A comprehensive coverage of GENDER andSpecial PELECTIONSost-Election Issue

SPECIAL EDITION

Issue Number 36 • April 2013

EDITORIAL Women must hit ground running as assemblies start sittings he electioneering period has finally come to an end and women, despite their perfor- mance must move forward. Energy should now focus towards sus- tainingT the momentum started two decades ago that culminated in the gains currently entrenched in the Constitution. The highlight of it was the affirmative action clause and the two thirds gender rule on all elective positions for governors, senate and national assembly that the Supreme Court ruled would take effect from 2015 Strategy However, that is water under the bridge and the women’s movement must explore ways of using elected representatives in all positions to take their Against agenda to the Senate as well as national and county assemblies. We salute the new waheshimiwa (honourable members) and urge them not to relax but to hit the ground running armed with their gender agenda. The affirmative action war now begins in earnest. The women leaders must be strategic, organized and coordinated in order to achieve set goals. It is all odds worrying that up to now no woman has declared in- terest in contesting as a Speaker or a Deputy Speaker Women lose in the coalitions of the National Assembly or of the Senate. Equity as those from marginalised Individuals elected must demonstrate that the seats are not a preserve for men. We look forward to communities make history seeing the likes of vocal and fiery former MPs like Millie Odhiambo (Mbita); Rachel Shebesh (Women’s Kenyans queue to cast their votes in the just concluded representative Nairobi County); Gender minister Dr …By Jane Godia of population and even as General Elections. Despite the numerous measures put Naomi Shaban (Taveta); Tourism Assistant minister registered voters, it seems in place to ensure more women were elected, they are hile women thought they the women were swayed Cecily Mbarire (Runyenjes); Special Programmes still trailing behind. Below: An elderly woman casts minister Esther Murugi (Nyeri Town) and Former would benefit from the new by other forces to abandon her ballot in display of her democratic right. Pictures: Higher Education minister Helen Sambili (Mogotio) political order within the their own and vote in men. Kenyan Woman Correspondent & Ben Oroko leading from the front. new constitutional dispen- Discrepancies They are among the 16 women leaders who were sation,W it has actually proved to be their elected as Members of Parliament (MPs) out of 290 undoing. Out of the 47 counties no find their way to the Senate house. In total, seats. Another five women have been nominated by The just concluded General Election woman was elected for the gubernatorial the Senate will have 18 women out of the the political parties to the national assembly. The has left women trailing behind and won- seat. However, only nine women will be total 68 members. senate has seen 16 women nominated plus another dering if ever communities within which managing counties as deputy governors. two, one youth and one disabled also joining them. they live and vie will ever elect them to po- These are Penina Malonza (Kitui), Fatu- Party lists All the 47 governors and an equal number of sen- litical leadership. ma Achani (Kwale), Hazel Nyamoki Katana The elections which were conducted ators-elect are men as per the Independent Electoral Among eight presidential candidates (Mombasa), Adelina Mwau (Makueni), Ev- under major coalitions helped in strength- and Boundaries Commission’s (IEBC) final list. was one woman Martha Karua who was elyn Chepkurui (Narok), Ruth Adhiambo ening the presidential candidate and by ex- ranked in the sixth position after she man- (Kisumu), Mary Ndiga Kibuka (Taita Tave- tension male candidates. While many men Numbers aged to garner only 43,881 votes. Total ta), Dorothy Nditi Muchungu (Embu) and lost nominations with parties that were However, the MPs-elect and the women’s repre- votes cast were 12,338,667. Susan Chepkoech Kikwai (Kericho). within strongholds, some of them moved sentatives need not look far for lessons of how to Karua who initially had a lot of wom- Hopefully when the governors will be on to other smaller parties within the alli- succeed in the political arena. History was made by en behind her, seems to have lost ground meeting with the president in the sched- ances and won. In this case, there were no the likes of Grace Onyango as the first woman to be when women abandoned her to pay loyalty uled biannual meetings, at least some of blocs for parties where people only voted elected mayor, MP; Margaret Kenyatta as first wom- to their parties. these women will be present. for one party. an mayor of Nairobi in the 1960s; outgoing Gichugu Constitution In 1963 when Kenya established its first Unfortunately the coalitions did not MP, Martha Karua, who was a presidential candi- government, there were 41 senators and benefit women and the women’s movement date in the just concluded polls, served as Deputy Initially when the Constitution was none was a woman. The scenario has been lost the strongest women politicians. These Leader of Government Business among others. promulgated in 2010, the women’s move- replayed this year, after the Senate position included Prof Margaret Kamar, Beatrice They should lobby for representation as Speaker ment was on frenzy creating awareness was entrenched in the new constitutional Kones, Linah Jebii Kilimo, Sally Kosgei, or Deputy Speaker of the two houses and also target about the gains within the new laws. It was dispensation. In the just concluded General Wavinya Ndeti, Margaret Wanjiru, Eliza- to be chairpersons of crucial House committees. agreed that women will vote as a bloc for Election, no woman was elected senator. beth Ongoro and Charity Ngilu. Indeed, every election in Kenya since indepen- one of their own no matter the tribe or par- However, unlike 1963, this time around 16 Ongoro who wanted to vie for Nairobi dence 50 years ago has been an experiment and the ty affiliation. However the outcome of the women will be nominated by political par- Senate was forced to give up her bid for just concluded election is not an exception. General Election was a clear indication that ties to the Senate as required by the Consti- Margaret Wanjiru to enable the Cord Co- women were still not ready to support each tution. Another two women —a youth and other. Despite being the majority in terms a person living with disability — will also Continued on page 3 Special Post-Election Issue 2 Issue Number 36 • April 2013 Losers in Kilifi County call for poll repeat Hostile environment …By Yusuf Amin in the affected areas which had already been perceived as Mom- deprive women omen candidates basa Republican Council (MRC) in Kilifi County zones. chance in politics who lost in the just The women aspirants also concluded Gen- complained that ballot papers …By Valentine Atieno Weral Election plan to challenge the from various polling stations in he harsh political climate in the country has outcome of the poll. Kilifi North were transported to deprived women of seats despite constitu- The losers cite massive ir- Kilifi town without party agents tional provisions that not more than two regularities and insecurity which accompanying them, thus creat- thirds of members of elective public bodies they say forced voters to stay ing room to doctor results. shallT be of the same gender. away from the polls. Sophy Kombe, a candidate According to a research by the Adoption Pathways A Senate aspirant with for the Woman Representative Project, women hold the key to food security and if Shirikisho Party of Kenya Nao- position who got 33,343 votes elected in top leadership, Kenya’s dependency on relief mi Cidi who was defeated by asked the Independent Elec- aid is poised to reduce. Justice (Rtd) Stewart Madzayo toral and Boundaries Commis- However, despite Kenya recognising the need for complained that most voters sion (IEBC) to nullify the results women’s political and economic equality, there is still kept away from polling stations for Kilifi County as they were a lot to be done to sensitise the society that the global due to insecurity in some parts marred by irregularities. arena is changing and women too need to be included of the constituency. in leadership and decision making platforms. Cidi singled out Chumani Protest “We have had so many trainings for women aspi- Primary School polling station Her sentiments were echoed rants and candidates to boost their leadership capa- where no voting took place after by Ether Kache who also con- bility and to give them the courage to face the male a gang raided the centre on the tested for the Kilifi County counterparts in politics and to have a leader’s percep- eve of the elections and killed women representative seat on tion for their leadership roles,” said Zipporah Musau, police officers and other IEBC a Chama Cha Uzalendo ticket. Communication Officer, UN Women. officials. Kache protested that torn ballot “This sacred away voters and papers were found around Kilifi Numbers thus majority did not come out North Constituency tallying Women account for a majority of the population to vote for their leaders,” she ex- centre at the Pwani University. in Kenya today and play a major role in national build- plained. Kache claimed that she was ing. Cidi further said that more tipped by members of the pub- “We are going to ensure that our women candi- than five polling stations in Kilifi lic who found burnt ballot pa- dates are empowered in the political arena to give North Constituency did not pers and reported the matter to them the responsibility to participate actively in de- conduct elections adding that the IEBC officials for investiga- cision making and that the women bring a different this disenfranchised women tion. perspective into politics,” said Daisy Amdany, Chair candidates as some of the areas Kache who lost the seat to National Women’s Steering Committee. affected were their strongholds. Asha Jumwa Karisa (ODM) said Speaking at a forum organized by the UN Women that she recorded statements in Nairobi that seeks to champion gender issues, the Insecurity with the police and hoped that level of women representation in parliament is still She said as women leaders those involved in the vice will be very low. they will challenge the outcome brought to book. “The UN Women seeks to continue to empower of the elections in court as they She said that she will chal- Esther Kache displays a ballot paper marked in her favour but women at different sectors of leadership, economic did not reflect the will of the elec- lenge the election of Karisa who dumped miles away from the actual tallying centre. She was vying empowerment, violence against women and women torate. garnered 87,288 votes during for Kilifi County Women Representative seat in a Chama Cha as ambassadors in peace building and humanitarian She blamed the Police Ser- the election citing massive ir- Uzalendo party ticket but lost. Picture: Yusuf Amin response,” noted Musau. vice for failing to beef up security regularities. The price of not electing women Taxpayers must find additional Sh570m to pay the salaries and perks of nominated ward reps to meet the gender quota. …By David Herbling male candidates to make up a third of lic transportation and issuance of the 1,450 elected county representa- trade licences. axpayers will spend an ex- tives means that the Treasury will have “A county assembly consists of tra KSh570 million annually to fork out half a billion to nominate the number of special seat mem- on the salaries of nominated women representatives. bers necessary to ensure that no women county assembly more than two thirds of the mem- Trepresentatives to meet the set gender Implications bership of the assembly is of the quota. “We warned Kenyans in advance same gender,” states Article 177(1b) It has emerged that voters in more that failure to elect women to the of the Constitution. than half of the counties did not elect county assemblies will have serious fi- Cheserem estimates that about any woman to the county assemblies, nancial implications,” said Micah Che- 600 women will have to be nomi- and have to create a large number of serem, the chairman of the Commis- nated to the county assemblies to special seats to meet the gender thresh- sion on Revenue Allocation (CRA), in satisfy the gender threshold — set- old set in the Constitution. an interview with Business Daily. He ting up the Treasury for a higher The Constitution demands that added: “This is the price we must pay public service wage bill. not more than two-thirds of members for ignorance so that we learn a lesson. of the county assembly can be of the It is a constitutional requirement so it Revenue same gender and special seats be cre- has to be fulfilled.” Ultimately, the failure to elect A woman being guided by an IEBC official on where to insert her ballot ated to meet the quota in the event that The Commission on Revenue Al- female representatives will cumu- paper. Kenya performed poorly in gender representation with some counties the condition is not met in the election. location said that the gender require- latively cost the taxpayer about not voting even a single women. Picture :Kenyan Woman Correspondent. ment for county assembly had to be KSh2.9 billion in remuneration Constitution met immediately unlike that of the Na- of special members over a five-year the nominated candidates will have to lists presented do not comply with the The list of elected ward represen- tional Assembly and Senate which the term. be met from money allocated to that male and female representation quotas tatives that is awaiting publication in Supreme Court said would be achieved The Commission on Revenue Al- particular county,” said Winfred Li- as required,” said Lichuma at a press the Kenya Gazette shows that counties progressively by August 2015. location reckons that counties that did chuma, chair of the National Gender briefing. such as Mombasa, Marsabit, Kiambu, County assemblies are charged not elect any women to the assemblies and Equality Commission. There are a total of 1,450 elected Kakamega, Baringo, Homa Bay and with the mandate of making laws and will spend more on salaries and allow- The commission has moved to the county representatives plus a further Embu did not elect a single woman to playing the oversight role over county ances for the extra members, com- High Court seeking an order to com- 376 members made up of eight can- the county assemblies and will on aver- budget and the county executive com- pared to counties that elected a sizeable pel political parties to only nominate didates from each county to represent age have to nominate at least 10 women mittee. number of female contenders. women to the National Assembly and the youth and persons with disabilities. to comply with the constitutional de- They must approve individuals “This is money that could be chan- county assembly in order to achieve The additional nominated mem- mand. nominated by the Governor to be part nelled to development of infrastruc- gender balance. bers will be appointed by political par- Data from the Independent Elec- of the county executive committee and ture and service delivery,” explained ties in proportion to their strength in toral and Boundaries Commission pass legislation related to areas where Cheserem. Burden the county assembly. (IEBC) shows that none of Kenyas 47 the regional government has authority. The Salaries and Remuneration “In the just concluded elections it For example, out of the 55 wards counties elected enough women rep- The Constitution gives the county Commission has set the basic salary is unfortunate that at the county as- in Nakuru County, only eight elected resentatives to meet the one-third rule governments the authority to oversee of a member of the county assembly at sembly level the one third gender rule women meaning that a further 16 must leaving nomination as the only way to entertainment, health services and KSh79,200 per month. was not fully met and parties must be nominated to the county assembly meet the legal threshold. public works such as sewerage, storm “It is the taxpayer who will bear now nominate candidates to meet to meet constitutional requirement. Failure to vote in at least 484 fe- clearances, water and sanitation, pub- the burden because all expenses on the legal threshold. Unfortunately the Courtesy of the Business Daily. Special Post-Election Issue 3 Issue Number 36 • April 2013 Dama Sirya Maruwa Centenarian who has lived to see Kenya’s election process evolve …By Diana Wanyonyi cise began her grandmother was not happy that she would not participate t 104 years, Dama Sirya in the General Election not only due Maruwa has lived to see to her old age but because she lacks the four generations of her new generation identification card. family and several politi- “The minute she learnt that the Acal regimes from colonial period to country is preparing to have an elec- Jomo Kenyatta, Daniel Moi, Mwai tion she asked us on daily basis if we Kibaki and now Uhuru Kenyatta. would let her register as voter. We told The centenarian participated in her that it was not possible because Kenya’s first election during Kenyatta she does not have new generation era. Although she is illiterate through identification card and moreover her a translation by her daughter she says health condition would not allow her that this could be year she voted. She to walk the distance to the polling sta- also voted during the general election tion,” explains Kazungu. in the Moi era but has since then not participated in any election exercise. Participation Although she did not vote for the Maruwa who is widowed says she Dama Sirya has lived for more than a century and she knows the two Kibaki terms and the immediate did not participate in the elections but importance of a peaceful election process. Below: KANU membership past General Election, Maruwa says spent most of her time praying and card. Pictures: Diana Wanyonyi the only difference about the cam- meditating that the country would re- paigns and election then and today is main united after elections. However, that there was no violence or rigging. her age does not allow her to remem- and examples of past events. traditional female dancer before Ke- “I remember in 1963 I partici- ber many things as she tires easily. “She always narrates to us how nya’s colonization remaining. pated in the first general election that Having witnessed the post-elec- people lost their lives including chil- The dancing group comprised of had only two political parties Kenya tion events of 2007-2008 Maruwa says: dren after the coming of colonialists eight female dancers who passed away African National Union (KANU) and “I was not happy with what happened to Kenya and how everybody was a long time ago. It was formed under Kenya African Democratic Union in 2007-2008 during the post-election trained to fight the colonialists