Increased Representation and Legal Mandates

Kenya’s 2010 Constitution established a strong legal framework for gender equality, mandating that public institutions and organizations in the private sector work toward a more balanced representation in decision-making roles. As a result, many analysts and scholars suggest that there has been an increase in the number of women serving on boardrooms in both sectors since 2010. Textbook discussions in strategic management and organizational behavior indicate that legal mandates, such as those found in Kenya’s Constitution, can serve as critical drivers for change within organizations (Robbins & Judge, 2018; Dess, 2023). These sources explain that although the legal requirements push organizations to diversify, the outcomes may sometimes fall short due to challenges like tokenism—a phenomenon where the presence of a few women is heralded as progress without achieving genuine inclusivity.

Reports and academic articles have begun to focus on this transformation. For instance, the Enafrica report (2021) on “Women in Business and Boards Background” provides a detailed analysis of the evolving boardroom demographics in Kenya. It documents a noticeable increase in female board members while also discussing ongoing challenges such as token representation and limited power distribution among the few women present. Similarly, research from the University of Nairobi has scrutinized the impact of the 2010 Constitution on gender representation. Their analyses note that while the legal framework has indeed improved the overall numbers, deep-seated cultural and organizational practices sometimes constrain the full empowerment of these women (University of Nairobi, n.d.).

From an organizational behavior perspective, scholars like Nickerson (2023) and insights shared on platforms such as Oracle Blogs (2021) highlight that any diversity initiative must be paired with a genuine commitment to substantive inclusion. These sources suggest that while the constitutional mandate has catalyzed incremental change, the true measure of progress will depend on whether female board members are empowered to influence decision-making processes rather than merely serving as symbolic tokens. Thus, while there is evidence supporting an increase in the number of women in Kenyan boardrooms since 2010, further research is needed to assess the qualitative aspects of their participation.

References

Dess, G. (2023). *Strategic Management: Text and Cases* (11th ed.). McGraw-Hill Higher Education. Retrieved from [https://online.vitalsource.com/books/9781266005978](https://online.vitalsource.com/books/9781266005978)

Gray, D. E. (2019). *Doing Research in the Business World* (2nd ed.). SAGE Publications, Ltd. Retrieved from [https://online.vitalsource.com/books/9781529700527](https://online.vitalsource.com/books/9781529700527)

Nickerson, C. (2023). *Extrinsic vs. Intrinsic Motivation: What’s the Difference?* Simply Psychology. Retrieved from [https://www.simplypsychology.org/differences-between-extrinsic-and-intrinsic-motivation.html](https://www.simplypsychology.org/differences-between-extrinsic-and-intrinsic-motivation.html)

Oracle Blogs. (2021, September 27). Motivation: A Key Component of Emotional Intelligence. Retrieved from (https://blogs.oracle.com/jobsatoracle/post/motivation-a-key-component-of-emotional-intelligence)

Robbins, S. P., & Judge, T. A. (2018). *Organizational Behavior(18th ed.). Pearson Education (US). Retrieved from (https://online.vitalsource.com/books/9780134729749)

Enafrica. (2021, September). Women in Business and Boards Background. [Report](https://enafrica.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/11/The-Status-of-Women-in-Business-and-Boards.pdf copilot_analytics_metadata=eyJldmVudEluZm9fY29udmVyc2F0aW9uSWQiOiJYb0pVZzhnNENlMzlSdFI1S3IzWWUiLCJldmVudEluZm9fbWVzc2FnZUlkIjoidGdQejh1Vmg1a3UxSERZQlBlSHJ0IiwiZXZlbnRJbmZvX2NsaWNrRGVzdGluYXRpb24iOiJodHRwczpcL1wvZW5hZnJpY2Eub3JnXC93cC1jb250ZW50XC91cGxvYWRzXC8yMDIxXC8xMVwvVGhlLVN0YXR1cy1vZi1Xb21lbi1pbi1CdXNpbmVzcy1hbmQtQm9hcmRzLnBkZiIsImV2ZW50SW5mb19jbGlja1NvdXJjZSI6ImNpdGF0aW9uTGluayJ9&citationMarker=9F742443-6C92-4C44-BF58-8F5A7C53B6F1).

University of Nairobi. (n.d.). *Women and the Kenya Constitution 2010*. [Report](https://erepository.uonbi.ac.ke/bitstream/handle/11295/82634/WOMEN%20AND%20THE%20KENYA%20CONSTITUTION%202010.pdf?copilot_analytics_metadata=eyJldmVudEluZm9fY29udmVyc2F0aW9uSWQiOiJYb0pVZzhnNENlMzlSdFI1S3IzWWUiLCJldmVudEluZm9fY2xpY2tTb3VyY2UiOiJjaXRhdGlvbkxpbmsiLCJldmVudEluZm9fbWVzc2FnZUlkIjoidGdQejh1Vmg1a3UxSERZQlBlSHJ0IiwiZXZlbnRJbmZvX2NsaWNrRGVzdGluYXRpb24iOiJodHRwczpcL1wvZXJlcG9zaXRvcnkudW9uYmkuYWMua2VcL2JpdHN0cmVhbVwvaGFuZGxlXC8xMTI5NVwvODI2MzRcL1dPTUVOJTIwQU5EJTIwVEhFJTIwS0VOWUElMjBDT05TVElUVVRJT04lMjAyMDEwLnBkZiJ9&citationMarker=9F742443-6C92-4C44-BF58-8F5A7C53B6F1).