From the Margins to the Mainstream: Champions of Inclusion Empower Women and Widows Across Kenya.

From the Margins to the Mainstream: Champions of Inclusion Empower Women and Widows Across Kenya.

Breakfast meeting converging high level leaders with bold plan to empower women, widows at Serena Hotel, Nairobi.

Nairobi, Kenya – September 2, 2025

In a compelling display of solidarity in Nairobi today, prominent women leaders from Kenya’s public service and corporate sectors reaffirmed their commitment to advancing women’s empowerment by calling for strategic partnerships to drive inclusive development, with a renewed focus on supporting widows, a group too often overlooked in national policy and development efforts.

Speaking during a high-level forum themed “Championing Women’s Empowerment, Partnerships for a Bold and Inclusive Future," influential voices across government and financial institutions echoed the urgent need to prioritize widows in policy, funding, and community support structures.

Mrs. Hellen Chepchumba Chepkwony, CEO of the Kenya Deposit Insurance Corporation (KDIC), emphasized the need to embed protection and empowerment into institutional frameworks. “KDIC was established to protect depositors, particularly in times of vulnerability. This same ethos must apply to how we treat women and widows in our society by protecting them when they are most at risk and empowering them to rebuild,” she stated.

Chepkwony reaffirmed KDIC’s commitment to women's financial empowerment and the broader cause of inclusive development. “Economic security is foundational to dignity. As a nation, we must ensure that women, especially widows, are not left behind,” she added.

Nancy Cheruiyot, FCCA, Managing Trustee and CEO of the Commodities Fund, passionately spotlighted the plight of widows across Kenya, many of whom face legal, financial, and emotional challenges after the loss of a spouse.

“Most widows don’t know how to access government support funds,” she said. “They need assistance in legal matters, school fees for their children, access to medical services, bursaries, scholarships, and opportunities for employment and entrepreneurship.”

Cheruiyot proposed a holistic support system that involves collaboration from churches, individuals, NGOs, government bodies, corporate entities, and Parliament. “Widows need different types of support and they need it where they are. It’s not a one-size-fits-all solution,” she stressed.

Among her proposals was the establishment of a National Widows Secretariat, a body that would identify and register widows across the country, track their needs, and ensure sustained, targeted support. She also called for affirmative action policies that compel government entities to allocate a percentage of their budgets to support widows, ensuring their inclusion in national development planning.

Additionally, Ambassador Dr. Monica Juma (Oxon), EGH, National Security Advisor to the President of Kenya, emphasized the broader societal implications of women’s empowerment, particularly in shaping a secure and cohesive society.

“You need softer skills to discover and monitor your child. It starts at home from how we raise our children to how we support women to nurture families in peace and security,” she said.

She linked women’s empowerment directly to national security: “Public safety must become a priority to us. If we fail to empower women, we compromise the foundation of a better future society. This is not just a promise; it is a reflection of the nation we are determined to become.”

The forum underscored the power of partnerships between government institutions, civil society, corporate Kenya and grassroots actors to advance the rights and welfare of women and widows.

By integrating widows into the national policy conversation and committing resources to their support, Kenya’s leaders are planting the seeds for a more just, secure, and inclusive future.

As these leaders demonstrated, women's empowerment is not charity, it is smart policy, a pillar of national stability, and a moral imperative.

“To build a bold and inclusive future, we must ensure that no woman and no widow is left behind,” concluded Mrs. Chepkwony.