Which stands for the Danish Family Planning Association is a donor that majorly deals with and Promoting Sexual & Reproductive Health Rights and Gender Equality at the Workplaces in Kenya. Based on the evidence already gained, FKE aims to lay the solid ground for further roll-out of SRHR and gender equality policies and programmes at the Kenyan workplaces in the years to come – FKE aims to do so by influencing the key power holders – the relevant government institutions and companies.
The ultimate outcome is an empowered, productive and competitive private sector where employers promote, respect and enable workers to access and exercise their rights to decent work, gender equality and sexual and reproductive health rights.
Achievements
The FKE gave it stand on the National Hospital Insurance Fund Bill and noted that contributions to the Fund be made by all persons in formal employment. The government should provide for the gap in funding from the exchequer in line with the Abuja Declaration on healthcare financing in 2001 to cover all the persons not in formal employment including the vulnerable persons.
Through Collective Bargaining Agreements negotiated between Employers and Trade unions a clause of Gender and SRHR has been incorporated as an item in the policies of the 10 companies. This has helped to ensure that gender and SRHR matters are being discussed at the workplaces. The clause focusses on the rights for maternity and paternity leave for both female and male workers: A female employee shall be entitled to three (3) months maternity leave with full pay provided that a female employee has taken three months maternity leave shall not forfeit her annual leave in that year. Child birth shall not be deemed to be sick leave in the event that the employee is certified unfit to resume work after ninety (90) days. A male employee shall be entitled to two weeks paternity leave with full pay in a year and shall be required to produce notification of birth. “