includ- the Mijikenda culture and they would (KADU). For us to vote we had vi- period with neighbours fighting and ing women. That ruined peace and she perform dances at the shrine of a fe- pande (identification cards) and killing each other because of politics. does not want Kenya to be in the same male prophetess known as Mepoho in people voted peacefully for the leader This is against African traditional set- situation again,” explains Kazungu Kaloleni area. The prophetess was be- they wanted,” says Maruwa. She notes: ting and norms.” adding that is why she used to spend lieved to have been swallowed alive by “This was a multi-party regime yet According to Kazungu, the old most of her time praying for peaceful the earth after she predicted the com- peace and unity prevailed during the woman spends most of her time ad- election and co-existence between. ing of white people who will change elections.” vising her family members to shun vi- Maruwa is a proud custodian of their culture and take away their land. olence and preach peace using riddles Mijikenda history as she is the oldest Seated on a three-legged stool the news hour and at 1 pm she moves Enrollment (locally known as Kigoda) outside closer to the radio to listen to news of- While many women still ponder ““I was not happy with what her daughter’s compound in Ziwa la ten nodding in agreement with what is over which political party to join, Ng’ombe area in New Nyali Constitu- being broadcast. Maruwa is among the women who happened in 2007-2008 ency, Maruwa’s old looks tells more After the news is over and the sta- had enrolled for party membership during the post-election about her age. On her ears she wears tion plays a traditional song, Maruwa many years back. At the time of the wide beaded earrings which symbol- starts smiling. She recalls that she was one party rule she did not shy away period with neighbours ise beauty and culture. the best traditional dancer and the from enrolling as a member of the rul- fighting and killing each When she is not taking her nap, team’s leader. ing party Kanu. Maruwa will be found glued to a radio “We used to wrap our waist with When the voter registration exer- other because of politics. This that broadcasts in Giriama language a wrapper in blue and red colours cise began last year, Maruwa wanted is against African traditional keen to update herself with country’s known locally as hando. The colours her name to be on the voters’ regis- current affairs. Her main interests are were specific because they symbolised ter. One of her great granddaughters setting and norms.” politics and health matters. divine and holiness. I kept it well for Miriam Kazungu says when the exer- — Dama Sirya Maruwa Despite her age Maruwa is keen on my generation,” she says. Women emerge biggest losers within coalitions Continued from page 1 Parliament. This is a very small per- will have women from their respective expected. community to clinch a parliamentary centage, and translates to only 5.5 per counties at the national assembly for While Nyanza gave Kenya the first seat. Kipchoim won the Baringo South alition strike a balance among tribes cent compared to the last parliament the first time. This then shows how the woman parliamentarian since 1963, it Constituency seat amid all odds. within the city. Ongoro and Governor when there were 18 women, 8.1 per 47 women’s representative seats have worth noting that the region has not The 16 women MPs will be joined elect Evans Kidero come from the cent, out of 222 seats. helped women, and particularly those been very friendly towards women be- by the 47 Women Representatives same community. However, ODM The women elected are Peris To- from marginalised communities as- ing elected in parliament. Since 1992, to bring the total number of women has nominated her to the senate. biko (Kajiado East), Millie Odhiambo cend to positions of leadership. when Phoebe Asiyo was last elected, elected into the National Assembly to The women, especially those seek- (Mbita), Mary Emaase (Teso South), the region has been defiant towards 63. These will be joined by another 12 ing parliamentary positions suffered Grace Kipchoim (Baringo South), Hel- Implications women leaders. However, in the Gen- members who will be nominated by huge losses under the coalitions. len Sambili (Mogotio), Esther Murugi While the Pokot have taken a hard eral Elections, Millie Odhiambo won political parties. The National Gender Jebii Kilimo who has normally (Nyeri Town), Alice Wahome (Kan- stance towards women’s leadership, the Mbita Parliamentary seat amid and Equality Commission is seeking gone against the grain to win the dara), Esther Gathogo (Ruiru), Alice they have elected one woman within controversy that a woman who is mar- to sue the IEBC for failing to compel Marakwet East constituency seat this Ng’ang’a (Juja), Naomi Shaban (Taita West Pokot County as a county ward ried elsewhere should not be given political parties to uphold the two- time found the tide too strong for her Taveta), Joyce Laboso (Sotik), Regina representative. The challenge among leadership from her parents’ home. thirds gender principle in their party as the United Republican Party (URP) Ndambuki (Kilome), Rachel Kaki the Pokot, is how the men will be ad- Odhiambo served in the previous Par- lists that will determine nominations. sought to dominate the North Rift. Nyamai (Kitui South), Jessica Mbalu dressed by a woman while culture liament as Nominated MP. Among those to be nominated should Kilimo says that despite contest- (Kibwezi East), Cecily Mbarire (Runy- dictates that a woman sits on the floor be women and men who will repre- ing on The National Alliance (TNA), enjes) and Mary Wambui (Othaya). while addressing men. It is thumbs up Numbers sent special interest groups including a party that was in the same alliance to Hellen Cherotich Madio, who won Another woman who defied party youth, persons with disabilities and with URP, she still lost the seat. Achievements the Lomut Ward seat in Sigor Con- wave to win is Mary Emaase who won workers. However, from the names Kilimo says the electorate was For the first time in the history of stituency, West Pokot County. She is the Teso south Constituency seat on that parties gave to the Registrar of warned against voting for her because Kenya, a Maasai woman Peris Tobiko among 84 women who managed to a United Republican party (URP) Political parties just before elections, she was in a party that would not al- defied culture that barred women secure county ward seats out of 1,450 ticket against the Orange Democratic the rule of nominating women and low the region to talk as a family. from assuming leadership position to countrywide. Movement (ODM) party wave that men equally as well as those living be elected into parliament. However, Sadly, the counties will have to was blowing through Busia County. with disabilities and minorities has Outsiders among the Maasai, Narok will have nominate women to ensure that the Emaase, also comes from a communi- not been adhered to. “They were told that they should a woman as its deputy governor and principle of not more than two thirds ty that has never appreciated women’s However, although the women’s not elect an outsider who will give out there will be two women Mary Yiane of one gender is adhered to. The cost of leadership and she becomes the first numbers are not impressive, it is the family’s secrets,” Kilimo said when Seneta and Roselida Tuya who will paying salaries for nominated women woman from the Teso community to hoped that within the bigger voice for she visited the Women Situation Room, represent Kajiado, and Narok respec- county representatives will be drawn defy cultural norms and to be elected women, the tone of debate in parlia- that was observing the elections. tively. Uniquely other communities from allocations earmarked by Com- to parliament. ment will certainly change to ensure At the end of the General Elec- that have never embraced women’s mission of Revenue Allocation and She is joined by Grace Kipchoim that policies which have a special tion, out of 290 constituencies only leadership include the Pokot, Turkana, this means that in the next five years, who also defied culture to emerge the leaning towards women are given 16 women were elected Members of Borana, Rendille and Somali. All these development might not take place as is first woman and person from Endorois more consideration than before. Special Post-Election Issue 4 Issue Number 36 • April 2013 Why gender Culture denies Gusii agenda did women elective seats not gain …By Ben Oroko momentum in hough majority of women from the Gusii community vied for different seats in the elections just concluded General Elec- …By Larry Kimori tion,T retrogressive cultural mind-sets hampered their bid to capture the posi- Kenyan women had little to celebrate about tions. on March 8 when the world celebrated Inter- The shambolic party primaries that national Women’s Day. preceded the elections, inadequate in- The day was marked quietly as Kenyans formation on the position of the wom- came to terms with the results of the March 4 en representative’s seat and candidates General Elections. The results also served to af- marital status conspired to deny wom- firm fear by women that the political arena was en leadership positions. yet to embrace their bid for leadership. According to Rebecca Otachi the None of the hundreds of women who con- only female candidate for the Kitutu tested the six elective positions were elected to Chache North Constituency parlia- senior posts like President, Senator and Gov- mentary seat, her opponents used ernor. smear campaign to edge her out of the The few who sailed through were elected to race. the National Assembly as MPs and or women’s “Unless the community changes its representatives, while the rest were elected mindset towards female candidates in country representatives. respect to their marital status, we will The theme of IWD was most appropriate still have very able women missing out for Kenya, if the voters were to promote it, as on leadership positions,” observes Ota- the country faced the first polls within the new chi. constitutional dispensation. The issue of the women representa- It was marked on March 8, right in the tive’s seat provided for in the Constitu- middle of the tallying of the presidential at tion was used by the opponents to cre- Bomas of Kenya, which had most Kenyans ate an impression that women should glued to the radio and television screens anx- not contest for any other political seat iously waiting for the final outcome. as they had already been awarded theirs by law. Theme Misconception the International Women’s Day theme was: “The Gender Agenda: Gains momentum. A “Whenever I shared a platform modern progressive world needs equality.” with my opponents, they kept telling According to Lucy Githaiga, Country the electorate that I should not seek Manager Diakonia, women faced many hur- MP’s seat because women have their dles not only as aspirants and candidates but seat already allocated to them by the also as voters. Constitution. This propaganda even- Githaiga singled out gender biases in party tually confused voters because they nominations and negative socio-cultural atti- expected my name to be among the tudes as some of the factors that impede wom- women candidates seeking the Wom- en’s quest for political office. en Representative’s seat,” she notes. “The structures of political parties, elec- Otachi claims that voters had been toral systems and legislative assemblies of- misled that every woman was contest- ten created systemic barriers to women’s full ing for the Women Representative’s Rebecca Otachi lost in the race for Kitutu Chache North Constituency parliamentary seat due to and equal participation in Government,” said seat, a development which she says unfair competition. Picture:Ben Oroko. Githaiga. contributed to her poor performance In view of that, she suggested that women in the race for Member of the National use various organisational strategies to over- Assembly. However, she admits that women candi- Being the only female candidate among come those barriers to their participation in “It was, therefore, quite a challenge to dates from the Gusii community who were 13 men, Otachi says, people were eager to lis- leadership in future. correct this view in the electorate’s minds. vying for various elective seats were affected ten to her vision for the constituency if she Diakonia jointly with Association of me- According to some of my agents, in some by flawed party primaries. got elected. dia Women in Kenya (AMWIK) had spent the polling centres women were looking for my Primaries “Though I did not win the seat, I was able better part of last year and this year conduct- name under the Women Representative's to sell my agenda to the electorate and in- ing regular training for women aspirants to ballot paper and I lost quite a number of my “I personally blame flawed party pri- crease my visibility for future attempts,” she equip them with skills to present themselves as potential votes due to this misconception,” maries for my poor performance in the observes. parliamentary or county representative candi- laments Otachi General Election since I initially associated Agenda dates. She regrets that the community is yet to myself with the United Democratic Forum They were also to learn skills on how to change its cultural mind-set about women’s (UDF), which was a popular political ve- At the same time Otachi points out that maximise media (electronic, print and social leadership, with majority holding a view that hicle among my supporters but during the financial constraint were a major challenge media) to gain visibility and a voice in the so- women from the community were not yet ripe party primaries, the party ticket was given to during the campaigns as she relied on family ciety. for political leadership, especially in the Na- my opponent without conducting of formal resources, support from well-wishers and per- tional Assembly. nominations. I had to quickly switch to the sonal savings to finance campaigns. Platform Culture little-known Farmers’ Party to avoid missing While election laws prohibit voter-buying/ In 1995, the Beijing Platform for Action out on the ballot paper,” Otachi recounts. bribing, Otachi says that the campaigns were a identified women in power and decision- “My dream of representing my constitu- She notes that it was hectic as she had to display of financial might among various can- making as one of its critical areas of concern ency in the National Assembly was shattered re-introduce her new party of choice besides didates, influencing the electorate to demand and outlined concrete actions to be taken by by retrogressive cultural beliefs which do not readjusting her campaign posters and other for cash hand-outs from aspirants. governments, the private sector, academic recognise women’s potential in political lead- materials on the new party’s colours. She laments incidents of voter-buying institutions, regional bodies and non-gov- ership,” says Otachi. She adds: “My political opponents took advantage which influenced the voting patterns and fi- ernmental organisations as well as the United “It was a challenge as some of my oppo- of the ensuing confusion to advance propa- nal results as well as the electorates’ choice of Nations system to increase women’s access nents kept reminding the electorate that Kitu- ganda messages to the electorate that I had leaders. It compromised the electorate’s demo- and full participation in power structures and tu constituents since independence has never dropped out of the race, thus discouraging cratic right to choose leaders based on policies decision-making. been led by a woman, so let Rebecca contest and confusing my supporters," states Ota- and ability to deliver on the political positions In most countries, women around the for the Women Representative’s seat and leave chi. they were seeking. world are meeting the challenges of leadership, the National Assembly seat to male candi- She describes the campaigns as generally “Hand-outs played a major role in the and contributing to change in their communi- dates,” discloses Otachi. peaceful, saying she did not encounter any inci- campaigns and the electorate expected to re- ties, countries and in the international arena. She notes that negative stereotyping against dents of violence in the constituency, since she ceive cash hand-outs and thus ignored candi- “By building strong foundations for lead- women seeking political leadership from the preached peace and engaged on issue-based dates if they failed to hint that they will part ership and strong networks, representing Gusii community still reigns supreme. campaigns without attacking other candidates. with something after addressing them,” she women’s perspectives in decision-making recalls. circles, and seizing opportunities for change, Otachi managed to garner 564 votes, women are meeting the challenges they face “Though I did not win the seat, I was able to sell my agenda to though she raises concerns on the final tally of in creating the change necessary to achieve the electorate and increase my visibility for future attempts.” the votes. However, she pledges to work with equality with men in decision-making at all the community in their development agenda levels,” adds Githaiga. — Rebecca Otachi in the next five years. Special Post-Election Issue 5 Issue Number 36 • April 2013 Men dominate positions in Taita Taveta County …By Renson Mnyamwezi Mwatela, the wife to outgoing Mwatate MP and Education Assistant ale politicians clinched Minister Calist Mwatela has vowed to most seats in the just challenge the results in court, claim- concluded General Elec- ing she was rigged out. tion and sustained their “I have been robbed of victory. This dominanceM in politics in Taita-Taveta is daylight robbery,” she claimed after County. the final results were announced. The Out of the several political seats two candidates had battled it out at the created under the devolved system of flawed Orange Democratic Movement government, only two female politi- (ODM) nominations where Mrutu cians were elected. was declared the winner. The women election losers inter- viewed blamed their dismal perfor- Irregularities mance in the just concluded election "Corruption is also another chal- on cultural bias against women, lack lenge facing woman as some male of funding by their political parties, politicians bought their way in. Peo- intimidation by male politicians and ple are voting for money without con- lack of community support. sidering the qualities of leadership," They also cited flawed party nomi- she added bitterly. nations and massive rigging as some In an interview, Lelewu said wom- of the reasons hindering their chances en could equally serve this nation like to ascend to power. men do but some cultural practices Taveta Orange Democratic Move- were hindering their efforts to ascend ment (ODM) parliamentary loser Ruth to