WOMEN’S RIGHTS ONLINEREPORT
CARD
KENYA
Measuring Progress,
Driving Action

INTE’SENACCESS & W
ET OWERM OM
NEN
R MP
TE

KENYA
OVERALL SCORE:
SCORE:

30%

SCORE:Y

51GB of prepaid data costs more than 6% of averagemonthly income in Kenya. Women in our study said
that prices are “unrealistic” and prevent them getting
online. New initiatives to roll out free Wi-Fi in libraries
and major towns are welcome progress.

DIGITAO R DA BILITIn Nairobi’s slums, only 20% of women are connectedto the Internet, versus 57% of men. Only 25% offemale Internet users reported having searched theWeb for important information related to their rights.

SCORE:KILLS & EDU
SCL

ION
ATFAF

22

There is a national plan on ICT in education, as well asa strategy to identify and create “e-ready” schools ineach county. However, the emphasis is on secondary
and tertiary schools. There is no data available on thenumber of schools connected to the Internet.

RELEVAICESRVSCORE:

LINE S AFETYNOCONTENT & SETN

855% of women in Kenya have access to mobile
financial services, contributing to a high scorein this area. The National Adolescent Sexual andReproductive Health Policy specifically highlights theuse of ICTs for information dissemination.

SCORE:

3

More than one in five Kenyan women we surveyedreported having experienced online harassment.
The national legal framework safeguarding security
online is broad, and does not pay special attention
to women and girls.

CLOSING THE GENDER GAP: A 5 POINT ACTION PLAN
1

IMPROVE INTERNET INFRASTRUCTURE. The Government should prioritise the construction
and modernisation of Internet infrastructure to ensure 100% network coverage.

2INCREASE ACCESS AND AFFORDABILITY. Work with mobile operators and Internet ServiceProviders to lower tariffs. Free public Wi-Fi initiatives should be scaled and offered in all public places
including schools.

3

PRIORITISE DIGITAL EDUCATION IN ALL SCHOOLS AND COMMUNITIES.
Expand digital skills training programmes beyond secondary and tertiary schools to include primary level.
The government should provide free or subsidised digital skills and empowerment training in all schools
and communities.

4

DEVELOP RELEVANT ONLINE CONTENT FOR CITIZEN PARTICIPATION.
Government websites should be updated regularly with appropriate information, including about women’srights. All citizens should be able to access government services and data and engage with leaders online.

5END ONLINE GENDER BASED VIOLENCE. Online violence against women is a key concern
considering that Kenya is envisioned to be completely digital by 2030. Government must ensure women andgirls are able to take legal actions against perpetrators. Civil society should continue to engage government
on expanding the legal framework on violence against women.

PROJECT OVERVIEWThe United Nations recently
made gender-equitable access to
information and communications
technologies (ICTs) central to the
Sustainable Development Goals(SDGs), which set the global
development agenda until 2030.
Why? ICTs are powerful. They can help todeliver improved healthcare, quality education
for all, financial inclusion, more accountable
government, and much more. In adopting theSDGs, all countries have pledged to prioritise
universal Internet access, and to use ICTs toempower women.
But much hard work lies ahead if weare to translate this vision into reality. A
formidable gender gap in Internet access,digital skills and online rights exists - our
Women’s Rights Online research shows that inmany communities, women are 50% less likely
than men to be online and 30-50% less likely
to use the Internet for economic and politicalempowerment. Women face many barriers including high costs, lack of know-how, and ascarcity of relevant and empowering content as well as social and legal obstacles to speaking
freely and privately online.
The Web Foundation and partners have
prepared these gender audits to help countries
assess what they need to do to overcome thegender digital divide. International Associationof Women in Radio and Television has taken
the lead, in consultation with other nationalstakeholders, on identifying concrete steps
that government can take in the next year toaddress the challenges and gaps identified.
We hope that this report card and action plan
will spark debate and galvanise policy change.

A NOTE ON METHODOLOGY:
We based our scores on 14 simple indicators for which reliable empirical evidence
exists, and grading was done in the second quarter of 2016. See the accompanyingoverview for a description of the indicators and sources used. A full methodology isavailable on our website.

Produced in collaboration with:

With support from: