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In May 2020, Kenya declared Gender-Based Violence (GBV) a health emergency amid the COVID-19 pandemic. Domestic and intimate partner violence typically rises during crises, regardless of economic status (Spangaro et al., 2021). Before COVID-19, around 45% of women and girls in Kenya had experienced violence (Musembi et al., 2022). Although Kenya’s constitution has addressed GBV since 2010 and gender equity initiatives have been promoted, the pandemic exacerbated GBV, particularly in rural areas, due to lockdowns and movement restrictions. This study examines the lessons learned from Kenya’s COVID-19 response and proposes policies and processes that integrate ethical leadership to effectively combat GBV and advance gender equity.

This exploratory phenomenology study involved conducting semi-structured interviews with pregnant women, mothers, policymakers and government representatives.

The qualitative narratives reveal several critical issues and areas for improvement in addressing gender-based violence (GBV) and related challenges during the COVID-19 pandemic in Kenya. Both policymakers and pregnant women highlighted a lack of effective leadership, public policy and application of gender equity principles, with deeply ingrained patriarchal norms hindering progress.

This study aims to improve responses to GBV during crises and promote gender equity through ethical leadership. By examining the impacts of COVID-19 on GBV and assessing the influence of intersectoral factors like employment, healthcare and financial aid, it seeks to provide actionable insights for effective interventions. The findings can inform strategies to prevent and address GBV in crises while ensuring inclusivity and justice. This aligns with international initiatives like the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals and the “Leave No One Behind” agenda, fostering more resilient and equitable communities.

This paper critiques how the member states adopted the United Nations (UN) Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) in a concerted effort to improve the lives and meet the basic needs of all global citizens. COVID-19 has been an unexpected precipitous monitoring system that has exposed the current implemented policies and systems, begging the question, “are these goals failing?” Furthermore, may it be equated to failed leadership on a global scale? The UN 17 SDGs is an urgent call for union by all countries – developed and developing – recognizes that ending poverty and other deprivations must go hand-in-hand with strategies that improve health and education, reduce inequality and spur economic growth. This paper is central to addressing the shortcomings of UN leadership and multilateral organizations. The UN coordinates multilateral organizations' actions in reaching the most marginalized communities (United Nations, 2015). Hence, these outcomes have become more distant to those without means and most in need, a likely consequence of program failure and our globalized world. The pandemic has taught us national solutions to global problems fall short and may only exacerbate the outcome. The authors approach this as a failure of global leadership. The UN's pledge to “Leave No One Behind” has undermined its commitment to poverty and inequalities of racism and sectarianism. The UN staff are often unprepared to deal with the issues they have contributed to. They continue to perpetuate the inequalities that stem from racism and discrimination even though the pledge is to leave no one behind. The 17 SDGs are designed to impact citizens' health and livelihood. The goals have direct and indirect effects on women, children and the most marginalized groups residing in urban cities across the globe. This article examines systemic racism and the UN and its impact on the SDGs’ agenda.

This article proposes a human-centered approach to address leadership inadequacies in a global public leadership institution using a literature review and contemporary cases.

This article argues a premise for the UN institutions to adapt their leadership approaches to better understand the global communities with whom they serve.

This article is directed to multi-lateral leaders and governments in hopes to expose inequities and hypocrisies in order to advance more inclusive and culturally responsive approaches to tackle the most challenging social issues the world faces.

This article draws on current events of racism that challenge one of the largest global institutions and can potentially undermine the achievement of meeting the 2030 UN SDGs for any country.

Before COVID-19, Kenya was among the countries in sub-Saharan Africa already dealing with high Gender-Based Violence (GBV) issues. Kenya had experienced prior convoluted emergencies and endemics, which had an inordinate impingement on women and girls that heightened their vulnerability to GBV. The Kenyan Ministry of Public Service and Gender reported that in 2020, there was an increase of 36% in GBV cases (Roy et al., 2021). COVID-19 had a devastating effect in rural communities, whereby women were most impacted. This study aims to understand the lessons learned from public leaders in implementing policies that could address GBV through better leadership approaches.

This is an exploratory-qualitative study in which six participants comprised of policymakers or government representatives that were interviewed in semi-structured interviews.

The qualitative narratives provided evidence that suggests a complex relationship between the COVID-19 lockdowns and movement restrictions policies and played a direct factor in the rise in GBV in vulnerable populations. The individual country policies and sectoral policies varied in how vulnerable women's needs were addressed, which led to diverse socioeconomic and health consequences.

This research delineates the impacts of the failure of Kenyan leaders to implement gender focused COVID-19 policies and guidelines that considered the physical, mental, violence and the economic impact such emergencies have on women and girls in rural communities.

Prior COVID-19, the World Health Organization (WHO) reported that less than 50% of the world's population was able to obtain essential health services. These numbers have decreased with the onset of the pandemic. Concurrently, the pandemic has amplified the gaps in access and extended inequality in African contexts. This requires a concerted effort to reimagine and rebuild Africa's healthcare system to inclusively attend to the needs of society's most vulnerable populations. Women in leadership provide an opportunity to do this. Through the advancement of strategic leadership development focused on women and girls, developing African healthcare contexts have the potential to aid in the eradication of endemics like gender-based violence, extend community sustainability, and elevate the collective consciousness for women, girls, and other marginalized populations. Through this chapter, the authors present a compelling and holistic conceptual model and the accompanying practice grounded in transformational and adaptive leadership, systems thinking, and strategic social influence that creates the foundation for the development of women in leadership to advance developing African healthcare contexts. The implications for this emergent strategy advance the field of leadership calling for applied leadership within African healthcare contexts, advance society through a coordinated and integrated approach to healthcare service and patient care, and create direct linkages to the UN Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 3 – Good Health and Well-being, SDG 5 – Gender Equality, SDG 10 – Reduce Inequalities, and SDG 11 – Sustainable Cities and Communities, while advancing our collective global community.