Kenya Breweries Limited (KBL) has been awarded for making strides towards accelerating diversity in the workplace and communities where the company operates.
The company was named overall winner for Women Empowerment in the Workplace, Women Empowerment in Communities, and crowned Champion for Gender Mainstreaming in East Africa at the 9th Gender Mainstreaming Awards (GMA).
The awards seek to encourage stakeholders in the private sector to adopt the diversity and inclusion agenda through steering for a more meaningful representation of women in the mainstream of business. The awards focused on three main regions including Southern Africa, East Africa, and West Africa.
Commenting on the recognition at the awards ceremony, KBL MD John Musunga said, “We believe that the most inclusive and diverse culture makes for a better business and a better world. At KBL, we have made huge strides in championing inclusion and diversity across our entire value chain from grain to glass – working with our partners and communities. We are excited for this win, which recognizes our efforts towards ensuring a more inclusive and tolerant society.”
“Our outstanding initiatives recognized by the GMA include six months maternity leave policy that allows female employees to raise young families and thrive at work, the Spirited Women programme that promotes career development for female employees, the Apprentice program for women in STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Mathematics) aimed at shifting gender representation within the manufacturing sector, Commercial graduate programme that targets to give women an opportunity to extensively gain hand-on experience in commerce fields,” added Mr. Musunga.
KBL works with over 47,000 local farmers in the country, largely in poor and marginalized localities in arid and semi-arid areas who supply the brewer with sorghum and barley for the production of beer. 50% of these are women who have been provided with an opportunity to earn a decent income, fend for their families and cater for basic needs.