Female legislators have established a new caucus to champion women’s land rights in Kenya. The Kenya Women Parliamentarians Sub-Caucus on Women’s Land Rights was formally launched yesterday during a breakfast meeting in Parliament.
The formation of the group follows resolutions of meeting convened by the Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD) last month, which called for the creation of female parliamentary caucuses to advance land rights.
At the regional forum held on July 9th- 11, 2025 which brought together women lawmakers from the IGAD member states, it was agreed that the caucus would influence national and continental agendas on women’s rights.
The caucus is also expected to strengthen advocacy, promote experience sharing, and enhance networking among women legislators.
The new action group will operate as a Sub-Caucus of the Kenya Women Parliamentary Association (KEWOPA).
During the launch session, Lilian Gogo (Rangwe) was elected Chairperson, while Nominated Senator Hezena Lemaletian was chosen as Vice Chairperson.
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KEWOPA Chairperson Leah Sankaire (Kajiado) congratulated the newly elected leaders, pledging full support from the Association.
“The Parliamentary sub-caucus is not going to be about us as lawmakers, but it will fight for the rights of the ordinary women of Kenya, the children of Kenya, our girls, and our generations to come,” she said.
“Congratulations to the members that will be spearheading this caucus. We have a lot of faith in you that you will steer this up and scale it up so that the women of Kenya can actually benefit from our time,” she added.
In her acceptance speech, Dr. Gogo thanked her colleagues for entrusting her with the leadership role, saying she was ready for the task.
“Thank you for giving me the responsibility to serve humanity in the capacity of following up on women’s rights to land and other freedoms. When we pursue land rights for women, we are pursuing freedom for women,” she stated.
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“For the responsibility you have given me, I want to say I have accepted it with honour and grace. This Sub-Caucus should be capacitated so that it continues existing even beyond this 13th Parliament,” she added.
In Kenya, while women’s land rights are legally protected, customary practices often hinder their ability to own and inherit land equally. Despite constitutional and statutory provisions, many women face discrimination in land ownership and inheritance, particularly in relation to customary laws.
Traditional practices often favor men in land inheritance and ownership, with women often having secondary rights through their relationships with male relatives.
This caucus formed is going to advocate and protect the legal rights for women to own land in Kenya without much disputes.
By Juma Ndigo
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