Keeling Curve

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Project Summary / Description:

The Kenyan transport sector has registered a tremendous growth making it among the leading informal employer to young people. However, it is also the leading contributor of carbon emissions. The government in collaboration with different organizations is thus making significant steps towards transitioning to electric mobility. It is imperative that the government does not lose focus of the inherent gender inequality with regard to women transport workers. The project seeks to develop an online database of women experts working in electric mobility and hold a forum for women in transport to create awareness of the opportunities available in electric mobility.

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Mobility is a function of development. The urgent need for this function to be sustainable and inclusive though continues to be a challenge and is thus central to the call for mainstreaming the gender agenda which dates back to the United Nations Economic and Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC) call for equality in 1997. However, the gender-blind policies have been, and still are a major setback to women workers in the transport sector with regards to safety. Several studies show that women travel needs in Africa South of Sahara are unlike men. Due to their domestic responsibilities, women travel differently and so are their travelling hours. According to the The Organisation for Economic Co- operation and Development (OECD) study on women travel behaviors, these responsibilities most of which are culturally defined make women to make more daily trips than men. 
Subsequently, the upsurge of the two-wheelers and three-wheelers in the cities like Nairobi, Mombasa and Kisumu and the arrival of the shared mobility such as Uber, Taxify and Little have become more attractive to women due to their availability, accessibility, affordability and most importantly convenience amidst the glaring safety challenges. According to the 2016 GeoPoll Flash survey on safety of using public transport, 47% of women experience sexual harassment. A similar study initiated by Flone Initiative shows 33% of women commuters reported unconfutable and indecent physical contact as the leading form of sexual harassment against women followed by insult (26%) and being forced to vehicles not of their choice by operators (23%). 
Granted, Kenya has made notable progress on gender policies: The National Policy on Gender and Development (NPGD) of 2000 one overarching commitment on gender issues in addition to 2006 sessional paper on Gender Equality and Development and the constitution 2010 which not only emphasize women inclusion but also guarantees transport as a basic human right to all through Article 54(1). However, implementation of some of these provisions is still a challenge. The transport sector is not any better, and is characterized by lacks of gender policies. This has by and large contributed to the limited involvement of women in the sector. Available data shows the sector is gender imbalanced with over 90% of the entire value chain predominantly male, even the preferred two-wheelers are dominated by male at 97.4% with female only controlling the remaining 2.6% but mostly as riders. The three wheelers on the other hand has only 4.6 women ownership which are again operated by men. 
Through this project, it is projected that over and above reducing Green Gas Emission significantly, women will be able to access more employment opportunities along the value chain. The study participants include women professionals in the industry and commuters, taking into consideration their needs in the two-wheeler and three- wheeler ecosystem as well as the existing gaps and opportunities along the value chain that include importation, assembling, distribution, financing, operation and commuting.

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