power. Lelewu said that outdated, retrogres- "It is now time communities shun sive and counterproductive cultural ancient cultural values to give equal beliefs worked against women seeking education opportunities to both boys elective positions in the community. and girls," she said. “A number of women were denied While encouraging more women nominations by their parties. Even to vie for political positions in future, Kenyans turned out in large numbers to vote in a new government but did not elect enough women to meet the those who won the nominations were Lelewu challenged them to start cam- constitutional requirement. Picture: Renson Myamwezi denied funding and did not get sup- paigning early enough. port from their parties and their com- "Lack of empowerment has dis- munities,” she claimed. couraged a number of women to fight winning the seat were frustrated by target groups to educate them on the The leaders noted that majority of for leadership positions with men. But IEBC," she added. various elective positions in the just women were not willing to seek for Barriers we are encouraging them that politics Milimito at the same time said she concluded elections, the leadership positions because of the “Our communities are not ready is not a preserve of men," said another was appalled by this traditional belief Commission’s Communications huge financial requirement and gru- for women’s leadership. Some male election loser Edita Damian Milimito. that a woman should not aspire to po- Officer Daniel Waitere said the im- eling nature of campaigns. "Women politicians ganged up to ensure that She blamed her woes on IEBC for sitions of leadership. plementation of the gender rule was need to be empowered economically female politicians especially those failing to clear her. "I had lost my iden- The politicians spoke as women vital and should not be ignored dur- to be able to effectively participate in perceived to be popular are locked out tity card and IEBC officials had prom- failed to use their numerical to vote in ing the elections. the electoral process," added Wabo- of the race,” said Lelewu who came a ised to clear me with passport but later leaders of their own to address years He said despite challenges to the sha. distant fifth in the competitive race. reneged. I was later locked out of the of marginalization. commission was facing in the imple- At the same time Waitere hit out Gender, Children and Social Ser- Mata Ward election in Taveta constitu- mentation of the gender rule; it has at former MPs accusing them of being vices Development Minister Naomi ency for lack of ID," she said. Commission embarked on forums to enhance pub- gender insensitive by failing to pass Shaban is the only woman to have "I had paid the requisite Ksh 2,500 The National Gender and Equal- lic awareness among the marginalized the Constitution of Kenya (Amend- won a legislative seat. for the seat but my political rivals col- ity Commission had earlier warned communities. ment) Bill on the two thirds gender Shaban who was defending the luded with unscrupulous IEBC of- of a constitutional crisis if the gender rule that would unlock the crisis. Taveta parliamentary seat is the first ficials to lock me out of the race of rule is not achieved. But this was Reluctance He said the Bill still pending in woman Minister from the coastal re- which I should have won," claimed however overruled by the Supreme Two women leaders in the region parliament would have provided a gion. Milimito, a mother of two. Court ruling which suspended the Gertrude Mwakio and Evelyne Wabo- mechanism for achieving the prin- Another female politician, Joyce She blamed the poor perfor- realization of the principle to 2013. sha told the commission that it would ciple that more than two-thirds of Wanjala Lay was elected the new mance on corruption and discrimina- Speaking in Wundanyi town, be difficult to attain the gender rule the members of the National assem- County Women Representative. This tion against women. "My chances of during a civic education forum with because women were still reluctant to bly and Senate shall be of the same seat, however, was reserved for wom- vie for political positions created by gender. en under the new Constitution. the new constitution. "The commission would like to see Strong women who lost included "Corruption is also another challenge facing "It will be difficult to attain the gen- more women participate in the elec- former Central Bank of Kenya (CBK) woman as some male politicians bought their der rule because women do not want to toral process and that is why it is cre- deputy Governor Jacinta Mwatela of compete with men. Women especially ating public awareness to boost voter Wiper Democratic Party. Immediate way in. People are voting for money without in rural areas should be sensitized to listing and advising Kenyans on the former CEO of Kenya Oil Refineries considering the qualities of leadership." come out and vie for the various po- need to support politicians with good John Mtuta Mrutu of ODM won the litical positions that had always been policies that will benefit them," said hotly contested race. — Jacinta Mwatela dominated by men," said Mwakio. the communications officer. Kilifi residents want a more equal representation …By Robert Nyagah “I do not wish to be tribal or dis- litical positions through nominations ensure that those nominated repre- the people of the Kilifi County seemed criminatory in my judgment, the Con- to promote cohesion. sented the interest of the other minor- not to have been well informed in he huge imbalance which ap- stitution is clear about our rights but “Elected leaders to various posi- ity groups including foreign investors their choice of leaders and parties pears to have been created the fact is that unless the present total tions should approach the nomina- and businesspeople from upcountry they were expected to vote for. by the election of people dominance of the Mijikenda commu- tions in a sober way and include other that represent a huge chunk of the He hoped that nominations would from a single ethnic and nity is addressed through sober nomi- minority groups in the beneficiary electorate. finally address the imbalances caused religiousT background in various posi- nations, the region will suffer imbal- lists,” said Dosa. by the selections in the general elec- tions in the Kilifi County must be re- ance in its development agenda,” he The business community in Ma- Nominations tion in representation of various mi- dressed through sober nominations at noted. lindi also asked the elected leaders to According to Andrew Mataza, nority groups. all levels, a cross section of commen- North Coast chairman of the Kenya Mataza insisted that Kilifi County tators have suggested. Imbalance “We are worried about Chamber of Commerce and Industry was metropolitan in its nature and for “We are worried about the results Speaking in Malindi, Mangi ex- warned that unless nominations were that reason minority groups such as of the general election in the Kilifi pressed fears that the minority in the the results of the general fair and directed towards creating a the business community and foreign County in majority of the electoral ar- Kilifi County including the women, election in the Kilifi balance in leadership, Kilifi may end investors should benefit from nomi- eas where the predominant local and people from up country counties and up with huge development imbalances. nations in political positions from Christian Giriama community domi- the general business community re- County in majority of Mataza partly blamed the In- county to ward level. nated the seats right from the guberna- mained clearly unrepresented in the the electoral areas where dependent Electoral and Boundar- “I plead that those mandated to torial to ward positions,” noted Morris just concluded elections. the predominant local ies Commission (IEBC) for what he undertake nomination at various lev- Mangi who lost the Gongoni Ward Chief campaigner for ODM in termed as failure to undertake ad- els will consider giving slots to the on a United Democratic Front (UDF) Malindi Constituency, John Kambi and Christian Giriama equate voter education, a situation various minority groups including party ticket. Dosa also expressed fears that the community dominated he charged for dominance of a single foreign investors to ensure that the According to Mangi, although dominance of the Mijikenda commu- party in the region’s politics. metropolitan status of the county is nearly all the seats in the Kilifi County nity in all leadership positions would the seats right from the He said that although the Cord not lost,” observed Mataza. He added: had been taken by Orange Democrat- create an imbalance in development gubernatorial to ward Coalition Presidential candidate had “Let us have all the communities liv- ic Movement (ODM), there was also and fair representation. differed with the “full suit style of ing in Kilifi represented at the political dominance by a single ethnic group He asked the winners to consider positions.” electing leaders (election of leaders level of management so that we can and that is the Mijikenda. offering qualified people available po- — Morris Mangi from the same party at all positions) ”, mix and work to develop the county.” Special Post-Election Issue 6 Issue Number 36 • April 2013 It was a tough call for pastoralist women …By Hussein Dido

ebecca Lolosoli, Habiba Jillo Ali and Anne Wairimo were among the few women from pastoralist communities who contested for theR various positions in Laikipia, Isiolo and Samburu counties respectively. None of the however managed to clinch the seats despite having mounted campaigns to seek elective political seats. Lolosoli and Ali both running for Waso and Bulapesa ward representative seats came third in the hotly contested race. Ali, a youthful aspirant in Isiolo Coun- ty garnered 754 votes against her rival Musa Kithenji who managed 1,600 votes. Lolosoli had opted to run against her husband for the Waso Ward seat in Sam- buru county but little did she know that this will not only end up violently but lead to family break up. The two have now parted ways fol- lowing the political contest and Lolosoli is now struggling to make ends meet after she lost the seat to her former husband. During the campaigns, she became a subject of ridicule and in one instance she was assaulted by her husband who broke her hands following confrontation that ensued between the two. Lolosoli who runs the Umoja Cultural Tourist Village at the heart of Archers Post garnered 535 votes finishing in the third position. Her husband Fabian Lolosoli scored 851 votes while his closest rival Julius Le- malasia garnered 731 votes. Support Five days to the elections, the Asso- Samburu women carrying banners and vowing to back one of their own during elections. In the finals women voters seem to have abandoned one ciation of Media Women in Kenya (AM- of their own. Picture: Hussein Dido WIK), a non-governmental organisation engaged in empowering women to leader- ship positions had pitched tent in Laikipia, also have affected the dismal performance by lenging for women to voice themselves or to life is also an excuse used to bar women from Samburu and Pokot in order to drum up sup- women candidates. take leading positions. Most of these parties leadership. port for women candidates in the area. Since Kenya’s independence from the Brit- only nominate men to winnable positions dur- Several women affiliated organisations came AMWIK had printed materials and organ- ish rule in 1963, female representation in Par- ing elections. It is also evident that very few out to empower women as they bid to take up ised voters across the region to back the women liament has been very low. During the Kanu women politicians are seen hitting the cam- leadership positions. candidates in their quest for the elective posi- regime, there were only nine women out of paign trail. If present, they are rarely heard on Through these organisations, profiles of tions in the pastoralist region. the 220 members of parliament (MPs). There the podium because the campaign rallies are women politicians have been published in local When the results were announced, the or- has also been very low female representation male-dominated. dailies, online newspapers and newsletters to ganization’s officials and the women candidates in decision-making positions within govern- give them visibility. were shocked that the outcome did not favour ment sectors/departments, the local govern- Strengths During our recent campaign visit to Ar- them across the region. ment (municipalities) and parastatals. Retrogressive cultural practices especially chers-post, Lolosoli pleaded and challenged Though the pastoralist women have truly When the Narc government took the among the pastoralist communities hinder women to back one of their own in the forth- come a long way in penetrating the male-dom- reins of power, the number of female MPs women, who are portrayed as not possess- coming general election but little was reflected inated political scene, they still have to contend increased to 18 out of the 222 members of ing strong leadership qualities from ascend- in the outcome of the results. with retrogressive cultural barriers that hinder parliament. However, this still falls short of ing to power. Many Kenyan communities They came out in large numbers and them from ascending to leadership positions. the United Nations target of achieving 30 per still believe that men should lead. Combin- vowed to support one of their own but their Jacinta Alimlim who was eyeing the Coun- cent representation of women in politics. ing politics and ‘child-rearing’ and or family male counterparts managed to edge them out ty Assembly Representative seat for Nachola It also falls short of the Beijing Platform of the race. Ward, Samburu North Constituency suffered a for Action (the Fourth World Conference for “It is going to be a big shame for us women similar fate. The seat had attracted more than Women in 1995), where it was agreed by all in this region if we do not use our numerical six contestants. governments that there should be equal par- strength to elect one of our own in this elec- “I lost the seat to my brother but this does ticipation of women and men in decision- tion,” Lolosoli told a political rally. not mean that I will stop offering leadership making bodies. The gender imbalance in In unveiling her plans, Lolosoli had said to my people. I shall continue since it gives me Kenya’s political playing field has widened so she would help to tackle insecurity and conflict pleasure to bring positive change to men and much, since the male political ideology con- among the neighbouring warring communities women,” she stressed. tinues to define the standards of evaluation of in the counties. women’s political performance and participa- She urged women in the area to embrace Equality tion. peace and unity and vote as a bloc in order to The poor performance by several strong And after the promulgation of the new secure seats in the area. women who have in the past fiercely fought to constitution that came up with the devolved There has been a long standing animosity promote gender equality and participation in government structures and establishment of between the Turkana and Samburu communi- politics was not encouraging. the county positions, few women went for the ties as a result of cattle raids, killing those who During the campaigns violence against position of senators, governors and members resist during the raids as well as killing that is women was witnessed in certain areas. Female of parliament. part of a rite for the morans. candidates were beaten by supporters of their In almost all the 47 counties, women went Other than Lolosoli, various church elders male rivals, male power was seen at play with for the position of women representative leaving from these communities also called for peace manipulation and possibly rigging out of wom- behind the other positions for men to dominate. and brotherhood to end violence in the area just en. Lack of funds for women politicians was What hinders women from being frontrun- before the elections. also a major handicap. ners in politics? Lolosoli noted that she had helped to raise However, tribal and clan rivalry seems to One of the major problems that women school fees for vulnerable and poor children have determined how the election outcome face is the lack of funds to conduct elections. in the areas to ensure that they remained in was going to be. The long standing animosity Due to the feminization of poverty, many “It is going to be a big shame school. that exists between the Turkana-Samburu as women interested in politics are faced with fi- for us women in this region if She said a vote for women will also encour- a result of cattle raids, different ethnic identi- nancial constraints which bar them from con- age pastoral girls to be role models in their so- ties and killing as a part of a rite for the mo- testing, compared to their male counterparts; we do not use our numerical ciety adding that girls in the area always look rans (age groups) also affected the way people hence their political leadership potential go upon them in order excel in their life. voted. unnoticed. strength to elect one of our During the occasion, the women aspirants Before March 4, various church elders from The political parties’ structures are also pledged to agitate for development and ensure these communities called for peace and broth- male-dominated, thus are discriminative own in this election.” that morans abandon their way of life and en- erhood to end violence in the area. This could against women. It therefore becomes chal- — Rebecca Lolosoli gage in income generating activities. Special Post-Election Issue 7 Issue Number 36 • April 2013 Dennita Ghati: Set to advance the cause of women …By Fred Okoth the Kenya-Tanzania border, Ghati ting up the Education Centre for the attended local schools before joining Advancement of Women (ECAW), an former journalist who fell Kenyatta University in Nairobi where association which has been involved in love with the anti-FGM she graduated with a Bachelor’s De- in the fight against FGM in Kuria as campaign in Kuria district gree in Education. well as promoting education of the is now the Migori County She then opted to join the media girl child throughout the county. Awomen’s representative. to reach out on more people. As the chairperson of the Centre, For the 35-year-old Dennita Ghati, “By writing, I hoped to reach a Ghati has been involved in lobby- the election to the National Assembly wider audience and help in promoting ing parliamentarians to pass anti marks the beginning of another chapter the plight of the girl child,” she says. FGM legislations as well as talking in her fight for the right of the girl child. She grew up in an area where Fe- to the provincial administration to “I believe it will still be the same male Genital Mutilation (FGM) was enforce existing laws. thing