Global Compact Network Kenya

10/12/2025

Human rights sit at the centre of inclusive societies and sustainable business. As we mark Human Rights Day, we encourage companies in Kenya to embed human rights due diligence across their operations and supply chains. This strengthens trust, supports competitiveness and ensures that business decisions respect the dignity and rights of all people.

To support companies on this journey, the United Nations Global Compact offers the 𝐁𝐮𝐬𝐢𝐧𝐞𝐬𝐬 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐇𝐮𝐦𝐚𝐧 𝐑𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭𝐬 𝐀𝐜𝐜𝐞𝐥𝐞𝐫𝐚𝐭𝐨𝐫, a six-month programme that helps businesses identify their human rights impacts, establish an ongoing due diligence process, and develop concrete actions aligned with the UN Guiding Principles.

Participating companies learn how to integrate findings into operations, engage stakeholders, understand remedy mechanisms, and track and communicate progress with clarity.

Sign up for the Business and Human Rights Accelerator and advance your company’s human rights efforts: https://unglobalcompact.org/take-action/business-and-human-rights

10/12/2025

𝐇𝐨𝐧𝐠𝐞𝐫𝐚 𝐊𝐞𝐧𝐲𝐚 🎉 on ranking second worldwide in the United Nations Global Compact Business Integrity Action Challenge. With over 1,800 participants from 96 countries completing the Doing Business with Integrity course, Kenyan companies showed impressive engagement and a clear commitment to building a culture of transparency and accountability.

This achievement highlights the strength of Kenya’s private sector and its resolve to lead responsibly. Integrity is not an event; it is a long-term investment in better workplaces, stronger markets and a more resilient economy.

Later this month, we will celebrate the top Kenyan companies whose teams completed the course at outstanding levels, so keep an eye out for that.

Start your integrity journey or encourage your team to complete the course: https://academy.unglobalcompact.org/course/4230698 (Academy account required).

𝐁𝐞𝐜𝐚𝐮𝐬𝐞 𝐞𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐜𝐚𝐥 𝐛𝐮𝐬𝐢𝐧𝐞𝐬𝐬 𝐢𝐬 𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐲𝐨𝐧𝐞’𝐬 𝐛𝐮𝐬𝐢𝐧𝐞𝐬𝐬

09/12/2025

We trust that you have found our call to action this International Anti-Corruption Day compelling. We conclude with Sheila Masinde, Executive Director of Transparency International Kenya and Board Member of the Global Compact Network Kenya, reminding us that integrity cannot thrive unless society is willing to confront the behaviours we often normalise.

She emphasizes that while Kenya has strong legal and institutional frameworks, lasting progress depends on shifting mindsets and building a culture where honesty is valued, accountability is expected, and unethical conduct is rejected at every level.

Sheila calls for collective responsibility, highlighting the role of citizens, businesses, and institutions in shaping a future where transparency is standard practice. Her reflections reinforce that anti-corruption efforts gain real momentum when people choose integrity in daily decisions and when leaders model the values they expect from others.

09/12/2025

Today, we were at the KICC with national leaders, partners and hundreds of young people marking International Anti-Corruption Day 2025 under the theme Youth Against Corruption, Shaping Tomorrow’s Integrity. With more than 75% of Kenya’s population under 35, and Africa standing as the youngest continent globally, the role of youth in shaping our integrity agenda has never been more urgent or more powerful.

Speaking on behalf of the private sector, our Executive Director Judy Njino delivered a compelling message, reminding us that young people are not merely victims of corruption. They are one of the strongest forces we have in the fight against it.

She reaffirmed our commitment to advancing the Tenth Principle of the United Nations Global Compact and supporting businesses to build cultures anchored in transparency, accountability and fairness. She also highlighted the growing pathways for youth engagement in integrity centred leadership, including innovation and ethics roles emerging across the private sector.

