A three-day conference on high-level peer review on women, peace and security began on 23rd October 2018 at Radisson Blu, Nairobi, Kenya.
During the opening of the conference Cabinet Secretary Ministry for Defence Amb. Raychelle Omamo pointed out that Kenya Defence Forces has published a gender policy, but it needs the cooperation of their stakeholders in the security sector and government bodies.
She also added that women are pathfinders and should be involved in decision-making. She also highlighted the vue of support and participation, taking cognisance tohow Chief of Defence Forces, Vice Chief of Defence Forces and Service Commanders endorsed the gender policy.
A three-day conference on high-level peer review on women, peace and security began on 23rd October 2018 at Radisson Blu, Nairobi, Kenya. https://t.co/pcrK7SI8nE pic.twitter.com/8vM363P4cp
— Kenya Defence Forces (@kdfinfo) October 24, 2018
Speaking under the Same Forum Cabinet Secretary Ministry for Public Service, Youth and Gender Affairs Prof. Margaret Kobia pointed out that Kenya has significant strides towards strengthening women’s equal and full participation in peace and security processes and one of the key example is shown where women are included in decision making positions in key dockets such as Ministry of Defence which is a central to management of armed conflict, criminalization of sexual violence with punitive sentences for perpetrators and provision of safe houses to relief aid and recovery of victims.
The post the ministry made about the ongoing conference via its twitter account is now raising questions on the role of KDF in the ongoing mission of protecting Somalia people.
The conference is all about women, peace and security, but why just women? Is it about feminism? This is a question that was raised by one of twitter users, @ 11 Muendo.
He even accuses the ministry for failing to protect Somalians in what he claims they are being raped.
fuck kdf…… are you feminist wakati al shabaab wanarape wenye mmeshindwa kulinda
— Marvin (@11Muendo) October 24, 2018
Women Cabinet Secretaries are the one dominating the conferencing.
Cabinet Secretary Ministry of Foreign Affairs Dr. Amb. Monica Juma said women should never have a past where they have to choose between their families and career progression. She added that the youth should be involved and used as part of campaign to stop them from joining militia groups such as Al-Shabaab.
Minister of Equality Affairs and Member of Parliament in Finland Ms. Elisabeth Rehn was the keynote speaker. In her remarks she expressed; 
“I have been encouraged by networks of women mediators, which have been the most important for collecting the knowledge of background, direct from the field without bureaucratic delays.We have well-known good results, from women of Liberia ending the war, the same recently in Colombia, in Burundi a strong women’s network works for reconciliation. And of course we must not forget the strong participation of women giving an effective voice to the mediation process of the AU panel of Eminent African Personalities in Kenya 2008.”
In attendance during the opening were Cabinet Secretaries, Ambassadors, High Commissioners, Peace and Security experts, Development Partners and Delegates, but are they doing any better to curb the security situation?