At the outset, the understanding of gender mainstreaming in the Murang'a Water and Sanitation Company was limited. However, we took a proactive step by enrolling in a workforce gender equality accelerated program, facilitated by USAID through the partnership with KenGen in Kenya.
Our strategy was based on a comprehensive assessment, covering aspects such as employee work-life balance, organizational culture, gender balance in leadership and decision-making, gender equality in recruitment and career progression, and the incorporation of the sex and gender dimension. Crucially, we engaged all our employees through structured staff meetings to gain their support for the forthcoming changes.
Our journey commenced with a thorough gap analysis that pinpointed areas needing improvement. We utilized a SWOT analysis to thoroughly evaluate the strengths, weaknesses, threats, and opportunities within the context of gender equality within the water sector. This analysis served as a critical foundation for establishing short-term, medium-term, and long-term goals.
The exercise identified the powerful stakeholders supporting the resistance of the company's effort towards changing the workplace culture which includes the Board of Directors, management, some employees, community and development partners.
Following the assessment, we developed a persuasive business case that illustrated how gender equality would be advantageous for our organization. It was presented to our management for their consideration and approval, addressing aspects such as work-life balance, organizational culture, gender balance in leadership and decision-making, and the seamless integration of gender mainstreaming.
We recognized that financial allocation was crucial for our gender mainstreaming efforts. Consequently, we formulated a dedicated gender mainstreaming budget covering expenses related to training our staff members. These efforts were supported by our newly formed gender mainstreaming committee, endorsed by the management. This committee plays a pivotal role in supporting the ongoing implementation of our gender equality initiatives.
Furthermore, we are continuing to work on the creation of comprehensive gender policies and a gender equality roadmap for each stage of the employee lifecycle.