Shaping inclusive democracy and amplifying youth and gender voices at Kenya’s 2025 People Dialogue Festival

Uhuru Park in Nairobi came alive with vibrant dialogue, civic engagement, and bold conversations during the 7th edition of the People Dialogue Festival (PDF) — a flagship initiative of the Centre for Multiparty Democracy (CMD-Kenya). Under the theme “Building a Collaborative Democracy for Kenya’s Sustainable Future,” this year’s edition brought together a diverse range of stakeholders from government, civil society, private sector, and the public to co-create inclusive solutions for Kenya’s development.

For the seventh consecutive year, PDF served as a key space for citizens to actively participate in democratic conversations. Expanding its impact, the 2025 edition included not just a four-day event in Nairobi, but also county-level dialogues and school-based forums reaching 18 schools since 2023.

As a committed partner, UN Women provided both financial and technical support to the 2025 People Dialogue Festival, co-creating two pivotal sessions that embedded a gender lens into key national discussions:

1. Taking stock of young women’s inclusion in governance and development
2. Access to economic empowerment for young people with disabilities

UN Women’s technical expertise ensured gender perspectives were integrated throughout these discussions in panel questions and audience interactions, shifting narratives from politically aligned debates to issue-based inclusive engagements. The sessions emphasized gender disparities in leadership, employment, and care work—areas crucial for Kenya’s sustainable development.

UN Women participated in the vibrant Youth Village, a space tailored for young adults (ages 18–35) to deliberate on civic responsibility, governance, and development. The Village served as a dynamic platform to engage young people in exploring democratic leadership while highlighting gender disparities in access to digital skills, economic opportunities, and political participation.

Discussions spotlighted the digital divide between young women and men in Kenya, highlighting barriers that hinder women’s access to technology and digital opportunities. Participants also explored the structural and societal challenges young women face in political spaces, including financial limitations and technology-facilitated gender-based violence. The session further celebrated youth-led innovations and advocacy efforts that are driving progress toward gender-inclusive governance.

According to the UNESCO Science Report 2021, women represent 61% of the labor force in Sub-Saharan Africa, yet only 30% are in the technology industry. This underscores the need for urgent action in digital empowerment for women and girls.

Highlighting the Care Economy: A Gendered Economic Conversation

UN Women also showcased its work on care policy under the theme “Advancing Inclusive Economic Empowerment for Youth in Kenya.” In collaboration with the Gates Foundation, UN Women highlighted findings from its  Evidence to Policy for the Kenyan Care Economy initiative, advocating for care as both a public good and a viable employment opportunity for the youth.

The session on care and economic empowerment emphasized the critical role of the care economy in addressing youth unemployment and advancing gender equality. Insights from the Kenya National Bureau of Statistics Economic Survey revealed that care work comprises 7% of Kenya’s total employment, with women making up two-thirds of the workforce.

Findings from UN Women’s 2022 National Care Needs Assessment indicated that strategic investment in care infrastructure could boost youth employment by up to 65%. The discussion also highlighted the care diamond model to promote shared responsibility among households, government, the private sector, and communities. Labour-saving technologies and caregiver training emerged as key opportunities for policy innovation and inclusive job creation.

“Women in Kenya spend four times more hours on unpaid care work than men. This contributes significantly to women’s time poverty and limits their participation in the labour market,” Hillary emphazied emphasized during the session.

In a session titled “Accelerate Action: Taking Stock of Young Women Inclusion in Governance and  Development,”UN Women co-hosted an intergenerational mentorship forum with Gears for Change, Young Women Leaders Connect, and the AWLN Young Women’s Caucus. This speed-mentorship event connected emerging young women leaders with seasoned mentors, including: Hon. Njeri Maina, Women Representative, Kirinyaga County;  Hon. Kamau Thuo Fiunifiu, Member of County Assembly Karura, Ward;  Rachel Omollo, former Member of Parliament aspirant and Angela Waweru, Founder, Heels For Pads. The session shed light on barriers young women face in political participation, such as digital harassment, and explored innovative ways to accelerate their engagement.

Building Synergies with Stakeholders

UN Women worked closely with various actors aligned to its mandate, including: State Department for Gender and Affirmative Action, Federation of Women Lawyers in Kenya, National Gender and Equality Commission, Association of Media Women in Kenya, Badili Africa, Young Women Leaders Connect, African Women Leaders Network  Young Women’s Caucus, URAIA Trust and Gears for Change.

Through these partnerships, UN Women amplified awareness of its work on women’s political leadership, unpaid care, disability inclusion, and youth economic empowerment.

Aligning PDF with UN Women’s Strategic Goals

The 2025 PDF contributed directly to UN Women’s strategic objectives:

• Promoting inclusive governance by engaging over 2,000 women, youth, and marginalized groups in policy-shaping dialogues.
• Advancing economic justice and rights through discussions on care policy and youth employment.
• Enhancing women’s leadership and participation by mentorship and civic engagement forums tailored for young women.

While gender was not always at the center of previous festivals, this year showed a clear shift in recognition of the critical role of women and girls in shaping Kenya’s democratic future.