Chiggai: Why data is crucial in in promoting gender equality

In an age increasingly driven by data, the exclusion of half the population from meaningful representation within data systems is not only unjust, it is a developmental disaster.

The Women in Data Summit (WiDS) is one of the spaces where fragmented efforts are unified, overlooked voices are amplified, and the political will to improve gender data systems is galvanised.

What gets measured gets managed. Kenya has made strides in promoting gender equality, from school re-entry policies for teenage mothers to improved tracking of learners through digital systems like NEMIS to the recognition of unpaid care work in national surveys.

But persistent gaps in data collection, coordination, and funding remain. Without quality gender data, women’s lived realities, especially those of rural, disabled, and marginalised women, remain invisible. And without visibility, there can be no accountability.

WiDS 2024 made it clear that change is already underway. Nandi County, for example, has established a gender based violence (GBV) recovery centre and launched a tech-powered call centre to track teen pregnancies and improve service delivery.

The Kenya National Bureau of Statistics (KNBS) is working with civil society to validate non-state data and expand time use surveys. GROOTS Kenya is enabling grassroots women to document and advocate for land rights through community land inventories.

The Office of the Data Protection Commissioner is embedding safeguards for women’s digital data in national regulatory frameworks. Meanwhile, education stakeholders such as FAWE are partnering with the Ministry of Education to use gender data to address school dropouts and teen pregnancy.

These are not just anecdotes. They are powerful proof that when women are meaningfully included in data systems, entire communities benefit.

We must push for legislation, such as the County Statistics Act, to anchor gender data in law at the county level. There is a pressing need for long-term financing of gender data systems and consistent investment in county and grassroots data initiatives.

Kenya must also harness the power of technology not just for innovation’s sake but to close emerging data gaps, including those around technology-facilitated GBV. Capacity building remains key, especially for community health workers, county officers, and grassroots women who are increasingly taking the lead in collecting and using data.

In addition, we must champion an intersectional approach, asking not just “where are the women?” but “which women?”, so that the data we collect reflects the full diversity of experiences and needs.

As we approach the 2025 edition of the Women in Data Summit (WiDS), it is imperative to reflect on the progress, lessons, and momentum ignited by WiDS 2024, held in Nakuru County.

Convened by the Executive Office of the President, through the Office of the Advisor on Women’s Rights, alongside GROOTS Kenya and the Local Development Research Institute (LDRI), the 2024 summit brought together over 130 stakeholders from government, county administrations, academia, civil society, and grassroots movements.

Their shared mission was clear: to close gender data gaps that continue to hinder equitable policy formulation and service delivery.

The Women in Data Summit is a national platform dedicated to elevating the role of gender data in Kenya’s development.

Under the 2024 theme, “Innovation, Financing and Status of Women in Gender Data,” the summit explored how gender disaggregated data can drive progress across critical sectors such as education, health, land, economic empowerment, and technology. More importantly,

WiDS is a movement toward truth, inclusion, and dignity for every woman and girl in Kenya. If we truly want to build a data-driven future, we must ensure that the data reflects all of us, not just some of us.

As the world counts down to 2030 and the promise of the Sustainable Development Goals, WiDS 2025 is our opportunity to declare, we see you, we count you, and we will not build without you.

The writer is Kenya’s Presidential Advisor On Women Rights