but at a different level,” Ghati the norm with approximately 93 per “I realised that the problem was said soon after being declared win- cent of all the girls from the region not mostly in the lack of laws but on ner in the polls where she trounced still being forced to undergo the rite. the enforcement,” she says adding her opponents to become the county’s that she has therefore been organising first women representative. Track record meetings with chiefs and police to try Ghati who was vying on an orange During her stint in the media, and talk to them to help in the fight Democratic Movement (ODM) party Ghati became an anti-FGM crusader against the vice. ticket garnered 181,457 votes to win and pleaded with the residents to stop She has also helped to establish the seat, beating her opponent Fatu- the rite and give the girls a chance to a rescue centre for the girls who are ma Mohamed of People’s Democratic be in school. forced to undergo the rite and hun- Party (PDP) who got 58,176 while El- Her commitment to fight the vice dreds flee to the centre every Decem- Dennita Ghati can now address girl child issues on a national platform. zeba Ayuma of The National Alliance eventually won her a scholarship with ber and stay there until at the end of Picture: Fred Okoth (TNA) came third with 4,778 votes. the Ford Foundation to study for a the circumcision period which is at It has been a long journey for the Master’s degree in Community Work the end of the year. achieve even more success. “I believe I can articulate the de- former journalist, who started as a re- from the University of Columbia in “I believe this is a great chance sires of the women of the Migori porter at the Standard Media Group the United States. Plans for the voices of the Migori women County,” she said adding that apart before rising to the position of a sub- Upon completion of her studies, And with her election as the to be heard,” Ghati said soon after from fighting FGM, her other agenda editor. Ghati dedicated her entire time to Migori Women Representative, Ghati her election adding that she intends will be to ensure that women of Migo- Born about 35 years ago in Kegon- fight against the vice which she said believes she will now be able to fight to use her new position to fight for ri County also have the opportunity ga area of Kuria East District of Migo- was very rampant at the time. for the rights of Migori girls and even greater advancement of women to go to school and make a career of ri County, just a few kilometres from She was actively involved in set- women at a different level and hence in the county. their choice. Mary Wambui beats all odds to win Othaya seat …By Joseph Mukubwa eight men to win the seat after she tended by the president, her desire garnered 16, 285 votes. She was fol- to vie for the Othaya Parliamenta- t has been a long and bumpy lowed closely by Nairobi lawyer Pe- ry seat saw her face the challenge journey for Mary Wambui who ter King’ara (GNU) who garnered 14, and shame of being barred from can be termed as a woman of all 218. functions attended by the head of seasons. Her win must have been an em- state. Towards the election date be- Despite state machinery cam- I barrassment to the President’s pre- fore the campaigns were officially paigning against her in Othaya, Wam- ferred candidate Gichuki Mugambi ended, Wambui was side-lined by bui still went on to win the Othaya of Saba Saba Asili who came a dis- President Kibaki’s security detail. Parliamentary seat. tance third with 10,972 votes. She was locked out of presidential It was not easy for Wambui to take functions and only Mugambi was the decision to campaign in Othaya af- Blow allowed where Kibaki endorsed ter the president’s son openly declared Over 500 of supporters thronged him publicly. the family’s preferred candidate. around the town immediately af- Mugambi was also endorsed by While this should have held her ter Othaya Returning officer James Kibaki’s children Jimmy and Judy. back, Wambui decided to soldier on. Mbai announced that she is the win- Jimmy was seen campaigning pub- However, she soon realised that it is ner. licly for Mugambi who has been the not all smooth sailing in politics. Wambui who was accompanied chairman of Othaya Development After winning the nomination, she by her daughter Winnie when she Association for 10 years. faced a second challenge when her joined her supports in jubilation with Kibaki has been on record saying The National Alliance (TNA) nomi- the mothers singing ‘Mama Wetu, that although he is retiring, he will nation certificate was snatched from Haki Yetu’, while at the top of her ve- still be working hand in hand with her. hicle. people of Othaya. But as they say As they had been saying as to who there are no permanent enemies in Bruising battle is their preferred candidate, Othaya politics. The President has been the She had to fight hard including voters dismissed Kibaki’s call to sup- MP for Othaya for over 38 years and storming Independent Electoral and port Mugambi and instead went for as Wambui steps into his shoes many Boundaries Commission (IEBC) of- her. are holding their breath and waiting fices to register her complaints. Wambui is popular among the to see how as the area MP Wambui She would later get her certificate, people of Othaya for being down to will work with the president together but then her woes did not end. Wam- earth and socialising with the local when he retires this year as the Head bui, who previously freely attended mwananchi. The businesswoman and of State. the president’s functions, found her- philanthropist is generous and kind to self being locked out. Many things many. Debacle that are demeaning were raised Wambui who has also been linked When Wambui won the TNA against her including the fact that with first family many a times has nominations few months ago, the cer- she is not educated and cannot be been campaigning alone saying she tificate was given to Mugambi, an is- able to properly articulate issues in came with her two legs without the sue which sparked protests in Othaya Parliament. backing of nobody. and drew condemnation from wom- In one function, Kibaki who was However, King’ara who came in en’s groups. campaigning against her said she is second has since vowed to move to Immediately Wambui announced not educated and, therefore, cannot court to challenge the results. Another her intention to vie for the seat, four adequately articulate issues especially political rival Esau Kioni has dismissed Othaya residents went to the court to in Parliament. the elections as a sham. challange the move saying that Wam- However, when on March 4 Otha- Previously a nursery school bui has been named in the Waki and ya residents went to cast their votes, teacher, Wambui joined politics in Artur reports. she emerged the winner ahead of the the 1980s as a Kanu activist and The case was later dismissed and first family’s preferred candidate. Her was also charged with the respon- this allowed her to go ahead and vie win threw the town into a carnival sibility of manning the Nyeri Kanu for the position. mood. Mary Wambui at Othaya CDF hall shortly before she was announced the office. Now that she has clinched the Wambui who was vying for the winner of Othaya Parliamentary seat. Picture: Kenyan Woman Correspondent Although she has been very Othaya seat, all that people expect is seat on a TNA party ticket floored visible in political functions at- to see her deliver on her promises. Special Post-Election Issue 8 Issue Number 36 • April 2013

Journey towards attaining two thirds rule should begin now Martha Karua addressing her supporters in one of her campaigns. She …By Joyce Chimbi gender sensitive Constitution of Kenya Women remained under attack from 2010 as scores of party tickets went to male opponents and even the society,” was the only female candidate for presidential seat and emerged number nlike many countries that male aspirants. says Hamisa Zaja, a politician in the six out of eight candidates. Picture: Kenyan Woman Correspondent are recently emerging Still, about 91 women threw their Coastal region. from war, Kenya still has a weight behind the National Assembly long way to go in as far as seats across the 47 counties. Violence When Martha Karua, who stand at 65 which will include two womenU representation in positions of Only 16 women were elected in all While there were fewer incidenc- emerged sixth in the presidential race women of who one will be a youth leadership is concerned. eight regions. The Rift Valley region es of physical violence and assault announced that she only has KSh56 and another living with disability. Rwanda, Liberia and even Sudan which in the previous parliament had against female aspirants, the elections million to her name, it was not clear Further, the manner in which have shown tremendous initiative to- elected the highest number of wom- were characterised by verbal abuse how she would finance her campaign campaigns were conducted proved to wards ensuring that the political pro- en, only elected four women. Two of and degrading sexual innuendoes. machinery when her most serious ri- be a barrier for women. cess is engendered by expanding the them newcomers, only two out of the When Veska Kangongo presented vals were talking about an KShs8 bil- “Men campaign and lobby at night space to accommodate women lead- seven female politicians who were in her bid to vie for the gubernatorial lion campaign budget. but for women it is different. You find ers. the previous parliament successfully seat in Uasin Gishu County, Rift Val- that a woman aspirant goes to bed According to a research on gen- defended their seats — Helen Sam- ley, her rivals said that the first gover- Challenges thinking that her position in the party der issues in the Great Lakes Re- bili and Joyce Laboso. The rest suc- nor in the region will be “anything but Other than resources the nomina- is secure, only to wake up to new re- gions of Africa, despite an increase cumbed to political party euphoria. a w o m a n”. tion fee was prohibitive to most wom- alities in the morning after men have in women legislative bodies, women A statement that was dropped en especially those seeking to vie for kept their night vigils,” explains Zaja. continue to be underrepresented in Political goodwill across the country consequently leaving high offices. Women who defy these political most structures of power and deci- “For a country to have elected only a handful of women to run for top Besides resources, women aspi- traditions face threats of rape, and sion making. fewer women within the context of seats such as gubernatorial and senate. rants faced serious challenges that in- other forms of bodily harm. Many have watched in dismay as the most gender sensitive constitu- Zaja explains that besides the cluded the violence that has become the political space that had been ex- tion in the world is a message that we society’s negative attitude towards a part and parcel of Kenyan politics. Education panded to accommodate more women are operating in a political context women’s leadership, women are still “Women are not violent in nature; The fact that the constitution also in Kenya was occupied by scores of that has very little, if any, political not able to amass the required re- they tend to shy away from violence. a put a minimum level of education men across the country. goodwill for its female politicians,” sources to conduct high magnitude This means that while the Constitu- for those aspiring for political posi- says Grace Gakii, a gender activist in campaigns. tion requires that not more than two tions proved to be a challenge for Constitution Nairobi. “I pulled out of the race for the gov- thirds of members of elective public women. When the current crop of Although the Constitution de- Unlike before where only three ernor of Mombasa County under the bodies should be of one gender, it will women leaders should have been in mands that not more than two thirds seats were contested for, namely the Wiper Democratic Movement because be an uphill task, before women can school, a good number of them were of the same gender should occupy Presidency, Member of Parliament I did not have the economic muscle re- get there,” says John Ndeta, Media not offered the opportunity. This public elective positions, the Supreme (MP) and Civic, there are now an ad- quired,” she says. Coordinator Peace Initiative Kenya then restricted the number of wom- Court ruled that this clause will be ditional three more seats. This is besides the money required project. en vying. achieved progressively and should be “Although there were more seats to oil an effective campaign that in- If things went on the correct way, One of the strongest politicians attained in 2015 within the national for women to compete for, the en- cludes acquiring vehicles, fuelling them out of the 290 members of the up- in Nairobi County, Bishop Marga- assembly. vironment was still not enabling. to facilitate mobility and branding. coming National Assembly, at least ret Wanjiru found herself locked out “This ruling threw the spanner into 117 ought to have been women. How- of party nominations at the very last the works and gave political parties a ever, only 16 female aspirants made minute for lack of a university degree. loophole to ignore women,” says Julia “Although there were it. Even after the elections failed to “Before she was disqualified, Wan- Mueni, a woman leader from Macha- more seats for women favour women, among the 12 seats jiru had a massive following. But she’s kos County. that were left for party nominations, not alone, many women have shied Indeed, the discrimination began to compete for, the only five women were picked for the away from elective seats for lack of with the political party nominations. environment was still national assembly. post-secondary education,” Mueni ex- When the political party prima- “The society is anything but sup- plains. ries were held to nominate candi- not enabling. Women portive. Male politicians successfully Clearly, more than ever before, the dates to vie for elective positions, it remained under attack incited and confused voters to push results of the general elections have was evident that the political terrain women to vie for the affirmative action reaffirmed the perception that the would be rougher for women than from male opponents seat (women representative),” Mueni promise held in the Constitution, to ever before. explains. expand the political space for women, The male dominance of political and even the society,” It is only the women representa- is still far out of reach for a significant- parties blatantly made a farce of the — Hamisa Zaja, politician, Coastal tive seat that will see the number of ly high number of women harbouring space that had been expanded by the region women in the national assembly now political dreams. Special Post-Election Issue 9 Issue Number 36 • April 2013 Rachel Ameso Female MPs It was a tough battle reclaim seats clinching the Kakamega against odds …By Allan Murimi

Women Representative seat wo female politicians in Mt Kenya region have made his- …By Ruth Omukhango each other,” says Ameso. tory after they were re-elected in Popularly known for constituencies that have history acheal Ameso’s untiring her slogan: “Mama ni of being represented by male parliamen- journey of traversing Ka- Nyumba”, Ameso’s hopes T tarians. kamega County for the to fulfil the promises laid Runyenjes MP Cecily Mbarire and her past seven months came down for the electorate Nyeri town colleague Esther Murugi beat to a triumphant close when she was in the County as clearly R their male rivals to retain their seats on declared the winner of the Women stipulated in the Kaka- The National Alliance (TNA) tickets. Representative Seat after defeating mega County Manifesto. Mbarire beat her Alliance Party of Ke- her competitors by a margin of over Her passion is to empower nya (APK) rival Eric Muchangi with more 70,000 voters. women and youth in the than 8,000 votes after garnering 28,231 Unlike other regions, Kakamega county. She clearly em- against Muchangi’s 19,954 votes. County is vast with twelve constitu- phasises that development In Nyeri Town, Murugi beat her clos- encies and required that Ameso, cannot happen in the ab- est rival Maina Mathenge who vied on a who was campaigning on the Or- sence of women in the re- Government of National Unity (GNU) ange Democratic Movement Party gion and hence the need to ticket with more than 7,000 votes to re- (ODM) to spent sleepless hours on bring them on board in all tain her seat. She garnered 28,564 against the road on the campaign trail that aspects of development for Mathenge’s 21,154 votes. began in August, last year. the betterment of both men The two constituencies had never Ameso confesses that seeking to and women. been represented by women in parlia- capture the women’s representative ment until 2002 when the two politicians seat was more tedious compared Vision broke the jinx. to that of an ordinary Member of Ameso’s vision is em- During the 2002 elections, Mbarire Parliament considering not only bedded in one core prin- Rachel Ameso gearing up to tackle issues in the vast Kakamega County. Picture: beat Martin Nyaga Wambora to become the vastness of the county but chal- ciple — solutions to local Ruth Omukhango the first woman MP for Runyenjes Con- lenges of poor infrastructure which problems lie with the local stituency while Murugi beat P.G Murithi required women politicians to dig people and, therefore, to ful- lieves that the well-being of a family She is certain that empowering in the 2007 General Elections. deeper into their pockets to hire fil the aspiration of women and men unit is critical to the wellbeing of a the youth in the county will drasti- “I am happy because Christians prayed expensive vehicles to penetrate dif- of Kakamega County by returning nation. cally reduce the levels of insecurity for me and we were able to overcome the ficult areas so as to reach the voters. back to her community what they in- Having been born and brought and turn them around into produc- curse that is perceived to have befallen “Due to lack of proper infrastruc- vested in her. up in the County, her biggest chal- tive and responsible men and women Nyeri since time immemorial that no MP ture in constituencies, I was many Ameso who is currently pursu- lenge has been the literacy levels in in the community. The use of tech- can be re-elected,” said Murugi. times forced to travel to Eldoret ing a Master’s Degree in Business the County which remain low and nology such as electricity to enable Speaking after winning the seat in County to find accommodation but Administration (Marketing Option) continues to breed a vicious cycle of them venture in income generating Nyeri Town seat, Murugi said she was also in worst cases like Lugari Con- at the Daystar University also holds poverty that has lasted over the years. businesses is critical to their growth. happy to have broken the so called curse stituency, I had to sleep in the vehicle,” a Bachelor’s degree in Commerce Early marriages are common in the “I look forward to the day when twice. explains Ameso. in Entrepreneurship from the Ke- County since most girls are unable to mothers will look forward to their Mbarire said that she was happy to nya Methodist University (KEMU). continue with secondary education sons coming home with a packet of have broken the jinx adding that her con- Strategy With a solid background in business after they complete their Kenya Cer- milk rather than them being depen- stituents are changing in the way they To successfully campaign in the entrepreneurship, she is confident tificate of Primary Education (KCPE). dants,” she notes. elect their leaders. County, she had to understand the that she will empower women and Saddened by the poor health con- “I think the people of Runyenjes are different and unique issues in the youth economically in order to de- Inability ditions of women such as respiratory changing in the way they elect their lead- 12 constituencies before addressing fend and promote the well-being of This is evident in the level of diseases like asthma and eye infec- ers. They looked at my performance and the electorate. She admits that many women and girls in the community livelihoods as well as the inability tions caused by smoke from firewood wanted continuity for full growth,” she times she risked chances of being through providing safe spaces for to take up opportunities that would usage, she plans to sensitise women said. short-changed by party campaigners their development. contribute significantly to the well- on health hazards as well as introduce Her father the late Njagi Mbarire was and brokers whose relationship was “The empowerment of women being of everyone including large other convenient and safe methods the only MP to have been re-elected in merely based on trust. and youth in the country will auto- families. that can be harnessed to prevent such Runyenyes Constituency in the early Despite her success as a women matically address the current inse- “One thing that I have observed infections. 