Seven governors who are women from the “G7 – Women Governors Caucus” in Kenya are leading the way in strengthening women’s leadership and increasing their influence in political and societal matters. With a focus on capacity building in areas such as water supply, waste management, and disaster preparedness, they are driving change within their districts. This work is now expanding through a new exchange of experiences with two of ICLD’s municipal partnerships, where knowledge, methods, and successful approaches can be shared to inspire sustainable solutions.
Norrköping and Arvika municipalities have both been involved in separate partnership collaborations with Uasin Gishu County since 2018/2019. Norrköping’s project focuses on improving solid waste management by strengthening institutional capacity, enhancing governance, raising public awareness, and improving waste collection and landfill management in Eldoret and Kipkenyo.
Arvika’s municipal collaboration aims to increase knowledge about the causes of and solutions for ensuring equitable access to clean drinking water in Uasin Gishu through a pilot study in Moi’s Bridge, with an emphasis on developing a sustainable action plan and building capacity for future use.
The G7’s work
The seven governors of the G7 represent the counties of Homa Bay, Nakuru, Meru, Kirinyaga, Machakos, Kwale, and Embu. They work to strengthen women’s political leadership and representation. By challenging gender barriers, they contribute to sustainable future development. The G7 governors focus on capacity building in water, waste, and disaster management within their counties, drawing lessons from Sweden’s experience in water, waste management, and flood protection. Additional priorities include implementing socio-economic projects, such as waste-based business models that create new income opportunities for women.
Efforts in the WASH (Water, Sanitation, and Hygiene) sector are critical to meeting citizens’ needs. Through public meetings and dialogue, the G7 counties strengthen democracy and ensure that local needs are prioritized. Initiatives such as pesticide regulation and water resource protection provide examples of how citizens can influence decision-making processes. Similarly, ICLD’s core values remain central, as does the counties’ responsibility to inform their residents and monitor drinking water management to prevent wastewater contamination.
ICLD in Kenya: Collaboration for sustainable development
In November 2024, a three-day conference was held in Nakuru, bringing together ICLD, Norrköping, and Arvika, along with technical and administrative staff from the G7 counties. The focus was on workshops addressing sustainable waste management and integrating ICLD’s core values—equality, transparency, accountability, and citizen participation—into development initiatives. Participants also worked on BCP (Business Continuity Planning), which outlines measures and procedures to ensure that waste collection, management, and environmental services can continue uninterrupted during unforeseen events. These efforts aim to ensure that projects related to water, sanitation, and waste management are effective, sustainable, and promote democracy. ICLD sees that this type of collaboration between partnerships and the G7 is a very good way to spread positive results and methods to more districts in Kenya.
The important role of waste pickers
During the conference, participants visited Nakuru’s largest landfill, where representatives from the “Waste Pickers Association” presented their work. The organization, together with the county, has implemented a licensing system that allows waste pickers to collect and recycle materials from the landfill. Waste pickers contribute to reducing landfill waste and promoting recycling by collecting and selling materials such as plastics and metals. Many have organized into cooperatives or unions, improving their working conditions and providing greater economic security. Women often take on leadership roles in these initiatives. Furthermore, Nakuru’s counties have identified this vulnerable group as crucial to maintaining and improving landfill conditions. Efforts are being made to address their needs, although much remains to be done to protect these workers.
ICLD has previously highlighted the important role of waste pickers in the publication Inclusive and Sustainable Waste Governance: Strengthening Innovative Linkages Between Local Governments and Waste Picker Organizations, which discusses the value of their work at the local level.
Swedish-Kenyan collaboration creates sustainable solutions
Norrköping’s partnership with Uasin Gishu has been a source of valuable insights. Although not all goals have been reached, the collaboration has demonstrated how combining Swedish and Kenyan expertise can identify development areas and contribute to sustainable solutions. The efforts in Eldoret, Uasin Gishu, have been particularly successful, showing how methods adapted to local contexts can thrive, despite the stark differences between Sweden’s better-resourced infrastructure and Kenya’s conditions. The participation of Arvika and Norrköping has led to an exchange of knowledge and experiences that is also seen as beneficial within Sweden. This has not only strengthened their international engagement but has also fostered valuable relationships that can positively impact the municipalities’ local work.
Phyllis Kalungu, Chief Officer for Solid Waste Management and one of the participants from Machakos County, shared her insights from the conference:
“We’ve been able to know the key elements of waste collection, transportation, sorting and also recycling of the of the solid waste into various items like metals, plastics and also the biodigestible items like the food waste and all that.
So we’ve been able to learn those those things and we will be able to make a major transformation when we get back to our sub counties and counties. To enable our country to a level where Sweden is in today, 50 years down the line, Sweden has come all the way from citizen engagement, sensitising people and risk management.”
Future visits
Leadership by women and international knowledge exchange are central to the planned field visit to Sweden. In May 2025, one of the G7 governors, Wavinya Ndeti from Machakos County, will participate in ICLD’s Women’s Political Leadership Programme. This training aims to strengthen the capacity of women in leadership, advocacy, and implementing sustainable solutions in their counties, while inspiring others to take on leadership roles.
Another visit for the entire G7 group and their staff is planned for the same month to the Swedish municipalities of Norrköping and Arvika to study their successful models. ICLD’s contribution to this visit will focus on building on democracy work within the WASH sector, anti-corruption efforts, and strengthening women’s political leadership. The work of the G7 governors demonstrates that women’s leadership is key to creating sustainable and inclusive societies. By learning from Sweden and building on Kenya’s successes, they lay the foundation for long-term solutions that empower both women and communities.