per cent of development assistance was allocated to data and statistics, with gender receiving the smallest share.
“Real-time data helps governments to review and adopt policies that empower women, especially those in rural and marginalized communities who continue to face barriers to financing,” Chiggai said.
Speaking in Naivasha during a three-day Regional Women in Data Summit, she emphasized on the need to improve data governance to support evidence-based policymaking in women’s empowerment.
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She noted that lack of data had left half of women’s realities and needs in Sub-Saharan Africa unaccounted for, as fragmented data systems failed to provide a clear picture.
To address the gap, Chiggai called for sustainable domestic budget allocations for gender data to strengthen national data systems and embed statistical frameworks in law.
She said that continued advocacy had pushed 36 African countries to enact data protection laws that promote inclusivity and drive meaningful change.
On her part, Mercy Wanjau, Secretary to the Cabinet, highlighted government efforts to improve women’s access to financing.
She said that under the Kenya Kwanza manifesto, 48 per cent of Hustler Fund beneficiaries were women, who led in both borrowing and repayment.
She further noted that the adoption of technology and data had enabled the government to expand services through the E-Citizen platform, with revenue increasing by over 2,000 per cent.
She noted that the collections have risen from Sh160m on to over Sh1B per day by the end of 2023, with more than 25 government services now integrated.
The government’s Special Envoy on Technology, Philip Thigo, said women continued to lag behind, with only 5 per cent of startup capital directed towards women.
He added that women occupied just 30 percent of the technology workforce and earned less than men with the same qualifications.
Thigo stressed the need for gender-inclusive data to guide budget allocations and development priorities in the country.
South African President’s Advisor on Women’s Economic Rights, Namhla Mangaliso, underscored the role of data in shaping policies that strengthened women’s economic empowerment ecosystems.
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