Kafue District Council Institutional profile

“Gender Justice and Equality is not only about theories it is also doable when you get the necessary skills.”

The Kafue district council is among the first 10 councils that have been privileged to become Centres of Excellence. The council actively participated in the Provincial workshop, here a Provincial Gender Action Plan was developed in October 2009. Having being selected to be a Centre of Excellence by Gender Links, the council has seen that it is important to develop gender equality policies and strategies that seek to provide women and men equal opportunities at the local authority.

Having a female Chairperson and only one female councillor, the council still recognises the importance of having 50% women in decision making positions, and equal opportunities for all at a community level. Before the council was selected as a Centre of Excellence, the leadership was so adamant about gender issues, yet somehow it was not a council priority. According to them it was a woman’s issue, and women were advocating to take men’s positions in the council. They did not consider gender issues as something that is practical and doable.

Buy in was also very difficult, but because of the 3 women councillors and the intervention of the Association we managed to get buy-in. Since then, the council has progressed in many areas. It even has drafted an HIV policy which is engendered, though the council is still drafting the gender policy, GL feels as if he did a lot of lobbying on the importance of mainstreaming gender. After having done a series of gender trainings and developing of the gender action plan, the council did appoint a gender focal person and champion and someone very active in the GBV subcommittee at district level was established. The gender focal person plays a proactive role in ensuring that the council commits itself in implementing the Gender Action Plan and that resources are made available for the implementation of these activities in the council and the community at large.

The council is now making efforts to develop a close working relationship with the police to sensitize the communities and the nearby villages on GBV. They have also involved other stakeholders put gender based violence to an end. The community is now aware that all cases of gender based violence should be reported to the police, and that council has a key role to play through civic leaders in ensuring that a budget and other key service delivery issues like street lighting, naming streets is implemented.

The characteristics that distinguish this council are the support that it gives to women by providing job opportunities, especially in waste management. The council also has through the draft policy decided to help staff members who are HIV positive by providing financial and material support to ensure the wellbeing of employees and their immediate dependants. It is also planning to extend the gender, GBV and HIV/AIDS awareness campaigns in the community. The council believes that the COE process is the best process for mainstreaming Gender in Local Authorities and that the programme should be extended to all councils in the country. It helps in the capacity building of councillors and employees. The audit helps the council to reflect on the issues that need to be seriously addressed for effective and efficient implementation of council activities.