How Kenyan women politicians navigate murky waters of politics

The excitement for Kenyan women to thrust themselves into politics has been momentous, despite the progress being sluggish.

The Kenyan political environment is deeply patriarchal, dirty and utterly expensive. In this piece, I look at how Kenyan women politicians are still standing against all odds and what can be done to create a more supportive environment for them.

During a private event in Singapore in December 2019, former United States President Barack Obama opined that there would be far-reaching positive economic effects if women ruled every country on earth for at least two years.

Obama’s remarks would then be lent credence two months later after the advent of the COVID-19 pandemic that plagued the globe for a while.

A majority of women-led countries were able to withstand the virus; multiple studies showed that women leaders were able to steer their nations through the pandemic better than their male counterparts.

This is one of the instances in which women’s leadership has shone in the world, including in Kenya. 

In the 2022 elections, for instance, more women threw their hats in the rings for various political positions, including presidential running mates, governors, senators, members of the National Assembly, and even Members of the County Assembly (MCAs).

The number of women aspirants in the said posts rose significantly as compared to the previous two elections after the promulgation of the current constitution.

This was no mean feat; in the 2017 election, for instance, only three women made it to the gubernatorial positions, as opposed to 2022, whereby seven of them made it to the plum county position. 

While the number of female senators stands at three after Kenya’s last elections, a historic 44 women vied for the position, which was up from the 20 that had tried their luck for the same position in 2017. 

In the National Assembly, the number of female politicians rose by six to 29, and for the MCAs, 115 out of 1115 that contested won, connoting a significant improvement from 96 female ward representatives who clinched the position in 2017.

The excitement for Kenyan women to thrust themselves into politics has been momentous, despite the progress being sluggish.

Despite the non-commitment to implement it, the two-thirds gender rule remains one of the pivots that will level the ground for both men and women in the field of politics and other leadership spheres.

Article 27 (8) of the Kenya Constitution 2010 mandates the state to take steps to ensure that not more than two-thirds of members of all elective and appointive positions are of the same gender. 

It is over a decade since the promulgation of the constitution, and this provision, which would greatly solve gender inequality, has been running into headwinds each time it is up for debate in the National Assembly, though compatriots are hopeful it will be actualised soon.

That Kenyan women in politics face discrimination as they navigate through the chaotic sphere is no secret, but just how do they put up with it?

Many female politicians have had to endure patriarchal and cultural barriers, lack of funding and finances, outright discrimination in political party nominations, and a lack of capacity building, among other challenges. 

In the face of these challenges, some have spotted potential in women figures and their capability to lead.

In the run-up to the 2022 elections, three women were selected as presidential running mates. They were Martha Karua, who was Azimio la Umoja One Kenya Coalition Party’s deputy presidential candidate. Justina Wamae became a running mate in the Roots party, while Ruth Mutua became Agano’s presidential candidate.

In an interview with this writer, Justina revealed that though she was at first excited to be a running mate, patriarchal beliefs made her role as running mate challenging as she was required to sit back and let the men in the party run the show.

“It is an achievement that three women were selected as running mates, and we hope for more in the coming elections. However, when I became Roots Party deputy presidential candidate, it was more of the party needing to fulfil the gender rule. Myself and other women in other political positions were required to be sort of flower girls. Technically, many were not required to talk,” she said.

Justina admitted that it is this deeply-entrenched belief that women’s input is not required in the political process that led her to fight back, leading to her fallout with her Roots Party.

“The nomination of women to such positions is a step in the right direction, but I would advise parties and other political leaders not just to pick women to fulfil the gender rule. Let them pick women because they are able, can speak their mind and are equally empowered to deliver to the electorate just as male politicians,” she added.

The female politician also said she faced funding challenges as a running mate. She revealed many financiers gave much weight to the presidential candidate, so she would hardly get any sponsorship for the campaigns.

“Funding would often go to the presidential candidate, and many just assumed that I was under his care. This even comes back to how even homes are run, as society thinks that men hold the factors of production. I am certain that female deputy governors faced the same challenge on matters of funding,” she said. 

Justina also recounted how, in the 2017 elections, she was denied a party ticket that was given to a male candidate despite her meeting all the party requirements for a nomination to vie for the Mavoko parliamentary seat.

“We were in the TNA party, but after moving to Jubilee, I was denied the party ticket, which was given to a man; I think it is because politics in Kenya are just male-dominated. Men tend to be seen as more capable leaders than women because I had even paid the nomination fee, and I was still denied the ticket. I felt so disheartened that I took a break from politics after that, and I decided to focus on business until the 2022 elections when I became a running mate,” she said.

She further revealed that before the Jubilee party picked the male candidate as the flag bearer of the 2017 Mavoko MP seat, she had put up an intensive campaign during which innuendos flew right, left, and centre that a man was bankrolling her politics.

