Women´s Participation in the Cooperative Sector: Case Study of West Pokot County

Abstract

In rural areas of West Pokot County, women rise before sunrise to take care of several roles, caring for their households, caring for livestock, and operating small businesses to sustain their family livelihoods. However, some of this work remains invisible despite its great contribution to the local economy, which later has a triple effect on the larger economy of the country. A few of the West Pokot women, however, are part of Cooperatives society. Despite women's significant contribution in cooperatives societies, their presence remains limited to membership and not as at the cooperative's leadership and decision making positions. Cooperatives have been recognized in the world as economic driver in relation to poverty reduction, and promoting women inclusion development, although gender inequalities and disparities continue to limit women's participation in cooperative leadership and governance. This project therefore explores the persistent underrepresentation of women in cooperative governance in West Pokot County, with an aim of advancing gender equitable and inclusive governance through leadership training, productive resources access, and addressing structural and cultural barriers hindering women´s active participation in the cooperatives sector.

Despite deliberate efforts of both national and county governments to address gender inequality across sectors in Kenya there are still great challenges for efficient implementation and outcomes, especially in the rural and pastoral regions of Kenya. In West Pokot specifically, women are faced with limited access to education as well as limited access to finance, land ownership and decision making platforms and as a result they are limited to basic cooperative membership positions with minimum influence in decision making and leadership outcomes.  The project will therefore use a holistic gender-responsive approach by combining capacity building, institutional forms, and community engagement for sustainable change in the cooperatives, by addressing both outcomes and root causes of gender inequalities in cooperatives in West Pokot.

The project anticipates both immediate and long term outcomes. For the short term, women will gain knowledge, practical skills and confidence to participate actively in leadership and governance. In the medium term, it anticipates greater representation of women in leadership positions. In the long term, contribute to the larger economy through household income, reduced poverty levels, enhanced social cohesion and sustainable community development. In conclusion, women's empowerment in the cooperative societies goes beyond promoting gender equality; it is a pathway to economic growth and broader social transformation. The project therefore calls upon key stakeholders to work collectively in advancing gender-inclusive practices and strengthening women's meaningful participation.