The women caucus in the regional Parliament on Thursday, December 2, successfully pushed through a resolution that will check "glaring inequalities” between men and women serving the East African Community (EAC).
The resolution is urging the EAC Council of Ministers, the six-member bloc’s policy making organ, to adopt and implement measures to enhance gender mainstreaming in the appointment and recruitment for all organs and institutions of the bloc.
Gender mainstreaming, a strategy towards realising gender equality, involves the integration of a gender perspective in preparation, design, implementation, monitoring and evaluation of policies, regulatory measures and spending programmes, so as to promote equality between women and men, and combat discrimination.
The motion for the resolution moved by Ugandan MP Mary Mugyenyi, and seconded by Rwanda's MP Amb Fatuma Ndangiza, got overwhelming approval in the House.
Mugyenyi expressed concern that "despite the existing legal framework, there are still glaring inequalities” between men and women in the service of the EAC including staffing at the Executive, professional and general staff levels in all organs and institutions of the bloc.
She recalled that out of the five top Executives of the EAC Secretariat, none is female; out of the seven Directors in the EAC Secretariat, only one is a woman; and none of the six Judges of the First Instance Division of the East African Court of Justice (EACJ) is a woman.
Only one of the heads of the more than nine EAC institutions is a woman and out of the professional staff of the East African Legislative Assembly (EALA), only one is female.
Women empowerment a right, not favour
With the most bureaucratic world bodies such as the AU and UN more advanced in gender mainstreaming, Ndangiza noted, "it’s a shame for EAC” to have such figures.
"It is a call to commitment. It’s written in our Treaty. It’s not a favour; gender equality and women empowerment is a right,” Ndangiza said, stressing that there is no way partner states can achieve sustainable development "when women are left out of the process.”
"And it’s possible! It is doable. If it has been done at the level of partner states, it can be done at the level of EAC.”
Most EAC countries adopted affirmative action including reserving at least 30 percent of the appointive and elective positions for women at various levels of government or leadership, as one of the strategies of promoting gender, equity and equality and gender mainstreaming.
Rwanda leads the way, with more than 61 percent of women in Parliament. Globally, it is also ranked as the sixth country with women holding 50 per cent, or more, ministerial positions.
The Arusha-based EAC Competition Authority is headed by Lilian Mukoronia, the Registrar. The East African Science and Technology Commission, based in Kigali, was also headed by Gertrude Ngaribano who was Executive Secretary until she retired in 2020 after completing her five-year, non-renewable, term.
Mugyenyi said: "If these gender imbalances in decision-making as well as in professional staff category within the organs and institutions of the Community are not mitigated, gender mainstreaming will remain an unattainable dream for the Community.”
"If the Council does not adopt and implement measures to actualise gender equality and equity in decision-making positions and recruitment within the organs and institutions of the Community, EAC will be legitimizing the continuation of male dominance in key decision-making organs and promoting barriers to women accessing decision-making and professional positions.”
Legal framework exists
Ndangiza stressed that "the EAC Treaty is clear” on matters relating to gender mainstreaming.
Partner states undertook to mainstream gender in all endeavours and to enhance the role of women in regional development as one of the strategies of attaining the objectives of the Community under Article 5 of the EAC Treaty.
Under Article 39 of the protocol on the establishment of the EAC Common Market, countries also committed to promote equal opportunities and gender equality.
In 2008, the Council of Ministers adopted a gender policy. Its goal is to have an inclusive EAC which guarantees equal rights and opportunities for women and men.
Ndangiza said: "We really have all the tools. The EAC gender policy enshrines the principles of equal opportunities and equitable distribution of programmes, services, and resources, the participation of women in the socio-economic development of the Community and promotes gender equity and equality in the employment sector through enabling policy and legislation.”
Regulation 20 of the EAC staff rules and regulations requires that gender balance be taken into account in the recruitment of staff for the bloc’s organs and institutions.
Acknowledging that there are more women than men in his life, MP Aden Omar Abdikadir (Kenya), supported the motion noting that "when you surround yourself with women who make decisions well,” life becomes easier, better.
Females in the region make more than 60 percent of the population.
"When are we going to have an SG who is a woman? And, if we have the SG as a man, his deputies should be women,” Abdikadir said.
Abdikadir also strongly condemned violence against women noting that "it is barbaric and condemnable by all names possible to lift a finger against a woman.”
"There should be no more injustice to women and girls in this world.”
Abdikadir urged his compatriot, Adan Mohamed, Chairperson of the Council of Ministers, to ensure that the ongoing staff recruitment is gender balanced. On Tuesday, Adan said the earlier stalled process would resume in about four weeks’ time.
He said: "We want to use the ongoing recruitment exercise as a test bed...and see how things work.”
Among others, it is the Council that appoints heads of EAC organs and institutions.
Acknowledging existing inequalities, Adan told the Assembly that "this is something that needs to be corrected at the earliest possible opportunity” and noted that effort is being made to address the present mismatch.
In the whole, Adan said, gender mainstreaming is "the right thing to do.”
"I think it’s long overdue.”
Six key recommendations
Mugyenyi’s motion has six recommendations.
"We can no longer delay any one of the recommendations of this motion,” Abdikadir said.
By adopting the motion, the House is calling upon and urging the Council of Ministers to: direct partner states to always consider gender when nominating persons to serve in the organs and institutions of the Community, including the Secretary General and Deputy Secretaries General, Judges and members of Boards.
The second is to direct the Secretary General to conduct a gender audit in all EAC organs and institutions to facilitate the Council to implement gender mainstreaming.
Third is to implement regulation 20(12) of the EAC staff rules and regulations and take gender into account in recruitment of professional staff.
Fourth is to direct the Secretary General to consider affirmative action for women when recruiting general and support staff in the organs and institutions of the Community.
Fifth is to direct the Secretary General to ensure that advertisements for jobs in the Community encourage women to apply.
Sixth is to create a conducive environment for women working in the EAC, taking into account specific needs for women including breastfeeding facilities, adequate maternity leave, day care centres, and affordable education for children, favourable spouse allowance and an environment free from sexual and gender-based violence.
The resolution was adopted at a time when the world is commemorating 16 days of activism in an international campaign against violence against women, from November 25 to December 10, themed: End violence against women now.
It also took place a few days after the historic AU Heads of State conference on positive masculinity in Kinshasa, DR Congo, on November 25, when President Paul Kagame said: "Gender equality is much more than a moral obligation.”
On December 10, the world will celebrate human rights day which marks the adoption of the universal declaration of human rights by the UN, in 1948.
After the Assembly wrapped up plenary business in Arusha, Tanzania Ndangiza told The New Times that the EAC integration agenda "cannot be attained if more than half of its population, who are women, are left on the margins of decision making.”
She stressed: "There is need to reduce the gender gap in governance and institutional structures in EAC organs and institutions. Key is adopting an affirmative action mechanism at the EAC to introduce a minimum of 30 percent of women in decision making positions.”
Ndangiza also insisted making use of commitments made by EAC partner states by implementing regional and international gender instruments and declarations such as the EAC Treaty’s provisions on gender equality, the Beijing platform for action, and the Maputo Protocol and Convention on the elimination of all forms of discrimination against women.