Abstract:
The main purpose of the study was to examine Kenya’s Muslim Women Participation in
Diplomatic Service: A Case Study of Ministry of Foreign Affairs. This was backed by
specific study objectives which sought; to assess how to encourage Kenyan Muslim
women participation in diplomacy, to analyze the influence of Kenyan Muslim women
participation in diplomacy, and finding out the factors hindering participation of Kenyan
Muslim women participation in diplomacy. The theoretical leaning by the study was
dualistic in nature. It was underpinned by the following two theories; Gender equality
theory and dialogic feminist theory. The former is a theory with composite effects in
nature, one being gender role and others being; socioeconomic development, genderegalitarian
attitudes, cultural and political traditions, and institutional design factors. The
second, dialogic feminist theory anchors itself on the fact that women issues must be
subjected to society processes of participation. Professor Walter W. Foskett propones
the second theory, whereas the proponents of gender equality theory include; Inglehart,
Norris, and Welzel. The proponents of gender equality theory argue that the comparison
of factors across different stages of gender equality will enrich understanding of the
roles of economic development, cultural change, historical legacies and institutional
designs in empowering women. The study used descriptive research design, while
relying on simple random sampling technique in selecting the sample for this study. The
target population comprised management staff employed at the Ministry of Foreign
Affairs composed of the 210 as sample size. The researcher used questionnaire to collect
data from the respondents. Thematic analysis was embraced data analysis. In addition,
quantitative data collected was analyzed statistically by the help of the Statistical
Package for Social Scientist (SPSS version 22). The research project findings were
discussed thematically in summary from whence the study recommends that the
Muslims religious leaders need to review the Islamic teachings that deny women and
girls and girls their rights in order to improve participation centripetally while at the
same time the government should put up measures that will ensure generally women
participate in publics service and specifically in diplomacy. With good policies and
combined efforts/ strategies, the challenges that deter the level of participation of
Muslim women in diplomacy will be finally dealt with.