1970s. politician, her greatest challenge was curity in the county since businesses is that a number of women in urban In order to support women eco- Coincidentally, Runyenjes Constitu- in fact that party coalitions worked will create job opportunities for the centres look for girls from the Luhya nomically, Ameso would like to es- ency was carved off Manyatta Constitu- against women since candidates youth,” says Ameso. community to be house girls and this tablish a strong women’s movement ency in 1988 as Nyeri Town was hived off within her CORD (Coalition for As an entrepreneur, she sees must come to an end,” says Ameso as that can enable members access the larger Nyeri Constituency in the same Restoration of Democracy) were immense potential and opportu- she justifies why girl child education reasonable amounts of credit which year. allowed to vie in their individual nities that can be harnessed in the and women’s empowerment is top on they will pump into income generat- Murugi served the Kibaki govern- parties, therefore, facing stiff com- county to improve livelihood. She her agenda. ing activities. ment first as Minister for Gender and petition from candidates within the believes in empowering her commu- “I have lived in this same village “Merry go rounds have in the Children’s Affairs before moving to the alliance itself. nity through the ordinary means for like them but what has set me apart past worked for women but the im- Special Programmes ministry. “The confusion within the Coali- them to become productive. is my education,” she notes. Ameso pact has remained small and reduced Mbarire served as Tourism Assistant tion drew mixed reactions from the “We have a lot of resources in Ka- believes in modelling girls and boys women to social gatherings,” she ob- Minister while earlier she had been the voters as it seemed like a husband kamega County that can be tapped to excel to the next level of education serves adding her idea will involve Transport Assistant Minister between who had more than three wives and and exploited for the benefit of our so that they can be change agents that changing perceptions of business in 2005 and 2007. all of them were competing against people,” observes Ameso. She be- the community desires. order to take it to the next level. Women lawyers take leadership in Narok …By Munene Maina ner with her closest competitor Mercy Cheroyitch Among the issues Tuya hopes to fight against MP Samson ole Tuya. She holds undergraduate and getting 53,981 votes. are female genital mutilation (FGM) which stands post-graduate degrees in law. omen campaigning in Narok faced Tuya, an advocate of the High, beat the hith- at 73 per cent in Maa community as well as early Another woman who will be at the helm of a myriad of challenges that included erto seasoned political rivals like Lydia Masikonte child marriages. She is expected also to ensure that Narok leadership will be Evelyn Chepkurui who lack of finances to move around in and Agnes Pareiyo who became third and fourth women in the county are empowered economi- will serve in the capacity of deputy governor. Chep- the expansive area that has very poor respectively. cally, socially and politically. kurui, also a lawyer, has in the past contested for Wroads. Although the community is gradually accept- Masikonte, daughter to former Narok North During her campaigns, Tuya promised a new parliamentary seat to no avail. In 2007 General ing women leaders, cultural impediments remain a MP William Ole Ntimama and Pareiyo a renowned dawn to women and youth in the county saying her Election she came second in the contest for Narok big hurdle to many women seeking political seats. anti-FGM crusader both served in Narok County leadership will transform the community. South parliamentary seat. Unlike in the past elections women came out in Council as nominated councillors. Another woman is Leah Ntimama who has been large numbers to vote as early as 4 am and braced Masikonte got 28,497 votes while Pareiyo got Experience at the forefront campaigning for URP in Narok. She the scorching heat in long queues before casting 26,832. With her experience working with the govern- is expected to be nominated to the Senate. their votes. There were no major incidences against Tuya will be the first woman in the history of ment and non-governmental organisations around Other women who vied for other positions women in most polling stations in the county. Narok to be elected in Parliament. Being the wom- issues of human rights and gender access to justice, did not go through. The only woman running for Soipan Tuya will be the first Narok women rep- en representative in a county where women are women and youth hope her tenure in parliament Narok South parliamentary seat Ruth Too came resentative after a land slide victory in a hotly con- subjected to cultural gender discrimination that will change their position in society especially in last with 647 votes in a race dominated by men. tested race pitting other six contenders. impede their empowerment, she faces an uphill leadership where they are sidelined. Janet Naserian also tried her luck in Kilgoris Con- She garnered 108,381 votes to emerge the win- task to ensure women overcome the challenge. Tuya, is the daughter of a former Narok South stituency only to be defeated in the ODM primaries. Special Post-Election Issue 10 Issue Number 36 • April 2013 Bright future for the disabled in the new political dispensation …By Joseph Mukubwa Assembly and another man and interpreter. under Amkeni Wakenya the group woman who will be nominated to They educated them on the Con- received KSh1.2 million which they he face of the country’s po- the Senate. The four will be people stitution and offered civic education used to inform and educate hundreds litical arena has changed living with disability. in relation to the elections, remind- of voters. with the recent election of Others who have trailed the path ing them of their rights and responsi- “Amkeni-Wakenya helped us people with disabilities in of politics while physically disabled bilities as citizens. most in funding and capacity build- politicalT positions. As the results were include the late MP for Mumias According to Josephine Aska, ing. They improved our work very announced for the six elective posi- Constituency Dr Elon Wameyo who Chief Executive Officer Federation of much as well,” says Aska. tions, names of people living with dis- was elected in 1979 and served until Deaf Women Empowerment at the or- abilities featured prominently. 1997. The later former Gem MP Dr ganization was started four years ago. Funds The first notable one was law- Oki Ooko Ombaka became blind in Initially it targeted people with dis- The Federation of Deaf Women yer Tim Wanyonyi who was elected the middle of his tenure after being abilities but later discovered that even Empowerment Network has over 3,700 Member of Parliament Westland elected on a Ford Kenya ticket in normal people wanted to join the pro- members countrywide with 420 of Constituency. Despite the challenges 1992. Lawyer Josephine Sino was a gramme as it was an interesting group. them coming from Nyeri County and he faced of campaigning on a wheel Nominated MP by Safina party in “Initially, the trick was to look for bet- over 100 from neighbouring Kirinyaga chair, Wanyonyi went on to beat sev- 1998 and served for one term. ter ways to convince them using the County. Aska, who is interested being eral rivals to clinch the seat previously signs and later the people got used,” nominated to represent the disabled held by Local Government Minister Awareness explains Aska. She adds: “We have of- notes that many of their members are Fred Gumo who has since retired In the pre-election periodthere fered civic education to hundreds of also interested in the special seat and from politics after two decades. were a number of organisations that people who keenly listened to us. Most their being deaf should not be used as a Wanyonyi, is looking forward to targeted people living with disability of the people in Nyeri and Kirinyaga barrier to ascending political positions. be sworn in while on a wheel chair in creating awareness around the new Lawyer Tim Wanyonyi who counties responded very well to the She urges Kenyans to embrace the together with the 289 other men and political dispensation and voting. campaigned on a wheel chair and programme.” disabled as provided in the Constitu- women. He joins former Samburu Among the voter-education groups managed to beat several rivals to Aska notes that basic education tion so that they can represent their East Sammy Leshore who was elected was Federation of Deaf Women Em- clinch the seat previously held by Local on the Bill of Rights impressed many. own in the County assemblies, Parlia- Senator for Samburu County. Leshore powerment Network which focused Government Minister Fred Gumo. However, she observes that most had ment and Senate. has been on a wheel chair ever since on people who were hard of hearing. Picture:Kenyan Woman Correspondent difficulties in understanding issues The Network has offices in Cen- he survived an assassin’s bullet forcing Indeed, as many organisations around devolved government. tral, Coast, Rift Valley and Western him to use a wheelchair for the rest of struggled to offer civic education on “We use sign language and an provinces. his second term in the august House. the eve of the General Election, this where they are not able to talk and are interpreter while educating which However, Aska urges more donors They will be joined by four others special group made up of deaf mem- of hard hearing, they walked the ex- is the easiest way, although it is a big to chip in and fund the group saying who will be a man and woman who bers went beyond borders. tra mile to educate over 800 people in challenge to many,” she explains. lack of resources has been a major will be nominated to the National Despite them being in a position many parts of the country through an Through funding from the UNDP challenge. Human rights Women post poor performance in Taita defender Taveta County clinches Nyeri …By Albert Mutua he March 4 General Election was a his- county seat torical event that took place under the new constitution. The process of elect- …By Joseph Mukubwa ing six leaders as opposed to three in theT past elections was a gruelling ordeal. ormer Kituo Cha Sheria In Taita Taveta county things were not dif- executive director Priscilla ferent as there was a huge turnout of voters to Nyokabi has been elected exercise their democratic right. Taita Taveta has the Nyeri County Women four constituencies namely Voi, Mwatate, Wun- Frepresentative. danyi and Taveta with over 120,000 registered The National Alliance (TNA) Nyeri county new team from left former Mathira MP Nderitu Gachagua, Nyeri women rep voters. party candidate garnered 215,418 Priscilla Nyokabi and Nyeri Senator Mutahi Kagwe recently immediately after they were Security was beefed up within the County against her closest rival Mukami announced winners at Nyeri Moi Primary School. Picture: Joseph Mukubwa despite few reported incidents in Taveta and Wachira who got 62,725 votes. Oth- Wundanyi constituencies where some leaflets er contestants were Ann Nyambura for Nyeri County. Her priorities in- She is also a member of the has now moved from the courts to were dropped warning people not to vote for a (DP) 17,225, Sheila Githaiga (Narc) clude matters touching on the youth Gatugi Girls’ and Muirungi Sec- politics. particular candidate. 17,088 and Cathy Irungu (Mazingira and education as well as ensuring ondary schools boards. In August 2009, she joined However, despite women turning out to vie party) 12,456. there is piped water in all homes Record Kituo cha Sheria as the Executive for positions that included governor, senator as Nyokabi, 35, who is an advo- within the county. Director when the predecessor Dr well as MP and women’s and county ward rep- cate of the High Court holds a de- She has had her input in vari- Previously she served as a pro- Ekuru Aukot joined the Committee resentatives, they posted a dismal performance. gree in law from the University of ous boards of schools within the gramme officer with the Interna- of Experts on constitutional review. According to Edina Damian Milimito who Nairobi. county. “I also serve on the Karima tional Commission of Jurists (ICJ) She is a recognised human was contesting for the position of a County She hopes to develop teamwork Boys’ School Board where I pre- Kenya chapter. rights lawyer and has travelled Assembly representative and the only woman within the next three months which pared the strategic plan that saw “In early 2004, I joined the Ke- across the globe in advancement of among eleven aspirants, the challenge was will help in drafting a development the school start a progressive jour- nyan Section of the International the human rights agenda in Kenya when the IEBC refused to clear her for lack of plan for the county. ney from mean grade 5.8 to last Commission of Jurists as an Assis- and globally. This is what she will an identity card. Ambitious, hardworking, self- year’s 8.8 becoming the best boys’ tant Programmes Officer and rose want to exercise as she serves the driven, self-motivated, positive and school in Nyeri South District,” she through the ranks to Senior Pro- people of Nyeri County. Hiccups pragmatic, Nyokabi has huge plans explains. grammes Officer,” says Nyokabi who “The IEBC refused to clear me for the seat for lack of an ID after I lost the original copy a few weeks before the elections,” said Milimito, a veterinary officer. Sebisubi leaves a mark in the race for Kinango seat However, all was not lost for the immedi- …By Teryani Mwadzaya in the community. fornication, divorce, marriage and ate former Taveta MP Naomi Shaban who Sebisubi had promised to in- theft within the community. trounced her closest rival Ruth Lelewu of ODM ehmat Nadzua Sebisubi troduce projects geared towards “Although I garnered 674 votes in a race that had attracted nine candidates. Ta- may have lost her bid for alleviating poverty if elected. Re- against the 20,000 votes bagged by veta has 24,499 registered voters with about 66 the Kinango Constitu- cords from the Kwale District the winner, I am happy that I man- polling stations. ency parliamentary seat Development Plan 2004-2008, aged to remain in the race upto the According to results released by the IEBC inR the just concluded General Elec- indicate that poverty levels in the last minute and trounced some of Shaban clinched 6357 votes against her closest tions but will firmly be remem- area remain high with about 50 my male opponents,” she said dur- rival Basil Criticos 6,251, Mike Banton 4,190, bered for her brevity in challenging per cent of the population living ing an interview. Stephen Odiaga 1,396, Ruth Lelewu 1,180, Muli the male dominated political field. in absolute poverty. Leadership Her campaign mainly focused Kimenzu 654, Jerry Kimaro 302, Raphael Nzu- Sebisubi, who was contesting on she believed that a woman can on promoting girl-child educa- ki 179 and Patrick Ngoto had 105 votes. Unity Party of Kenya ticket, did not take charge of public affairs and tion which resonated well with the The entire voting process was termed as un- shy away from the hotly contested offer alternative leadership based womenfolk. fair by other candidates in Taita Taveta County. race which had attracted seven male on integrity and rule of law. “Although I lost the elec- Lelewu cited discrimination against wom- aspirants including the incumbent However, she faced the custom- tions, it is my sincere hope that en candidates. Samuel Gonzi Rai who retained the ary laws of the Durumas, who just the MP-elect will work towards “We really had it rough as our opponents especially men dished out money during the seat. like their Digo counterparts, use the realisation of people’s aspira- Sebisubi lost in the 2013 elections campaigns but Shaban managed to retain her By remaining firmly in the race, traditional systems of governance tions,” Sebisubi reiterated adding but still believes in her course. Sebisubi managed to build her so- seat on a TNA ticket,” she said. that are purely dominated by men her ‘dreams’ will not fade into Picture: Teryani Mwadzaya cial, political and economic profile to resolve cases of murder, adultery, oblivion. Special Post-Election Issue 11 Issue Number 36 • April 2013 Beth Muchiri The only woman elected in Laikipia County …By Paul Mwaniki region has lagged behind in develop- sibilities that are vested in them ment due to bad leadership. at family level. eth Waithira Muchiri is Muchiri notes that despite having “Young mothers like me have the muni- the only woman in Laiki- received immense resources, only a responsibility of bringing up children ties which up pia County who won in the handful of projects that directly ben- at home as well as other chores that to now have not