Yesterday, Kenya joined the global community in commemorating the International Day for Care and Support with a renewed call to recognize, value, and invest in care work as a pillar of social and economic growth.
The celebration, held under the Ministry of Gender, Culture and Children Services, underscored the crucial role of caregivers both paid and unpaid in sustaining families, communities, and the economy.
Cabinet Secretary (CS) for Gender, Culture, and Children Services, Hannah Wendot Cheptumo, said that care work is not merely a private responsibility but a public good that lies at the heart of human well-being and dignity.
She noted that despite its importance, care work particularly unpaid care performed largely by women and girls remains undervalued and invisible in economic planning and budgeting.
Citing the 2021 Kenya Time Use Survey, the CS said women spend an average of four and a half hours daily on unpaid domestic and care work, five times more than men. This disparity, she added, limits women’s access to education, employment, and leadership opportunities, perpetuating poverty and gender inequality.
The CS said Kenya’s ongoing reforms align with Vision 2030, the Bottom-Up Economic Transformation Agenda (BETA), the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), and the African Union’s Agenda 2063 all of which emphasize gender equality, social protection, and inclusive economic growth.
She noted that globally, institutions such as UN Women and the International Labour Organization (ILO) recognize the care economy as a key driver of decent work, social equity, and resilience.
“Investing in care is not only a moral and social imperative; it is also smart economics,” she said, adding that each shilling invested in the care sector yields multiple benefits in jobs productivity, and community well-being.
Cheptumo announced that the government is finalizing the National Care Policy 2025, which will guide efforts to recognize, professionalize, and support care work. The draft policy is anchored on five core principles that includes, recognizing, reducing, redistributing, rewarding, and representing care work.
She explained that the policy seeks to ensure fair pay and protection for care workers, reduce unpaid care burdens through infrastructure investment, and promote the inclusion of caregivers in decision-making processes.
The CS called for a whole-of-society approach, urging collaboration among government agencies, county governments, the private sector, civil society, and communities.
According to the CS, county governments are central to delivering quality care services, including childcare, disability support, and elder care.
She also challenged the private sector to adopt family-friendly work environments that allow employees to balance work and caregiving responsibilities.
“To men and boys, care is not just a woman’s role,” she said. “Transformation begins when we share caregiving responsibilities and value care as a shared human duty.”
The CS lauded civil society and faith-based organizations for their advocacy and grassroots mobilization, urging them to continue pushing for dignity and rights of caregivers.
Development partners were also commended for their technical and financial support in shaping the country’s care economy through data generation, innovation, and capacity building.
Principal Secretary for Gender Affairs and Affirmative Action, Ms. Anne Wang’ombe, said the event served as a reminder of the social and economic importance of care work, much of which remains unpaid and performed by women and girls.
Wang’ombe reflected on her upbringing, recalling that many women in rural areas spend long hours performing domestic chores, caregiving, and household duties, leaving them little time for formal employment or education.
She also emphasized on the need to value and redistribute care work, saying that care should be recognized as productive labor that underpins national development.
“Care work keeps our families and communities going every single day,” she said. “We must all share in the responsibility men, women, families, and government alike,” she stressed.
The PS appreciated the participation of men in the day’s celebrations, noting that their involvement as caregivers and allies is vital in building a culture of shared responsibility.
“Care is the currency of a connected world,” she added, urging Kenyans to make a deliberate investment in care work as a pathway to stronger families and inclusive growth.
The event brought together senior government officials, development partners, representatives from the Council of Governors, civil society, academia, and the private sector.
The International Day for Care and Support was declared by the United Nations to recognize the contribution of caregivers globally and to promote inclusive policies that support their work.
As Kenya moves to operationalize the National Care Policy, stakeholders reaffirmed their commitment to building a fair, gender-responsive, and inclusive care system that leaves no one behind.
By Mary Ndanu and Lucy Mwende
