Global Co-Chair: Festus Kisa

Kisa has been appointed as the new Global Co-chair of the MenEngage Alliance, bringing with him over a decade of experience in advocacy, movement building, and programming for gender equality and LGBTIQ+ rights. Since 2022, he has served on the Alliance’s global board as representative of Q-Initiative—a community-based organisation in Eldoret, Kenya, dedicated to health, human rights, and capacity building for LGBTIQ+ individuals.

Kisa’s work emphasises intersectional feminist principles, inclusion, and the use of research and documentation to challenge norms around sexual and gender minorities. Read more about Kisa’s work with Q-Initiative here.

As the new Global Co-Chair, Kisa shares: 

“I’m excited to leverage the Alliance’s diverse skills and resources to continue building an intentional and inclusive network that fosters the mobilisation of men and boys as agents of change for feminist and social justice movements.

As Global Co-chair, I envision strengthening efforts to include youth and queer voices in leadership, ensuring accountability, and exploring innovative approaches to engage men and boys in achieving gender equality. I believe my lived experiences and understanding of masculinities and social norms transformation will be central contributing to, and continuing to build on meaningful change.“

Kisa takes on the role following Bafana Khumalo, who will continue to represent Sonke Gender Justice on the Global Board of MenEngage Alliance.

We take this opportunity to thank Bafana for holding the role of Co-chair of the Board of Directors of MenEngage Global Alliance, and for all the contributions he made during his term.

On behalf of the Global Secretariat, and the Global Board, we are excited to welcome Kisa in his new role as Co-Chair, and look forward to his continued work on youth, especially LGBTQ+ youth, in the past couple of years across Africa.

To see the full list of board members, please click here.