hotly contested election to efit the residents have been imple- require women to submit to their hus- embraced women Bsecure a place in the new county as- mented in the County. bands,” she explains. leadership. sembly. “Most educated youths have been “Though I cam- Muchiri, 30, trounced former Lai- left to languish in unending poverty Approval paigned tirelessly, Beth Muchiris race was crowded by men but she kipia County Council Chairman Jo- despite the fact that the government On resources, Waithira notes that I found it hard to made it through. Picture: Paul Mwaniki seph Karonji twice after he sought an introduced the youth fund,” she ob- in a home most property still belongs penetrate the regions Agano party certificate after losing to serves. to the man and it is hard to use the where some commu- her in the TNA nominations. She says her immediate duty is to same resources in your campaigns nities embraced their saw almost every woman going for She will now represent Tigithi work with the Government to chan- without seeking his approval and this men other than women coming from it instead of opting for the seat with Ward in the County assembly, a seat nel more funds to the grassroots is why majority of women are hardly outside in Laikipia North Constitu- less scope in campaigns but all in- that has been held by men over the where cottage industries have shown able to sell their agenda. ency,” she notes. clusive Member of Parliament. last 30 years. potential. However, she thinks women Wanjugu garnered over 1,200 According to Helen Kurutu who “Tigithi Ward in Laikipia Central should be more persistent in politics votes while the winner scooped over lost during the nominations for the Decamping District is known for its productiv- if they want to reach the level of their 1,600. women’s seat, most women fear com- “Most of my male competitors ity in crop production and what the male competitors. Having been elected in the previ- peting with men and this explains refused to give up after I trounced youths need here is capital to own Her plea to The National Alliance ous councils for two terms in her for- why they all decided to go for the them during the party primaries. greenhouses so that as groups they (TNA) party which garnered eleven mer ward before they were joined to seat because they were assured of fair Majority decamped to other parties can reap highly from the resources,” seats in the county and will have a form a bigger ward with diverse cul- play. so that they could be in the ballot box she explains. vacancy for eight nominations is to tures, Wanjugu says there is need for However, the number of women but I was ready for a re-run,” says an Muchiri who was born and award at least five or six women who more civic education so that com- who offered themselves for the elec- elated Muchiri after she emerged the brought up in the County maintains tirelessly tried but failed on other munities can accept to give women a tive positions especially in the County winner. that she is better placed to articulate grounds. chance in leadership. Representative was higher than previ- The youthful winner attributes her the aspirations of the local people. Councillor Jane Wanjugu who con- Though women are shying away ous years and this can be termed as victory to the willingness of the elec- At the same time she notes that tested on a TNA ticket in Segera Ward from major political seats, the cre- something positive coming from the torate to embrace change in leader- most women lost in the election due and came second blamed it on retro- ation of the Women’s Representative affirmative action. ship in the region. She notes that the to lack of resources and other respon- gressive culture among some com- seat has acted as an eye opener that Women lose and gain seats in Naivasha’s political strongholds …By Steve Mucheru could not withstand the TNA euphoria in the county. omen vying for the senator’s seat “It is distressing that the party euphoria is in the Nakuru County in the re- still a major factor in politics despite the new cently concluded General Elec- political order,” notes Kihara. She says: “I am tion found the terrain rough as looking forward to a time when the electorate theyW were shoved aside by male counterparts will evaluate a candidate’s ability to deliver in- despite putting up a spirited campaign. stead of voting along party lines.” Those aspiring for political seats in the Her former constituents gave her a pal- Naivasha Constituency gave the Governor’s try 16,287 votes compared to the eventual and parliamentary seat a wide berth preferring winner, James Kiarie Mungai who garnered to run for the senator position. Among them 56,778 votes to walk away with the prized was former legislator Jayne Kihara who ended trophy. up being among those vanquished for going The huge margin was, perhaps, what against the grain. led to Kihara to retire from politics having The former Member of Parliament and one turned down calls by the electorate to vie time assistant minister failed to overcome the for the MP’s seat which she could have easily Jubilee wave, having contested on a Narc-Ke- clinched. nya ticket. Despite being a crowd puller during her Competition hey days in the National assembly, Kihara Her fellow competitor Josepha Wambui found a different ball game when vying for a Mambo of Grand National Union (GNU) also more senior position and had 11 constituen- fared dismally securing 2,303 votes only. She cies to contend with. could not hold out the heat in a campaign that had men calling the shots. Former Naivasha MP and NARC-Kenya senatorial aspirant for Nakuru County Mrs. Jayne Prospects But, perhaps, on a lighter side, women Kihara. She lost her bid to TNA’s James Kiarie Mungai. Picture: Steve Mucheru “I was banking on the electorate from candidates in the race for the County Rep- Naivasha and Gilgil to shore up the numbers resentative seat both in Naivasha and Gilgil but things did not work my way. The Jubilee constituencies had the last laugh with Eunice became a boon as she secured the seat at the polled 6,791 while her closest challenger trail- euphoria was at its crescendo,” notes former Wambui Muriithi trouncing her rivals to win end. ing behind her with more than 3,000 votes. legislator. the Viwandani ward in Naivasha Constitu- “I don’t believe the TNA nominations were Others who made women proud included Blessed with a personal clout, Kihara was ency. free and fair forcing me to seek refuge else- Monicah Gitau who won the Morendat civic largely expected to give her competitors a run Going by the acronym, Mama Soko she where, luckily, the results have vindicated my seat and Jane Simita who won the Eburru/Ba- for their money regardless of the party affilia- enjoyed near fanatical following and ap- decision,” said the affable Mama Soko. ruk seat in the newly created Gilgil Constitu- tion but her calculations this time round failed pealed to almost all the electorate including ency. to win her substantial votes. the youth, perhaps due to the nature of her Winners Despite vying on a popular party, the three Distraught by the loss, Kihara decided to work as market vendor. However, she had to endure tense mo- had to overcome the rigours of party nomina- quit politics and ply her trade on personal She rode to victory on the little known ments before upstaging her main rival from tions, in the process flooring seasoned politi- business. “I have learnt my lesson in politics. Mazingira Green Party garnering 6,213 votes URP with slightly more than 100 votes. cal heavyweights to have a smooth ride to the I had my good and bad times in the political to stem off the URP and TNA wave. In Gilgil, women were laughing all the way assembly. arena but I am now quitting elective posts,” She was initially in TNA but failed to to the Country assembly as three of them were “We had to overcome stereotypes and did she says. secure the party ticket and quickly jumped elected on a TNA ticket. a lot of mobilisation during our campaigns, Kihara alluded to have confidently ex- ship to the smaller party believing that she Leading the pack was the Gilgil Ward luckily the majority of voters supported our pected to do well in the senatorial contest, but had been rigged out. The fanatical support County Representative elect Jane Ngugi who bid,” notes Ngugi. Special Post-Election Issue 12 Issue Number 36 • April 2013 Women candidates in Nyanza locked out …By Oloo Janak of sorts. She has been elected where she was born –making her among the Luo, he absence of elected women the first migogo (the usual reference to from Nyanza in the Kenyan a lady married elsewhere by her rela- National Assembly over tives in her birth place) to achieve the nearly a decade has been a feat. shamefulT blot on a region that played a pioneering role in recognising the im- Constitution portance and role of women as leaders The constitutional provisions that right from independence. allocated women seats at the County It was Nyanza that produced Grace level has proved a saving grace for Onyango, a pioneer woman leader in Nyanza as Odhiambo will now have Kenya who was not only the first wom- companionship from the six Women an elected to parliament but also the County Representatives recently first woman mayor. elected. The region was later to produce The Women County Representa- great women leaders, notably former tives from Nyanza who were all elected Karachuonyo MP Phoebe Asiyo, and on the Orange Democratic Move- former Gem MP and one time Assis- ment (ODM) ticket are: Gladys Wanga tant Minister Grace Ogot. Catherine (Homa Bay,) Denitah Ghati (Migori), Nyamato also from the region served Dr Christine Ombaka (Siaya), Mary as a nominated MP, increasing the tally Sally Keraa (Kisii), Alice Chae (Nyami- in the 1990s. ra) and Rose Nyamunga (Kisumu). Of course other women have pre- While it is true that a number of viously been elected and served at women came out to contest various lower levels. These include two former positions, constituency seats did not at- Homa Bay County Council chairper- tract as many women as was expected. Women aspirants in Siaya County hold their hands as a sign of solidarity before the elections. Only one woman sons Jane Were and Dorcas Matunga, There were no prominent names con- was elected for the position of a County Assembly Representative. Picture: Omondi Gwengi. former Kisumu and Migori mayors testing as MPs except at the County Priscah Auma and Truphosa Adawo Women Representative level and a few Ruth Odinga, a sister to ODM levels of political leadership. leaders and indeed the entire leader- respectively. for governorship. presidential candidate Raila Odinga The equation of gender representa- ship of the region to forge ahead with The second time loss of Roza Buyu lost her quest to become Kisumu tion at the national, senate and county the fight for greater gender parity at all Gap to lawyer Olago Aluoch, by a narrow County Governor amid tension and assemblies will obviously improve the levels, both elective and appointive po- At the parliamentary level, the gap margin is probably the most painful discrimination based on her dominant situation for the region and make up sitions to ensure that Nyanza regains has been worrying over the past ten among women MP aspirants. Buyu family background but has bounced for gaps that the political party prima- its pivotal role as torch in producing years. Other regions, traditionally syn- put up a gallant fight on an ODM back to become the Deputy Governor ries and the actual election brought up. and nurturing women leaders. onymous with gender disparities in ticket against a determined onslaught to the eventual winner Jack Ranguma. Almost all the six counties in Nyan- This will require determined ef- terms of representation are slowly em- from Olago Aluoch on Ford Kenya In Siaya, Dr Concilia Ondiek, an za will need to nominate more women fort, starting at school level as the bracing change. Rift Valley, for instance, ticket, who was aided by what many educationist and wife to former Ugenya to the County Assembly given that number of women being produced to managed to bring a record seven wom- believe to be clan and gender con- MP Bishop Stephen Ondiek, failed in most of the Ward Representatives elect- join universities and other tertiary in- en legislators to the last parliament. siderations in Kisumu West, still pre- her bid to be elected Women Represen- ed were men. For instance, in Migori stitutions have significantly dropped During the just concluded Gen- dominantly rural and conservative. tative, losing to Ombaka. A former nun County, only one woman was elected over the last two decades. eral Elections, Nyanza was expected to Former Provincial Education Of- and a scholar, who contested for gover- as county representative out of the 39 bring in several MPs. Gender equality ficer and later Teachers Service Com- norship as an independent candidate, seats. Challenges advocates from the region had cam- missioner Roselyn Onyuka lost the also lost her quest to Rasanga Amoth. Kisii and Kuria communities, who There will also be need for sus- paigned hard and long but their efforts race for the Homa Bay County Women have been more conservative and nega- tained campaign against negative cul- returned minimal numbers from the Representative at the ODM party pri- Numbers tive against the election of women to tural practices and attitudes that have constituencies. maries Wanga. It is, however, encouraging to note key elective positions have this time in the past affected the participation of Only Millie Odhiambo, who was In Migori, Anne Omodho Anyan- that many women this time round produced two Women County As- women in leadership at various levels. nominated MP in the last Parliament, ga, wife to Nyatike MP Edick Omondi came out to contest for seats even sembly Representatives — Alice Chae The women elected to various posi- got elected to represent Mbita Constit- Anyanga, who waged a determined though most of them lost. Those who (Nyamira) and Denitah Ghati (Migori). tions and those who will be nominated uency, formerly represented by Otieno fight for the governor’s seat, including have won seats will be role models In the case of Ghati, it is important must work hard to show that women Kajwang, now Homa Bay Senator. using a helicopter to campaign in the and an encouragement to other wom- to note that most of her Kuria people can indeed make a difference when giv- The election did not come easy for vast county, lost her quest for the seat. en that all is not lost in their quest for still felt negative towards her candida- en leadership positions, as indeed has Odhiambo, popularly referred to as She nearly became deputy gov- gender parity. ture but she had a huge appeal across been amply demonstrated in the past. “Gesa Gesa”, on account of her agility, ernor as she later dropped her bid to Many of them were women of sub- the County, making the majority Luo It can be said, confidently, that for debating prowess and visibility. become running mate to Prof Ed- stance, from the academia, business and other smaller ethnic groups vote Nyanza, the 2017 General Election will Odhiambo, a lawyer by profession ward Oyugi who lost narrowly by less and civil society, indicating that in fu- her easily against other Luo women see a major shift in attitude towards and renowned gender equality advocate than 180 votes to Okoth Obado who ture the region will not lack the kind candidates. women and many more are certain to has through her election broken a jinx clinched the seat. of human resource required at various The challenge is for the women be elected at different levels. Party wave upset realisation of gender rule …By Robert Wanjala According to Eunice Wairimu, factors that prevented most women Democratic Movement (ODM) gar- tions if affirmative action had not a voter: “This election was not so from competing favourably. nered 70,912 votes. provided for the direct election of omen candidates per- much about candidates but rather “Women who vied on unpopular Eusilah Ngeny (URP) won the 47 women representatives across formed dismally un- alienation to political parties. Right parties met the wrath of voters in spite Women Representative seat which counties. der the strong wave from party primaries, women were of their potential to offer quality and had attracted seven candidates fight- In Uasin Gishu County alone, less of United Republican never given a fair chance to stand. effective leadership,” notes Maina. ing on various political parties. Ng- than six women managed to capture PartyW (URP) that swept Uasin Gishu Female candidates we expected were eny garnered 213, 487 votes against various seats in the recent concluded County in the just concluded general edged out leaving limited option to Defeat her closest competitor Moira Chep- general elections. elections. choose from.” He observes that female can- kok, (ODM who stood a distant sec- URP of Jubilee Coalition swept all During party nominations, only a Wairimu notes that women didates from pastoralist areas were ond with 36,970 out of the 290,429 the six seats in Uasin Gishu County handful of women who secured URP who decamped to other unpopular hardest hit as they were forced to so- votes cast. with the Presidential candidate Uhu- tickets, were guaranteed a clean win parties in the region again did not licit financial support from their un- A handful of women secured ru Kenyatta garnering 212,684 votes in the final polls. The general elec- make any impact during campaigns willing husbands. county representative seats. Rebecca against the total 288,752 cast votes. tions for them were just a formality. because of financial limitations and Maina notes that most husbands Magut and Josephine Tireite won Raila Odinga’s ODM, a key part- “Whether you like it or not Ua- other factors. were not willing to support their Kuinet Kapsuswa and Cheptiret Kip- ner of Coalition for Reforms and De- sin Gishu County and by extension A few of the female candidates wives saying that politics was a tricky chamo ward seats respectively. mocracy (CORD) came a distant sec- Rift Valley at large was a URP zone. who braved the URP wave on un- venture. ond with 60,424 votes and the rejected Like most voters I voted for any popular parties still lost to their com- “Majority of women stood out Numbers votes stood at 5,279. candidate who was on URP ticket,” petitors despite their potential to offer as the greatest losers because of lack Maina says most male candidates All the six constituencies – Soy says Calvin Koech, a resident in Ua- quality and effective leadership. of resources for elaborate campaigns mounted high political campaigns and Turbo formerly Eldoret North, sin Gishu County. coupled with cultural issues,” ob- where women could not afford to foot Kapseret and Kesses formerly Eldo- Koech says women who vied Political wave serves Maina. such expenses. ret South and Anabkoi and Moiben on other political parties suffered a According to Richard Maina, Higher Education Minister Pro- Most communities are yet to fully curved up from