Living by Design: Passing the Mic

The incident made it a little hard to truly be in a celebratory mood for IWD 2022, but we had to take time and reflect on the milestones we’ve made.

I won’t bore you with my long and unwinding speech of what I consider major milestones. Instead, I’ll turn the "mic" over to other women, known and unknown to share what they consider a win in this century. 

As a business woman, I’m enjoying the freedom to open a business, run it and earn money to support my family, it’s very empowering. It’s not something I take for granted. 

Anne Wambui aka ‘Njeri’ - Shop Owner

We’ve had a ton of successes as women so far. Women have the right to vote, women have the right to have a bank account. Women have a right to travel. There have been many wins. But we have barely scratched the surface. We still have inequalities in every facets of our lives. We still have a long way to go. In my work, I’m excited by funding opportunities with a focus on the female entrepreneurs. I’m excited to see more women pursuing higher education. I’m excited to see more networks of females supporting and mentoring other females, and more than ever, I’m excited to see more and more barriers being broken. Looking forward as countries look to achieve SDG 5 — Gender Equality, I’m looking forward to raising stronger girls. In Melinda Gates' words, "a woman with a voice, is by definition a strong woman.’’

Wanji Ng'ang'a - Regional Lead Shell Foundation

Being differently abled is already a challenge, but to be a differently abled woman is a whole other ball game. Not only do we have to be strong for ourselves but we have to put up a strong face to society who only knows how to pity us. We don’t want pity or sympathy. We want consciousness, compassion, and empathy. We want society to see us beyond our differences. We are definitely different but we are able! It would be such a better place if differently abled women were considered equally as the rest of the able society. When we normalize seeing different, we will normalize the inclusion of differently abled persons and that’s when equality will truly begin.

Farah Khaleck - Digital Creator, Strategist, & Writer

I think ladies are more empowered. The vocational paths have opened up even in what was once perceived as male dominated professions like pilots and 'mjengos'. They can enjoy earning their own money. A bigger milestone is in the societal restrictions like dressing; a couple of years ago, women were stripped based on one person’s opinion of indecent. The more we grow, the more our eyes and minds are opened. 

Catherine Kimberly - Brood Kenya, Adlife plaza

On this International Women's Day, I celebrate the woman of yesterday, today and tomorrow. The woman of yesterday that fought endless painful unimaginable battles to pave way for the woman of today. Giving her a chance at freedom to explore and be the best version herself. The woman of today that has pushed herself beyond limits breaking barriers and boundaries paving way for the woman of tomorrow that will do the unimaginable. Like Tory Burch once said, "I'm always perpetually out of my comfort zone." The biggest win for women to date has been education, that has allowed women to be perpetually out of their comfort zone. Exploring, learning and yearning for more. Education has given us the ability to think outside the norm, taking us into fields once reserved for men. And here we are excelling and winning at every whim. We are leaders in finance, government, science, medicine name it... we are not afraid to explore, we are not afraid to learn. We are winning professionally and personally, we are continually discovering ourselves both internally and externally. We are sexy and sexual, we are vocal, fighters and champions yet we are still the heart of the home and voice of reason in society.
We are no longer restricted and chained by the ideologies of men. We are freedom... and may we continue to perpetually stay out of our comfort zones.

Diana Atieno - Founder and CEO of Porini gems.  Woman of yesterday, today and tomorrow

With the kind of support and grace we have, I want to encourage more women to explore the opportunities availed to them. However small the venture, it feels good to go home at the end of the day with something you worked hard for to add to the family kitty.

Mercy Muthoni - Fruit Vendor 

This International Women's Day is crucial for women across the world because it is a time to be proud of the progress we've made fighting for each others' rights and recruiting men into our feminist agenda. We still have a long way to go but we continue to break the bias on stereotypes such as women don't love each other. In the 11 years I have worked as a journalist, I've seen first hand, women stand up for other women and girls. I've seen women who've broken the glass ceiling pay it forward by bringing down a ladder for others to get to the top. It is even more encouraging to see more men changing their perspectives on feminism once they learn it's all about advocating for women's rights and when women win, we all win

Mashirima Kapombe - News Anchor and Reporter at Citizen TV Kenya.

Today women enjoy equal employment opportunities like men with promotional opportunities being based on merit. Access to finance without interest from organisations whose sole focus is women and youth like WEF, Uwezo Fund. Not forgetting political seats reserved for women in Parliament.

Josephine Mwangi - Senior Lecturer, KTTC Nairobi

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