{"id":49377,"date":"2026-05-12T11:09:49","date_gmt":"2026-05-12T08:09:49","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/sbs.strathmore.edu\/?p=49377"},"modified":"2026-05-12T11:09:49","modified_gmt":"2026-05-12T08:09:49","slug":"empowering-women-in-leadership-in-the-academic-sector-an-appeal-for-comprehensive-change","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/sbs.strathmore.edu\/en_gb\/empowering-women-in-leadership-in-the-academic-sector-an-appeal-for-comprehensive-change\/","title":{"rendered":"Empowering Women in Leadership in the Academic Sector: An Appeal for Comprehensive Change"},"content":{"rendered":"
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    Following the successful launch of the Women’s Leadership in Academia Programme (WLAP) on 28th April 2026, a joint delegation from Strathmore University and the University of Nairobi held a high-level briefing with Cabinet Secretary for Education, Julius Ogamba, at Jogoo House. The meeting marked a significant step toward translating research findings into national policy action, with the delegation presenting key findings, structural challenges, and proposed interventions to address the persistent underrepresentation of women in senior academic leadership.<\/p>\n

    \n

    The delegation was led by Dr. Freshia Mugo-Waweru, Senior Faculty Member at Strathmore University and Principal Investigator, WLAP, alongside Professor Kiriti of the University of Nairobi and WLAP Advisory Board members Dr. Caesar J. Muriithi Mwangi, Executive Dean, Strathmore Business School, Mercy Wanjau, Secretary to the Cabinet of Kenya, and Jackson O. Together, they engaged the Cabinet Secretary in a candid and substantive conversation on gender empowerment within Kenya’s academic institutions.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

    CS Julius Ogamba set the tone for the discussions, noting, “We have a lot of policies and guidelines, but the problem still lies in the area of implementation.” This observation resonated strongly with the WLAP findings, which reveal that while more women are entering academia, alarmingly few are advancing into leadership positions, both nationally and internationally. In Kenya, fewer than 12 percent of vice chancellors and principals across universities and colleges are women.<\/p>\n

    The delegation identified the academic pipeline as a critical area of concern. As Dr. Freshia Mugo-Waweru noted, “We must make sure we have a continuous pipeline right from undergraduate level through the Master’s level up to the PhDs, where we lose women.” Professor Kiriti reinforced this point, highlighting the progressive attrition of women at each stage of the academic ladder, a pattern that demands urgent and deliberate intervention.<\/p>\n

    The Advisory Board further stressed the importance of evidence-based reform grounded in accountability. Mercy Wanjau called for practical policies closely aligned with concrete actions, while Dr. Caesar Mwangi emphasized that meaningful change can only be achieved through deliberate inclusion and sustained leadership commitment at every level of the institution.<\/p>\n

    The briefing represents a meaningful milestone in the journey from research to reform. It is increasingly clear that advancing women into academic leadership is not merely a matter of equity; it is a national development imperative. With the momentum generated by WLAP and the engagement of key government stakeholders, the collaboration between Strathmore University and the University of Nairobi signals a growing resolve to move beyond policy and into lasting, systemic change.<\/p>\n

    The Women’s Leadership in Academia Programme is the flagship initiative of the Financial Services and Innovation Research Hub at Strathmore University Business School (SBS), dedicated to advancing women’s participation and progression in academic and leadership roles. Operating through a coordinated, institution-wide framework, WLAP delivers structured leadership development initiatives, strengthens the pipeline into academia and industry, and supports career progression through transparent processes, data-informed decision-making, and targeted capacity-building.<\/p>\n

    Beyond leadership development, WLAP engages in policy review, enhances institutional communication and feedback mechanisms, and works to broaden access to advancement opportunities. The programme also addresses the practical realities of professional life, supporting work-life integration and social support systems that enable women to thrive at every stage of their careers. Ultimately, WLAP seeks to create the conditions for women to enter, progress, and lead within academia and across industry, contributing to a more equitable and capable institutional landscape for all. Learn more about WLAP here<\/p>\n

    Article by Diana Chebet, Project Manager, WLAP<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"","protected":false},"author":47,"featured_media":49384,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"inline_featured_image":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[39],"tags":[589],"class_list":["post-49377","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news","tag-wlap"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nEmpowering Women in Leadership in the Academic Sector: An Appeal for Comprehensive Change - Strathmore University Business School<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/sbs.strathmore.edu\/en_gb\/empowering-women-in-leadership-in-the-academic-sector-an-appeal-for-comprehensive-change\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_GB\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Empowering Women in Leadership in the Academic Sector: An Appeal for Comprehensive Change\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/sbs.strathmore.edu\/en_gb\/empowering-women-in-leadership-in-the-academic-sector-an-appeal-for-comprehensive-change\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Strathmore University Business School\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2026-05-12T08:09:49+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/sbs.strathmore.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/WLAP-CS-Education-Visit-web7.webp\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"1200\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"675\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/webp\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Strathmore Communications Team\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Strathmore Communications Team\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Estimated reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"4 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\\\/\\\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/sbs.strathmore.edu\\\/empowering-women-in-leadership-in-the-academic-sector-an-appeal-for-comprehensive-change\\\/#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/sbs.strathmore.edu\\\/empowering-women-in-leadership-in-the-academic-sector-an-appeal-for-comprehensive-change\\\/\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"Strathmore Communications Team\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/sbs.strathmore.edu\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/3ec403dfc43c0eb6c67f0307594d1334\"},\"headline\":\"Empowering Women in Leadership in the Academic Sector: An Appeal for Comprehensive Change\",\"datePublished\":\"2026-05-12T08:09:49+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/sbs.strathmore.edu\\\/empowering-women-in-leadership-in-the-academic-sector-an-appeal-for-comprehensive-change\\\/\"},\"wordCount\":1933,\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/sbs.strathmore.edu\\\/empowering-women-in-leadership-in-the-academic-sector-an-appeal-for-comprehensive-change\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/sbs.strathmore.edu\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/05\\\/WLAP-CS-Education-Visit-web7.webp\",\"keywords\":[\"WLAP\"],\"articleSection\":[\"News\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-GB\"},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/sbs.strathmore.edu\\\/empowering-women-in-leadership-in-the-academic-sector-an-appeal-for-comprehensive-change\\\/\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/sbs.strathmore.edu\\\/empowering-women-in-leadership-in-the-academic-sector-an-appeal-for-comprehensive-change\\\/\",\"name\":\"Empowering Women in Leadership in the Academic Sector: An Appeal for Comprehensive Change - 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