former Eldoret East humiliating defeat for going against Regional Programme Officer with fessor Margret Kamar conceded gu- appreciate the potential of women’s were swept by URP. the community’s wishes. However, Transparency International, most bernatorial defeat against 39 year-old leadership. Maina blames political While declaring winners, Tru- there are men who won on parties women candidates failed to capture Jackson Mandago, a former Teacher parties urging them to review their phosa Korir the Independent Elec- such as Kanu despite the URP wave. seats in the recent General Election Service Commission official who constitution to ensure free and fair toral and Boundaries Commission However, strong women like Mar- due to strong political party waves. garnered 210,682 out of the possible nominations. (IEBC) Uasin Gishu County Return- garet Kamar lost for going against Maina also blames strong cultur- 286,838 cast votes. He notes that very few women ing Officer, said the elections were the grain. al beliefs and financial challenges as Kamar who vied on an Orange would have landed leadership posi- free and fair. Special Post-Election Issue 13 Issue Number 36 • April 2013 Joint campaigns Esther Murugi breaks attract women to the electorate the curse of Nyeri Town in Murang’a …By Joseph Mukubwa cial General Hospital is upgrad- ed to a referral hospital. pecial Programmes min- The 60-year-old minister was County ister Esther Murugi has first elected Nyeri Town MP in …By Ryan Mathenge broken the jinx widely as- 2007 after unsuccessfully con- sociated with Nyeri Town testing in the previous elections. fter months of vigorous cam- SConstituency that all elected She was then appointed Minister paigns women who were eying Members of Parliament in the area for Gender and Children Affairs various positions managed to serve for only one term. and later moved to Special Pro- claim elective slots during the This is the second time she has grammes Ministry. AMarch 4 General Election. proved sceptics wrong. When she Although incidents of fear and intimi- won the seat in 2007, Murugi be- Membership dations had been reported, no violence came the first woman to be elected Murugi holds a degree in was officially recorded to the authorities legislator in the constituency. Land Economics from Univer- such as the police and Independent Elec- “I need to thank all Christians sity of Nairobi and is a member toral Boundaries Commission (IEBC). who prayed for me to break the of the Institute of Surveyors of It also emerged that for the first time two curses. I now have the energy Kenya 1989 Valuation and Es- the public embraced and tolerated women to serve the Nyeri Town people tate Agents Chapter and also contesting for various seats in Central Ke- for another term. They have now a member of the Institute of nya as enshrined in the Constitution. nicknamed me ‘Mama Simba’,” she Surveyors of Kenya 1987 Land In the past elections, many of the said after being declared winner. Management Chapter. women assumed civic leadership po- Murugi has also been a mem- sitions and through nominations as Victory ber of Soroptimist International members of parliament. Murugi who was vying on which is a worldwide organ- Female candidates who were vying a The National Alliance (TNA) isation for women in manage- on The National Alliance party ticket party ticket garnered 28,564 votes ment and professionals working sailed through to clinch the seats thus against her closest rival Duncan through service projects to ad- defeating their male rivals after a year of Maina Mathenge who garnered vance human rights and the sta- bruising campaigns. 21,154. tus of women. Others were George Miatu Soroptimist activities are Institutions 5,341, Paul Kanyari 2,084, Ng’ang’a carried out under economic and A number of the institutions sup- Kibue 880 and Nginga Kimotho social development, education, ported the female candidates as they 442 votes. environment, health, human tried to explain to the candidates con- Mathenge has since vowed to rights/status of women and in- cerns of affirmative action among other challenge the elections in court. ternational goodwill and under- gender based issues. Murugi urged winners and los- standing. In the National assembly category, Al- ers to join hands and ensure that In 1977–1980 she worked as ice Muthoni Wahome trounced her male the Constituency moves forward. a Lands Officer attached to the opponents to clinch the Kandara seat while She called on the electorate Commissioner of Lands. Lucy Kago lost her bid for the Kigumo to forget about the politics of six- She has also been practic- seat to Cabinet Minister Jamleck Kamau. piece-vote since the Nyeri people ing as a Registered Estate Agent Muthoni, a lawyer by profession be- spoke through their vote and de- operating under Lustman & Co. comes the first female Member of Parlia- cided to elect some leaders who (90) where the company offers Nyeri Town MP who is also the Special Programmes Minister Esther ment to be elected in Murang’a County were not of TNA party. property management services Murugi celebrates with her supporters in Nyeri town after being re- since independence. Murugi’s first agenda this term and has been Managing Direc- elected as an MP recently. Picture: Joseph Mukubwa She made her first attempt in 2007 is to ensure that the Nyeri Provin- tor of Njanja Holding Limited. but lost amidst claims of intimidation and assault. She filed a petition which was still pending in court by the time of the elections. The Kandara MP-elect garnered 52,825 votes while Kago polled 1,249 Money fails to impress in the choice votes while riding on Narc-Kenya ticket. To crown it all, Murang’a County Women Representative Sabina Wanjiru Chege polled 402,380 votes emerging the for Viwandani ward representative most voted for candidate in the region. In her campaigns, the former radio …By Nicole Waithira Her biggest challenge was a smear cam- was unknown, made her competitors take ad- journalist called on the public to support paign targeted at her during the electioneering vantage and hence start spreading rumours that female candidates as they are concerned market trader has defied all odds to period. she was vying on another party which was un- with improving the living standards of the clinch a civic ward seat in Viwandani “Some of those behind the smear campaign popular in the area. community. ward in Gilgil. were women who cautioned people against vot- Mureithi promises to fight for the rights of For Eunice Wambui Mureithi, life ing for me because I was a single mother,” notes the children in the area, saying that even though Issues prospectsA are set to change after voters endorsed Mureithi. the children did not cast their votes, they were Chege who resigned from Kenya her candidature overwhelmingly. Mureithi who Her other challenge was lack of resources as she the first ones to help in spreading the word that Broadcasting Corporation (KBC) during contested on the Mazingira Party ticket managed did not have enough money to conduct huge politi- she was vying. her campaigns emerged as the only as- an impressive 6,213 votes against her closest rival cal rallies. sured candidate to face the ballot as she who garnered a paltry 112 votes. “I survive through selling bananas and I Plans conducted peaceful and issues oriented Popularly known as Mama Soko, Mureithi is could not afford to hold big rallies. It was too “I would like all children to feel safe and con- campaigns while men on the other hand widely known for selling bananas and watermel- expensive. In most cases I was forced to walk fident in their leaders. I want to not only invest in issued threats and intimidations to their on at the Naivasha Wholesale Market. for long distances and relied mainly on word of their education but also ensure that they can ac- rivals. During the campaigns her opponents dis- mouth to solicit for votes. This was quite differ- cess proper health care,” she said. The Kenyan Woman reveals that dur- missed her as a joker and it took them by surprise ent as majority of my competitors could afford Mureithi lamented that most women shied ing the campaign for the county women when she was announced the winner. to lavish their supporters with goodies,” she ex- away from leadership positions because they did representative, the candidates conducted plained. not believe in themselves. joint campaigns unlike their male counter- Challenges These, coupled with the fact that her party “Those who dare contest for political seats are parts who conducted theirs individually. At the market place where she sells vegeta- branded as prostitutes and women of loose mor- “The women are known to embrace bles, fellow traders could not believe that she had als. We have also been told that we cannot hold peace and that is why the campaigns at- won the seat and thanked God for granting her “Those who dare contest for our homes,” she observed. tracted a lot of attendance with members of the win, with more than 1,000 people kneeling in Mureithi pledges to help improve the markets the public gathering information from the their stalls to pray. political seats are branded by creating stalls in the area especially since many candidates,” noted Chege. However, Mureithi admits that it was not an as prostitutes and women of them have been run down. Murang’a County Commissioner Kula easy race for her. Only a few days before the elec- “It is unfortunate that the markets only have Hache lauded the peaceful campaigns in tions, her campaign team was attacked by rowdy of loose morals. We have also two toilets to serve a population of 900 people. I the region saying the same trend should be goons hired by her competitors. plan to create a cleaner environment for the trad- encouraged. “They beat us up and tore our dresses. They been told that we cannot hold ers who will be my first priority,” she noted. “Culture of peace should be encour- could not believe that a market place could pro- our homes.” However, Mureithi maintains that she will still aged as duty of electing leaders lies in the duce any leader to govern them,” Mureithi said continue selling fruits and vegetables but will now hands of the electorate,” noted Hache. in an interview. — Eunice Wambui concentrate on wholesale trade. Special Post-Election Issue 14 Issue Number 36 • April 2013

Election Women finding their officials need to mainstream gender way in German politics in their plans …By Melissa Eddy …By Henry Kahara

ithin minutes of being sworn t has been said again and again that wom- in as governor of the southwest en are the people who suffer most during German state of Rhineland- war or competitions where both genders Palatinate, Malu Dreyer turned are involved. This has largely been blamed toW members of the opposition and gestured Ion the patriarchal nature of the society. to lawmakers seated across the aisle from her Kenya’s historical March 4, 2013 General centre-left party, offering not a challenge, but Election was not different. Women were re- an invitation. ported to have suffered greatly during the Elec- “I pledge to you open and constructive co- tion Day. operation,” Dreyer said. “That this applies to all Monica Kisanya a resident in Kawangware members of Parliament.” was among a group of women who were voting In this, her inaugural address, she added: at Kawangware Primary and the memories of “Let us speak more with, and less about, one the day will linger in her mind for the rest of another. The origin of an idea is not important, her life. but its value and use for our state.” Kisanya was among the thousands who had In Germany, where much is taken earnestly woken up early in the morning to exercise their and politicians can be dour, Dreyer, 52, has democratic right. made headlines for her wide smile. Her party, “I was among the first people to arrive at my the Social Democrats, touted her sunny ap- polling station (Kawangware Primary) that’s proach in a campaign that sold her as someone some minutes to 5 am,” explains Kisanya. as “beloved as free beer and days off in sum- But as fate would have it the gate was not m e r ”. opened. Little did she know that she would be Her character and reputation defy what she forced to wait for two hours for the polling sta- has said is a condition that steeled her for the tion to open. rough-and-tumble of politics: Dreyer suffers According to Independent electoral Bound- from multiple sclerosis, and frequently uses a aries Commission (IEBC), the body mandated wheelchair to get around. to conduct elections, gates at all polling stations Perhaps unsurprisingly, her political agen- were to be opened at 6am. da is heavily focused on issues of social justice. “They were late to open the gate by one Notably, within weeks of taking office January hour,” says Kisanya. This saw a crowd of des- 16, she pushed an initiative to enact a nation- perate people who wanted to have their voice Malu Dreyer was recently elected as a governor in German. She is already using her wide minimum wage, something resisted for heard forming outside the gate of this school. years by the German political and business es- position to fight for favorable labor laws which will mostly benefit women.Picture: Courtesy Things went haywire when the crowd tablishments. started pushing as all of them wanted to vote for the final word,” Munimus said. Not so the state before she was elected governor in the and then go away to continue with their daily Influence female governors. wake of Schleswig-Holstein’s worst political chores. “Everyone wanted to go in and vote,” Dreyer made that move through the “They know that power is needed to bring scandal since World War II. At the time, she she recalls. Bundesrat, the upper house of Parliament, about policy, but along the way, it is important said, her focus was not on her gender, but the Injuries and consists of representatives from the 16 to cooperate, to create policy with others. That challenges at hand. states. It is in those states that German female is the identifying factor of this style.” “I just said, ‘I have a job to do here, wheth- Unfortunately the weak gate was unable to politicians, long in the shadow of men, and of Since 2010, another Social Democrat, er they love me or don’t love me,’ although of carry their weight and broke down. Some fell Chancellor Angela Merkel, who has headed the Hannelore Kraft, has governed North Rhine- course I preferred that they love me,” Simonis down with the gate and were trampled on by Christian Democratic Union since 2000, are Westphalia, Germany’s most populous state said. “That was enough to last for 12 years, al- others. now making their mark. and one known for decades as much for its old though it has nothing to do with nice eyes or “I was among those people who were tram- Dreyer declined to be interviewed for this boys’ political network as for its heavy industry. being a woman. You have to achieve a bit more pled on. Actually some of us sustained some se- article, citing the need to focus on her work in Kraft was forced to settle right after her for people to give you their vote.” rious injuries and had to go in the hospital for the weeks after taking office. election for a minority government that relied In addition to now running four of the 16 check-up,” says Kisanya who suffered bruises While Merkel has won spurs as one of the on the support of political foes to pass legisla- states and holding nearly a third of all seats in on her left rib. world’s most influential women since taking of- tion. Together with the deputy governor, Sylvia the national Parliament, women in Germany Kisanya who works with Nairobi City fice in 2005, a new generation of women wields Löhrmann from the Greens, Kraft dubbed her still face challenges when it comes to equality Council (NCC) says she also suffered injuries influence closer to home. One quarter of all the government the “invitation coalition” and got in the workplace and the business world. on her legs and is complaining of chest prob- states are now governed by women. to work. Women in Germany earn roughly 22 per lems. “I visited a doctor and they took an X-ray Unlike the first women to enter the top lev- Two years later, her fragile constellation cent less than their male counterparts in com- but they have assured me that I am fine,” she els of politics in the late 1980s and early 1990s, collapsed, and Kraft faced off against a former parable positions, according to the Organiza- says. female governors today have spent years build- minister from Merkel’s conservative party in tion for Economic Cooperation and Develop- According to Kisanya, some of the people ing up credentials in less visible positions and fresh elections last May. Not only did Kraft re- ment. who suffered were old women. For now she developed their own leadership style in the tain her governorship; she won a clear major- Despite efforts in recent years to help bet- proposes that there be two lines representing meantime. ity in the state legislature for government with ter combine the demands of full-time work the two genders while conducting such activi- Dreyer is a prime example. She describes the Greens. with raising a family, women in Germany still ties in order to protect women from male ha- her style as “inclusive, very team oriented, but remain underrepresented in the highest man- rassment. also decisive”. She likes to listen to arguments, Survey agement positions. Only four per cent of seats Her sentiments are echoed by Jane Kamau, weigh possibilities and then make a decision. Many Germans would have liked to see on the management boards of the country’s top a voter at Ndararua Polling Station, Riruta During the 11 years she spent as Labour Kraft run as the Social Democratic candidate, companies were held by women last year, ac- Ward, Dagoretti South Constituency. Kamau Minister in her state, Dreyer — a trained law- challenging Merkel for the chancellorship, in cording to the German Institute for Economic was on the queue for seven hours but for now yer who served as a state prosecutor in Bad the September elections. A recent survey by Research. she can hardly walk. Her legs have swelled as Kreuznach before entering politics, as the may- Statista pollsters showed the 51-year-old, the On the flip side, more than half of the 7.4 she has sprained them. or of that same city — became known for tack- third most popular politician in the country, million lowest-paying jobs in Germany are held “Those planning elections need to have ling problems at the source. She held round- after Merkel and Joachim Gauck, the German by women, who often earn less than €8.50, or women in mind when planning such exercises table meetings to discuss the issue of caring for president. $11, per hour, the rate that — if it is up to Dreyer where both genders are being involved,” says the elderly in nursing homes so that workers Instead, the Social Democrats chose Peer — will become the national minimum wage. Kamau. could participate. Her own experiences as the Steinbrück, whose straight-talking style is Dreyer has already argued in