SBS and KHF Hold Workshop for the Women in Health Leadership Project

On 14^th and 15^th February 2024, Strathmore University Business School (SBS) held a high-level reflection and planning workshop for the implementing team of the Women in Health Leadership Project, Driving Country Level Change.

The workshop, held at the Fairmont Mount Kenya Safari Club, Nanyuki, convened 14 staff members from SBS and the Kenya Health Federation (KHF) who are part of the project implementing team.

The team reviewed activities implemented in year one and two, gathering feedback from the team as well as lessons learnt.

The first phase of the project involved consortium leadership and project management. In this phase, project personnel were mobilized, and administrative duties ironed out. The bulk of the activities were in phase two of the project which involved an extensive nationwide study in eight regions: Nairobi, Central, Eastern, Rift Valley, Nyanza, Western, Coast, and North Eastern across 403 organizations reaching 3,782 individuals in the health sector.

The workshop also featured a session where the team shared and reviewed the findings of the report on Advancing Women’s Leadership in Health Sector Organizations Across Kenya. The study, based on the Maes and Van Hootgem’s 2019 theory of change looked into how organizational leadership, culture, structure, and policies contribute to the advancement of women form mid to senior level positions. This is of key interest to the project as only 27 per cent of women globally hold senior positions, although they comprise of 70 per cent of the global health workspace.

The data collected through Key Informant Interviews (KII) and Focus Group Discussions (FGDs) was also shared and analyzed. The workshop provided a platform for feedback on the experience of the data collection process, from identification and training of enumerators, and data comparisons. The team also reviewed the study findings in line with the project’s overall objective.

Further, the workshop also provided an opportunity to brainstorm and plan on the key activities for the year. The last day of the workshop involved the planning of the International Women’s Day 2024 Conference to be held on March 8 which will convene 500 guests including senior women in healthcare leaders, and guests from government, private, and public institutions. While it will be the main platform for launching the report, the event will also celebrate the achievements of women in the healthcare sector and provide networking opportunities. Dr. Angela Ndunge, the Principal Investigator remarked, ‘We look forward to having an event that is eventful and successful. It is also an opportunity to think outside the norm.’

The Women in Health Leadership, Driving Country Level Change is a 3-year project launched in November 2022 that seeks to enhance women’s advancement position in the health sector. The Project, funded by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation seeks to drive organizational change regarding women leaders in mid-to-senior level positions across the Kenyan health sector. The project is engaging senior women across eight counties to review organizational factors affecting women’s advancement in the health sectors.