A significant 67 percent of chief executive officer (CEO) and managing director positions in Kenya are still held by men, a new survey said, highlighting the persistent gender disparity in leadership.
The newly released report by the Kenya Institute of Management (KIM) shows that about a third of CEOs and 21.3 percent of board chairpersons are women-- significantly lower than their male counterparts.
“Our research shows that 67 percent of chief executive officers and managing directors are male, while 32 percent are female. This indicates a significant gender imbalance and underscores the need for more targeted initiatives to promote female leadership at the executive level,” the report says.
The percentage of women at the board level has slightly fallen from 36 percent in 2021 to 35 percent in 2024, signalling a need for equitable pathways to support diversity in leadership roles.
The report shows that eight in 10 company boards in Kenya have more men than women, revealing a significant gender imbalance.
About 35 percent of these boards have a strong majority of eight to 10 male members, compared to 12 percent of boards with five to six female members.
The ratio of women to men on boards was one to four.
In terms of board leadership, there were significantly more men than women in the position of chair. The report shows that 76.8 percent of board chairpersons were men, while only 21.3 percent were women.
“This is consistent with past trends, though there has been measurable progress over time. Our KIM 2021 Board Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) research showed that the percentage of female board chairpersons was at 21 percent, while in 2017, it was just 7.7 percent,” added KIM.
“The findings of this report, including the decline in female representation on boards from 36 percent in 2021 to 35 percent in 2024, and the low representation of young women at 19.4 percent, serve as a compelling call to action across various business circles,” the report states.
The survey highlights global and regional disparities in gender representation within boardrooms. Women hold less than a quarter (23 percent) of board seats globally.
“This underscores the need for targeted initiatives to promote female leadership at the executive level,” KIM says.
The survey attracted a range of respondents from leadership and management roles, with the majority being managers or unit heads, board members, executive directors or CEOs.