The event convened influential leaders driving Kenya’s integrity agenda, including Hon. Salim Mvurya (Cabinet Secretary, Ministry of Youth Affairs, the Creative Economy and Sports), Hon. Judith Pareno (Principal Secretary, State Department for Justice, Human Rights and Constitutional Affairs), Dr. David Oginde (PhD) FCS (Chairperson, Ethics and Anti Corruption Commission), and Mr. Mohamud Abdi (Chief Executive Officer, Ethics and Anti Corruption Commission).

We engaged with young people and partners throughout the day, and the energy in the room was remarkable. The reflections, lived experiences and bold ideas shared signal a youth movement that is ready to lead with integrity, challenge harmful systems and shape the future of this country.

As a member of the Kenya Leadership Integrity Forum, Global Compact Network Kenya remains steadfast in championing ethical business conduct, strengthening integrity ecosystems and empowering youth to drive a future defined by fairness, responsibility and opportunity.

09/12/2025

Abdi Mohamed, CEO of Absa Bank Kenya and Board Chair of the Global Compact Network Kenya, reflects on why ethical leadership must guide both strategy and day-to-day decisions.

He shares how Absa is integrating sustainability and integrity across its operations, from responsible lending and ESG-aligned investments to community empowerment through the Absa Foundation. For Abdi, leadership grounded in values is essential for building strong institutions and resilient markets.

He also highlights the importance of partnership, noting Absa’s collaboration with the Global Compact Network Kenya to advance responsible business conduct anchored in the Ten Principles. His message encourages business leaders to move beyond compliance and embed ethics into their organisational culture so that decisions consistently reflect transparency, accountability, and long-term thinking.

Watch the full message from Abdi Mohammed and join the call to grow Kenya’s private sector through principled and forward-looking leadership.

09/12/2025

Integrity is not an abstract value; it is a practical foundation for building competitive, resilient, and trusted businesses. This video compilation brings together voices from across Kenya’s private sector, partners and participants, each affirming that responsible leadership begins with setting the right tone at the top, strengthening governance systems, and creating cultures where ethical conduct is the norm.

From banking and manufacturing to academia and civil society, these leaders demonstrate how the Ten Principles of the UN Global Compact guide companies to integrate ethics into decision making, value chains, and long-term strategy. Their collective message reinforces a simple truth: when businesses embrace transparency and accountability, they shape markets that are fair, stable, and capable of supporting sustainable development.

Hear directly from the CEOs championing integrity in Kenya’s business landscape: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lXkgTvROsIE&t=4s

In Kenya’s dynamic private sector, integrity is more than a moral choice, it is a business imperative. In this collective message from participants of the UN...

09/12/2025

As we mark International Anti-Corruption Day, we are reminded that integrity shapes the strength of markets, the confidence of stakeholders, and the resilience of businesses. In this message, Judy Njino, Executive Director of the Global Compact Network Kenya, reflects on how the United Nations Global Compact helps companies align their strategies and operations with the Tenth Principle on anti-corruption. She emphasizes that business integrity becomes real when leaders commit to transparency, collaboration, and consistent action.

Judy also highlights Kenya’s progress, including international recognition of the Code of Ethics for Business in Kenya by the Basel Institute on Governance. The Code was developed through a private sector-led initiative spearheaded by the Global Compact Network Kenya, Kenya Association of Manufacturers and Kenya Private Sector Alliance (KEPSA), and it continues to stand out as a practical and trusted framework that strengthens accountability and reinforces responsible business conduct across industries.

When the private sector upholds such standards, it becomes a powerful driver of trust, resilience, and sustainable growth.

Watch the full message and join us in championing ethical business in Kenya. Your leadership can drive the change our markets need.

