Level of Awareness and Existing Policies on Gender Mainstreaming in the Management of the Bridge Water Project in Kakamega County Kenya

Abstract

Water is an important resource in the lives of all human being. In many of its utilization, especially at the household level, women interact with water more than men. is thus important that men and women be equally involved in its management. This study sought to establish the level of awareness and existing policies on gender mainstreaming in the management of the Bridge Water Supply Project, a community based project in Kakamega County whose mandate is to drill boreholes for domestic and institutional use. The project is funded by donors and the local community. It is managed by Borehole Management Committees (BMC) and the Management Board (MB).The Project had drilled 123 boreholes for use in households, learning and religious institutions in Kakamega County. The study was a case study guided by the Gender Planning Framework developed by Caroline Moser 1n 1980. A 10% sample which was 13 of the 123 committees that manage the boreholes were randomly selected as respondents to the study. They include 5 household committees, 6 learning and 2 committees from religious institutions. Key informants were heads of selected institutions and the chief of the location where the study was undertaken. The methods used to collect data were Questionnaires, Focused Group Discussion, Interview Schedule and Observation. Data collected was cross-tabulated for qualitative analysis. The study established that the level of awareness on gender mainstreaming was found to be low. Moreover, the project had only one gender mainstreaming policy which was an affirmative action. On the basis of findings, the study recommended training and awareness creation on the need for gender equity, dissemination of the affirmative action policy, empowerment and mobilization of women to seek management positions and engagement of a gender expert to guide gender mainstreaming in the management of the project.