Islamic Religious Practices and Women’s Social and Economic Empowerment in Kakamega County, Western Kenya

This study examined the relationship between Islamic religious practices and women’s social and economic empowerment in Kakamega County, Western Kenya, a setting in which Muslims form a minority within a predominantly Christian population. Guided by Islamic Feminism Theory and Empowerment Theory, the study adopted a mixed-methods design. Quantitative data were drawn from structured questionnaires completed by 361 women, while qualitative data came from 24 key informant interviews and four focus group discussions involving 32 participants. Quantitative data were analysed using frequencies and percentages, and qualitative data were analysed thematically. The relationship was found to be positive but uneven. Social participation recorded the highest mean agreement (68.9%), followed by education (61.7%), health and well-being (56.4%), economic participation (54.2%), household decision-making (52.4%) and community governance (43.2%). Within the economic dimension, mosque-based savings groups attracted the highest agreement (64.8%), while women’s property ownership attracted the lowest (48.5%). Agreement was consistently higher among urban, younger, more educated and single women. The qualitative data explained these patterns, showing that madrasa instruction functions as a dual literacy platform, that Islamic savings groups combine credit with training and mentorship, and that the principal constraint on women’s empowerment is patriarchal culture rather than Islamic theology. The study concludes that women’s religious literacy is a main route to empowerment and that the minority setting brings its own constraints as well as new institutional responses. It recommends strengthening women’s self-organised groups, investing in female Islamic educators and promoting gender-responsive Islamic education.