09/12/2025

𝐃𝐢𝐝 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐤𝐧𝐨𝐰 𝐆𝐁𝐕𝐇 𝐜𝐨𝐬𝐭𝐬 𝐊𝐞𝐧𝐲𝐚’𝐬 𝐩𝐫𝐢𝐯𝐚𝐭𝐞 𝐬𝐞𝐜𝐭𝐨𝐫 𝐚𝐩𝐩𝐫𝐨𝐱𝐢𝐦𝐚𝐭𝐞𝐥𝐲 𝐊𝐄𝐒 𝟗𝟓.𝟓 𝐛𝐢𝐥𝐥𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐚𝐧𝐧𝐮𝐚𝐥𝐥𝐲, 𝐫𝐞𝐩𝐫𝐞𝐬𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝟏% 𝐨𝐟 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐧𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧’𝐬 𝐆𝐃𝐏? (𝐈𝐅𝐂, 𝟐𝟎𝟐𝟓)

As the 16 Days of Activism against Gender-Based Violence come to a close this week, we are sharing our joint op-ed, published with IDH and UN Women Kenya, that reinforces the urgent need to embed GBV prevention into Kenya’s agricultural value chains. Read it here: https://tinyurl.com/2u4bx3h4

Agriculture remains one of Kenya’s most important economic pillars, sustained by the labour of women across the country. Yet too many continue to work in insecure, low wage and informal roles that expose them to harassment, exploitation and violence, vulnerabilities further intensified by climate shocks and economic pressures.

At Global Compact Network Kenya, we continue to champion responsible business conduct through the Ten Principles, the Women’s Empowerment Principles (WEPs), and stronger disclosure through the Communication on Progress. Safeguarding is not separate from business performance, supply chain stability or global competitiveness, it is central to all three.

GBV prevention is not only the right thing to do, it is a business imperative for companies committed to building safe, productive and resilient workplaces.

Kenya can show that economic performance and human dignity go hand in hand.

04/12/2025

We are delighted to celebrate Judy Njino, Executive Director of Global Compact Network Kenya, on her inclusion in the Top 100 Kenyans 2025 list by Kenyans.co.ke. This recognition reflects her steadfast leadership, her commitment to principled business, and her work to elevate responsible and sustainable corporate practice across Kenya and the region.

Through her stewardship of the Global Compact Network in Kenya and Uganda, Judy has guided companies to integrate the Ten Principles of the United Nations Global Compact and the Sustainable Development Goals into strategies and operations. Her leadership has strengthened the Network’s role as a trusted platform for advancing responsible business and building high-value partnerships across the private sector, Government and development community.

Congratulations Judy, a well-deserved honour 🎉

Learn more about the 2025 list in the feature: https://www.kenyans.co.ke/news/118692-top-100-kenyans-2025-full-list

03/12/2025

𝐂𝐎𝐏𝟑𝟎 𝐡𝐚𝐬 𝐣𝐮𝐬𝐭 𝐜𝐨𝐧𝐜𝐥𝐮𝐝𝐞𝐝 𝐢𝐧 𝐁𝐞𝐥é𝐦, 𝐁𝐫𝐚𝐳𝐢𝐥, 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐛𝐮𝐬𝐢𝐧𝐞𝐬𝐬𝐞𝐬 𝐚𝐫𝐞 𝐚𝐬𝐤𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐰𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐜𝐨𝐦𝐞𝐬 𝐧𝐞𝐱𝐭.

Join us tomorrow for the COP30 Debrief, What’s Next for the Private Sector?, hosted by the UN Global Compact Academy in partnership with UN Climate Change.

This live 60-minute session will feature senior leaders shaping global climate ambition:
• Sanda Ojiambo, Assistant Secretary General and CEO, UN Global Compact
• Noura Hamladji, Assistant Secretary General and Deputy Executive Secretary, UN Climate Change (UNFCCC)
• Selwin Hart, Special Adviser to the UN Secretary General and Assistant Secretary General on Climate Action

They will break down the major headlines from COP30 and outline the global priorities that matter most for companies preparing for 2025.

Participants will also explore the new 5 year global climate action agenda developed by the COP30 Presidency, Climate High Level Champions and UN Climate Change, created to help align non state actors in delivering the Paris Agreement.