These happenings, however, did not come as a surprise to Justina as she said she had been duly advised when she contemplated joining politics. 

She divulged that she was told she ought to be under the wings of a man, a reality she found out is destructive to women’s leadership.

“So women who decide they will stand their ground and ignore this kind of insinuation, which is by the way unfortunate, tend to have it rough in this world of politics, but it is the best thing. I would advise women in politics to let the citizens know them by their ideas and agendas as women have so much to offer,” she said.

Her assertiveness and inner conviction are what made her stay on course and face off with her opponents and other naysayers.

Justina’s perspective was echoed by Atieno Ogolla, a Kenyan advocate, KANU Youth Congress Treasurer, Head of Research, and a member of Kenya’s independence party’s National Executive Committee. 

In an interview with this journalist, Ms Ogolla said besides lack of financing, and biases stemming from the patriarchy and culture, many women in politics are also being pulled behind by ‘clanism’ and gender-based violence.

“In some communities, women are held behind by ‘clanism’. Think about the North-Eastern part of Kenya, where it is always a man being picked for a political position from a certain kin. Additionally, politics in Kenya is messy and thus not very conducive for women,” she said.

The 27-year-old lawyer said she looks up to legendary female politicians such as Martha Karua and Charity Ngilu, who have stood the test of time and managed to navigate the world of politics seamlessly and suppressed all odds stacked against them. 

Karua and Ngilu are the only two Kenyan female politicians who, albeit unsuccessfully, gave a shot at the presidency; Ngilu vied for the presidency in 1997, while Karua tried her luck in the 2013 elections. 

Karua, who also owns a political party, Narc Kenya, came close to the presidency in the 2022 elections after she became Raila Odinga’s running mate. 

Raila was one of the two leading contestants in the presidential race; he, however, lost to President William Ruto, his long-time political rival.

The likes of Karua and Ngilu, Ms Ogolla says, have made it to their current positions politically owing to their tough stances and principles that their male counterparts cannot challenge.

“These women have only managed to navigate the political world because they have a thick skin and courage, which I supposed has grown over time. Politics is not for the faint-hearted. I also think for any woman in this field, it is imperative to have supportive family and friends. As a woman, you must know what you want in politics so it is easy for you to participate in leadership,” she said.

Ms Ogolla called for quality women representation and mentorship for women joining politics to have an intergenerational transfer of knowledge and experiences. She also prevailed upon political parties to empower women and shun discrimination. 

She said her party, KANU, for instance, has an ongoing program for women in politics which mentors young women like herself, thus preparing them for elective politics.

Solutions for bettering the lives of women in politics

On her part, Dr Joyce Mutinda, who is the chairperson of the National Gender and Equality Commission (NGEC), observed that women would thrive in politics if an inclusive, non-discriminatory and violence-free environment is enhanced.

This, she said, would help them navigate the world of politics more seamlessly. It is her counsel that, for starters, civic education, especially to dismantle the patriarchal attitudes, stereotypes, and biases associated with women in politics, is undertaken seriously.

“Civic education should not just be done to the politicians but to the voters themselves so that they can be able to see women differently. They should be educated on Article 27 of the constitution talks about the principle of the two-thirds gender rule. On the issue of the financing for women in politics, we have actually been looking for ways to support female politicians. With our development partners, we are trying to come up with a Special Women Elections Fund to overcome the issue of lack of resources for women,” she said.

She believes the fund would go a long way in helping women who are unable to win elections due to lack of financing.

“The government can chip in and other financiers. If we are serious about women’s participation, this is something we should come up with,” she said.

Dr Mutinda also said capacity building is another way that women can overcome the challenges they face as they venture into politics. 

In her view, women in politics and candidates ought to be trained consistently on how they can effectively do public speaking and also employ other robust communication strategies that would help them carry out result-oriented political campaigns.

Echoing Ms Ogolla’s remarks, Dr Mutinda said just like veteran female politicians such as Karua and Ngilu, who have had impressive political careers, Kenyan women in politics should endeavour to have integrity and authenticity in order to survive in the tumultuous political sphere.

She said women in politics are judged more harshly than their male counterparts, and thus integrity is key to having a long and thriving career.

She advised women politicians to build strong networks and get committed to gender equality and women empowerment, and inclusivity as these causes help appeal to women voters. 

In conclusion, for women to survive in the demanding sphere, concerted efforts from the government, civil society, and the electorate to support them are key; a fund to finance their campaigns is particularly imperative to propel potential female leaders to their desired posts. 

Additionally, mentorship for young women in politics and civic education for voters are even more paramount to neutralising patriarchal biases and stereotypes that impede women’s journeys in politics.

This story is part of the African Women in Media (AWiM)/Luminate Young Women in Politics Media Project