I remember vividly the struggle of a young widow, a mother under 30, who lost her husband. Unfortunately, his family took everything from her, stripping her of her rights, leaving her with nothing to fend for herself, her three children, and one unborn. She was 7 months pregnant. It was heartbreaking to see someone so strong diminished by the very cultural practices that should have supported her. That woman, is my mother. Widowed at a young age, she faced the daunting task of raising four babies single-handedly.

This experience opened my eyes to the critical importance of economic empowerment for women. My name is Emma Mongute, and I am the founder of Amandla MEK Foundation, a foundation focused on women's economic empowerment. In Kenya, we face a severe issue: financial institutions largely overlook start-ups and small and medium enterprises (SMEs), leaving many aspiring entrepreneurs in a vicious cycle of dependency and desperation. Women looking to start businesses are often unable to secure funding unless they provide collateral, and even when they do get a loan,with the interest rates prohibitively high. Furthermore, in informal settlements, women face additional barriers, such as a lack of access to business training and social stigma that limits their entrepreneurial aspirations.

I have witnessed firsthand my mother’s struggle to support us, juggling three jobs to make ends meet after losing everything. With four children under the age of seven, she often resorted to seeking help from well-wishers who contributed to our school fees through donations and fundraising. Growing up in Kisii ,too, I have seen too many disempowered young women battle to survive—young girls turning to exploitative relationships to afford basic necessities, leading to unplanned pregnancies and an increase in gender-based violence as women feel pressured to remain in toxic relationships for financial security.

In response to these challenges, I founded AMF, an organization that empowers women and girls economically. We help aspiring entrepreneurs set up successful businesses, provide support to those struggling to thrive, and offer financial literacy programs to secure seed grants for their ventures. Our mission is to turn aspirations into thriving enterprises, demonstrating that women can lead as successful business figures when given the right tools and resources.

My ask to the decision-makers; “Revise financial policies to offer seed grants and low-interest loans for women-led start-ups in Kenya within three years ensuring 30% of funding initiatives support aspiring women entrepreneurs”.

I call on the Minister of Gender, the Central Bank of Kenya, and the Ministry of Finance to revise financial policies to :

1. Provide accessible funding options, 

2. Seed grants, and, 

3. Low-interest loans for start-ups, particularly tailored for start-ups and SMEs  Particularly targeting women entrepreneurs