𝐖𝐡𝐲 𝐘𝐨𝐮 𝐒𝐡𝐨𝐮𝐥𝐝 𝐉𝐨𝐢𝐧
• Key outcomes and insights from COP30
• The new 5 year global climate action agenda
• Practical steps for business across sectors
• A chance to engage directly with UN climate experts

Date: Thursday, 4 December 2025
Time: 5:30 p.m. EAT
Register: https://info.unglobalcompact.org/cop30-debrief

If you are not able to join live, you will receive the on-demand recording once you register.

01/12/2025

𝐂𝐚𝐭𝐚𝐥𝐲𝐳𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐖𝐨𝐦𝐞𝐧’𝐬 𝐄𝐜𝐨𝐧𝐨𝐦𝐢𝐜 𝐏𝐚𝐫𝐭𝐢𝐜𝐢𝐩𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧, 𝐅𝐫𝐨𝐦 𝐏𝐨𝐥𝐢𝐜𝐲 𝐭𝐨 𝐏𝐫𝐚𝐜𝐭𝐢𝐜𝐞

In partnership with UN Women, we are gathered today for the WEPs Quarterly Forum, a platform bringing together business leaders, regulators, and entrepreneurs to turn policy commitments on women’s economic empowerment into practical, measurable action.

In her opening remarks, Judy Njino, Executive Director at Global Compact Network Kenya, underscored a truth we cannot overlook. Although women make up more than half of Africa’s workforce, they hold fewer than 20% of leadership positions. And while women own about 30% of registered businesses in Kenya, only 36% of MSME loans go to women-led enterprises. These disparities, across leadership and access to capital, continue to limit innovation, competitiveness, and the broader economic gains that come when women participate fully and equally.

Our panels are shifting that conversation. Regulators are responding directly to the questions that hold women back in trade, formalization, and compliance. Ms Patience Njau of KRA emphasized that KRA is an enabler of sustainable business, highlighting the role of eTIMS in helping SMEs formalize and maintain transparent documentation, a key requirement for accessing finance. She also raised concerns about PIN misuse, where women’s data is used by others to register businesses and take opportunities meant for them. She noted upcoming improvements on tax refunds and VAT frameworks and encouraged women’s groups to engage KRA both in person and virtually.

Ms Mildred Eboi of KEBS highlighted subsidized permit rates for MSMEs, ongoing efforts to curb counterfeit goods, and the continued role of Biashara Centres in helping entrepreneurs navigate certification and standards.

We are also hearing from private sector leaders such as Mucai Kunyiha, Eunice Mwongera and Augustine Wakaba, who are highlighting the business case for investing in women, from compliance and competitiveness to workforce stability and supply chain resilience. Entrepreneurs in the room are sharing lived experiences and practical guidance for women navigating market entry, scaling, and investor readiness.

This is what it looks like when policy meets practice, when government, the private sector, and development partners commit to unlocking economic opportunity for women at scale. More sessions are coming up throughout the day and we will continue sharing key takeaways.

If your organization is ready to advance gender equality in the workplace, marketplace, or community, we invite you to become a Women’s Empowerment Principles signatory: https://www.weps.org/join

27/11/2025

Corporate responsibility sits at the heart of how business should operate.

In this message, Global Compact Network Kenya Executive Director, Judy Njino, speaks to why First Assurance’s decision to join the UN Global Compact is a meaningful demonstration of leadership. By aligning with the Ten Principles, the organization is committing to transparency, accountability and responsible business conduct that strengthens trust, protects the planet and supports long-term prosperity.

Joining the UN Global Compact places an organisation within a global community working to embed human rights, labour rights, environmental stewardship and anti-corruption into strategies and operations, while building governance systems that serve people and society.

If your organization is ready to advance responsible and sustainable business, we invite you to become a Participant of the United Nations Global Compact.

Learn more: https://www.globalcompactkenya.org/ | Become a Participant: [email protected]