As part of the project “Building the Capacity of Communities in Burnt Forest for gender inclusive civic engagement and participatory governance” CEEC with support from GIZ/CPS, carried out a four days’ training of 32 women community leaders from eight farms in Burnt Forest namely Ndungulu, Barekeiwo, Kaplalach, Chuiyat, Kamuyu, Rukuini, Lingway and Kagongo between 20th and 23rd July 2016. Topics that were covered included the difference between gender and sex, the socialization process, objectives of devolution, functions of all the elected officials under devolved governance, rationale for inclusive and participatory governance and skills building. The participants were able to differentiate facts from the gender myths and stereotypes they had all along believed in and which hindered their effective participation in governance. Not surprisingly, most of the women had very little knowledge of devolved governance mainly due to apathy and indifference towards political issues due to the belief that politics were men’s domain. To address the confusion regarding the mandate of the different elected officials, it was important to break down and simplify devolution so that the women would know who to hold accountable for which functions. As they prepare for the upcoming general elections, the trainees are now better equipped not only to make informed choices but to sensitize others within the community.
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