Nairobi County Advances Gender-Inclusive Disaster Risk Reduction During International Women’s Day Forum

Nairobi, 9th March 2026

Nairobi City County, in collaboration with the United Nations Office for Disaster Risk Reduction (UNDRR), convened a stakeholder meeting to commemorate International Women's Day 2026 under the global theme "Rights. Justice. Action. For ALL Women and Girls."

The forum brought together local government actors and key partners to undertake the Making Cities Resilient (MCR) Scorecard Addendum for Gender Equality and Intersectionality, aimed at strengthening gender-responsive disaster risk reduction strategies in the county.

The Scorecard Addendum seeks to integrate a gender perspective into disaster risk reduction (DRR) by recognizing the unique and disproportionate impacts disasters have on women, girls, and other vulnerable groups. By adopting an intersectional and human rights based approach, the initiative promotes recognition, autonomy, and empowerment of women and girls as essential components in building resilient communities.
Speaking during the meeting, County Chief Officer for Disaster Management, Bram Simiyu, emphasized the importance of evidence based planning in disaster management.

"As a department, our goal is to develop strategies founded on evidence and accurate data. Experience has shown that when disasters occur, women and children are often the most affected. Effective planning therefore depends on accurate reporting and a clear understanding of these impacts," he said.

"We also call upon all stakeholders to strengthen collaboration, particularly in post disaster support, to ensure communities recover faster and more sustainably. "He further stated.

The session provided practical guidance to stakeholders on how to effectively mainstream gender considerations into climate advisories and disaster impact reporting.

The Director for Disaster Risk Reduction, Douglas Atamba, reaffirmed the department's commitment to implementing outcomes from the engagement.

"The department remains committed to incorporating the recommendations and resolutions emerging from this workshop as we continue strengthening disaster preparedness and resilience across Nairobi," he noted.

The engagement marks another milestone in Nairobi County's efforts to integrate inclusive policies and practices in disaster risk management, ensuring that resilience building initiatives leave no one behind.

Also in attendance were Ms. Jane Gichuhi, Director for Gender Inclusivity, and Dr. Chris Musyoki, Deputy Director for Training, Innovation and Development and officers from different departments.

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