Kirinyaga Governor and Council of Governors (COG) Chairperson Anne Waiguru has applauded women for breaking barriers and excelling in technology across the various economic sectors in the country.

Speaking during the International Women’s Day celebrations marked at Kenya International Conference Center (KICC) on Thursday, Waiguru celebrated women CEOs, Governors, lawmakers and chairpersons.

She noted that tech provided huge opportunities for all and allowed people to communicate more efficiently, access government services, do e-commerce and find new ways for entrepreneurial growth.

The COG chairperson said the number of women in tech keeps rising and challenged women and girls to leverage innovation and digital transformation to access opportunities in a wide array of spheres.

She lauded President William Ruto, who was the chief guest at the event themed “DigitALL: Innovation and Technology for gender equality” for upholding and promoting women’s rights in the country.

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Waiguru affirmed COG’s pledge to foster inclusive innovation and technology by implementing projects and programs that utilize technologies that enhance service delivery and production in counties.

She noted that some county government had already established localized County Innovation Weeks where innovations developed by women, youth and people with disabilities were being showcased.

However, the Kirinyaga Governor rooted for urgent measures to tackle the digital divide in many communities to ensure all Kenyans have access to affordable and reliable internet connectivity.


“There is need to bridge the gap between urban and rural areas so that everyone can benefit from the latest advances in technology. Inclusive innovation and technology also mean designing technology and systems that are gender-responsive,” Waiguru said.

She further called for more to be done to enhance gender inequality, especially in the innovation space.

“As a woman, I know first-hand the challenges that women face in accessing and participating meaningfully in technology and innovation. We are often underrepresented in Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM), face systemic barriers in accessing funding and resources, and are disproportionately affected by the negative impacts of technology,” she stated.