• Distinguished women parliamentarians, esteemed colleagues, and champions of justice,
1. As we conclude these transformative three days of dialogue, interchange of ideas, and exchange of experiences, I am reminded of the Swahili wisdom that tells us “Haba na haba, hujaza kibaba, ” or in other words, it is little by little we reach the full measure.
2. What we have accomplished here represents far more than discussions; we have laid the cornerstone for a powerful movement that will reshape the landscape of gender equality across our region.
3. The voices that have echoed through this conference hall carry the dreams of millions of women who tend fields they cannot own, who nurture communities while being excluded from decision-making, and who innovate climate solutions despite systemic barriers.
4. Your collective wisdom has transformed these individual struggles into a unified regional agenda for change.
5. Over these last 3 days, we have witnessed the birth of two pivotal outcomes that will define our path forward.
First, the establishment of our Regional Platform for Women Parliamentarians on Land Rights and Climate Resilience creates an enduring space where your voices will amplify across borders and political cycles. This platform represents our commitment that women’s leadership in land governance will no longer be an aspiration but a lived reality.
Second, our comprehensive regional policy brief provides the roadmap we need to translate political will into tangible action. As our regional proverb reminds us, “When spiderwebs unite, they can tie up a lion” your collective advocacy, guided by this framework, possesses the power to dismantle even the most entrenched barriers to women’s land rights.
6. The journey ahead demands courage, persistence, and the unwavering belief that change is not only possible but inevitable. You return to your nations not merely as parliamentarians, but as architects of transformation, carrying tools forged in solidarity and sharpened by shared purpose.
7. Let us move forward with the knowledge that when women control land, communities flourish. When women lead climate action, solutions emerge that no external intervention can replicate. When women’s voices shape policy, entire societies benefit from their wisdom and innovation.
8. The future we envision, where every woman in our region can claim her rightful place as a steward of the land and a leader in climate resilience, begins with the commitments you make today and the actions you take tomorrow.
9. Our movement does not end with your departure from Nairobi. Within the next 60 days, we will activate our structured engagement framework to ensure this momentum transforms into measurable progress.
10. Each of our member states is encouraged to establish national coordination mechanisms linking directly to our regional platform. Quarterly virtual convenings will maintain our collective voice, while annual regional summits will track our advancement toward the goals we have set together.
11. We will monitor implementation through gender-responsive indicators, ensuring accountability not just to ourselves but to the women whose lives depend on our success.
12. As you prepare for your journeys home, know that you travel not as individual parliamentarians returning to separate nations, but as interconnected agents of transformation carrying a shared mission across our region.
13. You carry with you the hopes of rural women walking longer distances for water, the aspirations of widows fighting for inheritance rights, and the innovations of women both young and seasoned who are developing climate-smart agricultural solutions.
14. As we say here in Africa, the right hand washes the left hand. Your individual successes in each nation will strengthen our collective progress across the region.
15. May your travels be safe, your resolve unwavering, and your actions swift. Return to your constituencies as the torchbearers of change, knowing that across borders, your sister parliamentarians stand ready to support, collaborate, and amplify your efforts until every woman in our region enjoys her full rights to land and leadership in climate action.
16. Asante ni sana , thank you for your dedication to justice, your commitment to change, and your unwavering belief in the power of women to transform our world. The seeds we have planted here will grow into the forests of tomorrow.
Goodbye for now, and Godspeed until we meet again very soon on this journey of justice for the women of our region.
Download the attached speech in PDF.