favour of the Ndurarua was one of the constituency’s mother of a patchwork family with three chil- more associated with the cigar-chomping era minimum wage as the state Labour Minister. polling stations with a large number of voters. dren and resident of a publicly sponsored social of Gerhard Schröder and who raised eyebrows She reasons that women would be among the Here the Independent Electoral and Bound- living project have contributed to her image of when he recently told the Frankfurter Allge- main beneficiaries if the country broke with aries Commission ( IEBC) official gave women being straightforward and someone to whom meine Zeitung that the chancellor was popular its tradition of allowing each industry to set its with young children the priority to vote first. A average people can relate. “because she gets a women’s bonus”. own pay agreements and instead enacted a na- privilege some misused in the early hours of the Bettina Munimus, a researcher with the Heidi Simonis, Germany’s first female gov- tional minimum wage. morning as some women would borrow chil- European Academy for Women in Politics and ernor — she led the state of Schleswig-Holstein Taking advantage of her newness on the dren in order for them to be considered. This Economics, based in Berlin, said that Dreyer’s for 12 years — disputed that view. In a recent national scene, she made the issue a top prior- happened for long without the knowledge of more consensus-oriented approach is indica- interview from her home in Kiel, she cited ity and got support from other states to push election officials. tive of an overall shift, visible in the other states courage, capability in a specific field or overall through the measure on March 1. “Article 3 When the officials learnt of this miscon- where women are now in charge — including political experience as qualities displayed by of the German Constitution ensures the equal duct, they started putting a mark on the chil- the biggest, North Rhine-Westphalia, as well as the women who now hold office in the states. rights of men and women,” Dreyer told the dren after their mothers had voted. Saarland and Thuringia. “Just being a woman is no longer enough Bild am Sonntag, a popular Sunday tabloid. “As Elderly people were also given consider- “In the previous generation, the old male to earn a female bonus in Germany,” said Si- long as women in Germany are discriminated ation although they were not categorized ac- politicians used the ‘basta’ style of politics to monis, also a member of the Social Democrats. against, I will fight for their rights.” cording to age. The sick and those who had outwardly demonstrate power and the need Simonis served as finance minister for her Courtesy of New York Times special needs were also given due attention. Special Post-Election Issue 15 Issue Number 36 • April 2013 Resources a major factor during campaigns …By Kennedy Kibet Turbo parliamentary seat lost during Tabitha Seii who was vying for the vying for the Women Representative rights of the girl-child. the nominations. She attributes the senate seat lost to energetic law schol- position in Uasin Gishu County along “We will use this position to artic- ost female candidates dismal performance by women to ar Kipchumba Murkomen of United with Caroline Cherono of UDF for ulate the issues touching on women,” in North Rift suffered their inability to mobilise resources. Republican party (URP). While the the same position were also both un- noted Chebet. She said it was unfortu- humiliating defeat dur- architect of 2010 Female Genital Mu- successful. nate that many women did not make ing the elections with Resources tilation (FGM) Bill Linah Jebii Kili- “It was a tight race but I thank it through the elective positions in all theM majority of former MPs failing to “Although stakes were very high mo failed to secure the Marakwet East all those who voted for me. In every the counties. capture their seats. and nothing was left to chance, most Constituency, a seat where she had contest there is always a winner and a Many of the women aspirants, The voters were purely driven by women aspirants were unable to mo- served for the last two parliamentary loser,” said Cherono. however, carried out extensive cam- political euphoria and most candi- bilise sufficient resources to mount terms. However, a number of women paigns despite the financial challenges dates did not survive the wave in re- massive campaigns, which in some clinched County Representative posi- and other obstacles they faced. spective party strongholds. cases required giving freebies,” said Political wave tions in Uasin Gishu, Nandi, Elgeyo Most of the parties have also pro- North Rift region is made up of six Maru. In Aldai Constituency of Nandi Marakwet and Turkana counties. posed to nominate many women in a counties namely: Nandi, Uasin Gishu, Outgoing Higher Education Min- County, the outgoing Agriculture bid to balance representation in the Elgeyo Marakwet, Trans Nzoia, West ister Professor Margaret Kamar who Minister Dr Sally Kosgey of ODM Winners region. Pokot and Turkana. According to the was vying for the Governorship in Ua- lost her parliamentary seat as the URP The women who sailed through Both the winners and losers said records by the Independent Electoral sin Gishu County on an ODM ticket wave swept the region. included Eusila Ngenyi of URP in they were happy that the IEBC had and Boundary Commission (IEBC), was among those who lost in the elec- New comers who attempted to Uasin Gishu and Dr Susan Chebet managed to organise credible, free the region has a total of 958,003 out of tions. make a debut in politics in the region in Elgeyo Marakwet County. Chebet and fair elections despite the chal- 1.9 million estimated voters. In Elgeyo Marakwet County, for- also failed to win various positions. is a former senior administrator of lenges and delays in releasing the final Winnie Maru who was vying for mer Kenyan envoy to South Africa ODM’s Chepkok Moira who was Moi University and a crusader for the results. Hugo Chávez knew that his revolution depended on women nd he was not the only one. Presidents of Tanzania and Haiti have both benefited from making women cen- tralA to progress The funeral of President Hugo Chávez of Venezuela took place on In- ternational Women’s Day — a fitting day of departure for “the president of the poor” who was loved by millions, especially by women, the poorest. When Chávez was elected in 1998, the grassroots movement took a leap in power and women in particular were empowered. Women were the first into the streets against the 2002 US-backed coup; their mobilisation saved the revolution. When asked why, woman after woman said: “Chávez is us, he is our son.” He was an extension of who they were as strugglers for survival. Passion Chávez soon learnt that the revolu- tion he led depended on women, and said so: “Only women have the passion and the love to make the revolution.” He acknowledged that the “missions” — the new social services which were at the heart of his popularity and which the state funded but did not run — were mainly created and run by grass- roots neighbourhood women. In 2006, when announcing the par- tial implementation of Article 88 of the The late Venezuela's president Hugo Chávez embraced by his supporters. He believed in women empowerment new constitution recognising caring and they helped him to achieve most of his revolutions. Below: the late Julius Nyerere, first president of anzaniaT work as productive — a breakthrough worked hard towards elimination of women inequality and poverty. Pictures: Courtesy worldwide — Chávez said: “Women work so hard raising their children, tion — was to keep Tanzania indepen- health programmes; the rise in the livia (they privatised the water and ironing, washing, preparing food … dent, by enabling it to refuse foreign minimum wage benefited them espe- criminalised people who collected rain giving [their children] an orientation loans. He insisted men must do their cially the sweatshop workers who are water). In 2008 the women were prom- … This was never recognised as work share. Equity was a question not only mainly women. inent in surrounding Congress for sev- yet it is such hard work! ... Now the of justice but of economic necessity Young people’s love for Aristide eral days while the new constitution revolution puts you first, you too are and political independence. is legendary, but women’s devotion was debated; the white parliamentary workers, you housewives, workers in has been as constant. Two months af- elite intended to absent themselves to the home.” Equality ter the devastating 2010 earthquake, prevent a vote. The blockade forced Chávez was not the first move- Encouraged by Nyerere, in one women collected 20,000 signatures in them to sleep in the building till the ment leader who went on to head region, 17 ujamaa villages created a three days demanding President Aris- vote was taken. That constitution her- the government, to have understood communal society based on equity tide’s return from exile — they needed alded a new level of power for women women’s centrality to creating the new among women and men, children him for reconstruction. A year later — from pay equity to recognition for society they were striving to build. and adults — all contributed what he was back, not as president but the economic value of caring work. Half a century ago, Julius Nyerere, they could and shared equally in the as educator, reopening the medical As the president of the poor is laid leader of Tanzania’s independence wealth produced. Their extraordinary school he had founded for poor stu- to rest, the historic Operation Condor struggle and its first president, aimed society was destroyed by Nyerere’s dents, which the coup had closed. trial opens in Argentina, tackling the from prosecution. The Mothers and his programme for development at the power-hungry colleagues against his co-ordinated campaign of state terror Grandmothers of the Plaza de Mayo, elimination of two ills: women’s in- will, but it showed us what is possible. Recognition of former Latin American dictator- who led the 1983 overthrow of the equality and poverty. He said: “Wom- Closer to Venezuela, women In Bolivia, indigenous women ships. We must recall a little-known dictatorship, and who had long cam- en who live in villages work harder gained recognition under Jean-Ber- were recognised as central to the mass aspect of Chávez’s legacy. Venezu- paigned for justice for the thousands than anyone in Tanzania, working in trand Aristide, Haiti’s first demo- mobilisations which propelled Evo ela’s oil revenue supported Argenti- the dictatorships raped, murdered the fields and in the homes”. cratically elected president (1990 and Morales into the presidency. These in- na’s Presidents Nestor and Cristina and disappeared, have long paid trib- He added: “The truth is that in the 2000). Determined to tackle extreme cluded the “water wars” which drove Kirchner, enabling them to pass laws ute to Chávez — a most unusual mili- villages the women work very hard. poverty and injustice, Aristide cre- the multinational Bechtel out of Bo- removing the military’s immunity tary man. At times they work for 12 or 14 hours ated a Ministry of Women’s Affairs, They, like women all over South a day. They even work on Sundays and appointed women to ministerial posts, “Women who live in villages work harder than America and beyond, will be watch- public holidays. Whereas the village supported girl domestic workers and ing anxiously to see that the gains of men are on leave half their lives. survivors of military rape. As in Ven- anyone in Tanzania, working in the fields and in the Bolivarian revolution are not un- Nyerere’s ujamaa or “African so- ezuela, women were the main organ- the homes.” dermined. cialism” — self-reliance and co-opera- isers and beneficiaries of literacy and — Julius Nyerere Courtesy of the Guardian Online Special Post-Election Issue 16 Issue Number 36 • April 2013 Bills to empower women to land ownership …By Maurice Alal count out of so many typical scenarios tory administrative requirement that ensure land rights of women living that women face. 30 per cent of members of District with HIV including rural women are and is a resource of contro- “Women are eager to own land Settlement Plot Allocation Commit- not abused. versy that has caused animos- but many of them fear that their tees be women. However, according to Dr Eliza- ity and bloodshed in many husbands will get other wives and However, the Kisumu East District beth Akinyi Nzioki, chairperson of countries including Kenya. they will be forced to forfeit their comprises of nine gazetted members, the Task Force on Formulation of LCulture has played a major role right to ownership or share the land of which two are women. The District Community, Eviction and Resettle- in determining who owns land, with wife number two, while they Commissioner, Willy Cheboi, states ment Bills, evictions have for decades where and how it is divided. Un- are the ones who sweat their brows though this is currently the case, the taken place in the country, especially fortunately women have over time to buy the land,” says George Ogutu, next board will have to adhere to the in informal settlements in contraven- watched from the sidelines as mat- District Land Adjudication and Set- Constitution requirement of meeting tion of international human rights ters on the precious natural resource tlement Officer, Kisumu East. the two thirds principle. standards. take centre stage even when it has Traditionally, men in Africa own This move is expected to give had huge effects on their lives. land and have their names printed on women a voice in decision making es- Constitution Milcah Apiyo Muganda hails the title deeds. Rarely is it said that a pecially on matters of land ownership This will be facilitated by the two from the shores of Lake Victoria and piece of land is owned by the mama “Women have been and use. bills that will be tabled in Parliament has been married for 13 years with so and so but often you will hear the According to Jane Obiero, Nyanza to speed up the eviction and resettle- four children; a testimony of her phrase ‘shamba ya mzee so and so’ or squatters in their own Provincial Director of Gender and ment of the victims in May 2013. The union. that land belongs to son of X. homes contrary to Social Development, some women move is to enable community to own During her over 10-year mar- are not eager to own land solely or in land without others being marginal- riage, Muganda was engaged in a pro- Policy constitution and the joint ventures. ized as has been the case since inde- ductive mitumba business with her Other than land which is bought Obiero says it is unfortunate that pendence. husband. After marshalling enough there is the family land which passed anticipated bill will some women have the opportunity The Constitution of Kenya 2010 savings, they jointly purchased ap- from father to son as per traditions. empower women to to own land but opt to give their and Sessional Paper No.3 of 2009 proximately 0.052 hectares of land in A man who inherits land from his share to their brothers claiming they on the National Land Policy provide Kisumu County. father, subdivides it so that the sons land ownership.” will get land where they will be mar- for a new classification of land to a Recently, Muganda narrated, also get a share when they are adults — Dr Elizabeth Akinyi Nzioki ried not bearing in mind the sons of “community land” in regards to eth- their union took a different path and married. This valued practice their in-laws. nicity, culture or similar community when her husband found another has, however, resulted in the suffer- of interest. woman and would often spend days ing of women who have been ren- The document also shows that Socialisation Nzioki says the task force will at her house before returning home. dered homeless after the deaths of women provide 75 per cent of ag- “This is how women have been draft a bill in consultation with mem- their husbands and sons. Daughters ricultural labour and are the major socialised in our societies, to put bers of the public in the 47 counties Action are also left out of this equation. practitioners of small scale farming their fathers and brothers first. A lot and Ministry of Lands to ensure in- Muganda was shocked when she Ogutu said that approximately 90 while commercial farming is mostly of effort has to be put on sensitisa- ternational standards are adhered got wind that her husband was in per cent of land in Kisumu County undertaken by men, which trans- tion for women to be aware of their to in evicting and resettling of the the process of buying a piece of land is owned by men. He affirms this by lates into women having less access rights,” says Obiero. people affected. for his new found lover after selling pulling out a random file with over to modern farming technology and She reiterates that all organisations Speaking during the Task Force the one they had bought together. 200 parcels of registered land and income than men. should have gender units to address forum in Kisumu city, attended by Having run short of cash, he de- reveals from the first ten pages, only However, Ogutu explains that in issues of gender disparities including the residents of Homa Bay, Migori, cided to dispose off what he owned one woman’s name featured as a reg- Kisumu County, this is typical as one the Ministry of Lands. Kisumu, Nyamira and Kisii coun- with Muganda to buy land with his istered owner. If this were a sufficient will find more men than women in With the adoption and effective ties, Nzioki notes that the bill will new woman. sample, it would be evidence enough. sugarcane and rice farming which is implementation of the National Land address land injustices which have Fortunately, Muganda moved The National Gender Develop- a big income earner in the region’s Policy Draft, issues revolving around been a menace for decades. swiftly and obtained restraining or- ment Policy Draft 2011 estimates agricultural sector. women and land ownership will have “Women have been squatters in ders that barred any transactions on that 80 per cent of Kenya’s popula- According to the Draft Policy, the moved a step towards becoming his- their own homes contrary to con- the land from being carried out with- tion lives in the rural areas and that Ministry of Land through the De- tory. stitution and the anticipated bill will out her knowledge. women own only five per cent of ag- partment of Land Adjudication and The National Land Policy Draft empower women to land ownership,” Muganda’s story is just one ac- ricultural land in rural areas. Settlement has introduced a manda- will also provide the mechanisms to Nzioki says. Food security an avenue to end gender based violence …By Kenyan Woman nerable to rape and other attacks. tal and physical potential. She can Correspondent Widows are persecuted over avoid early marriage, forced mar- land ownership but, all too often, riage or other forms of violence. If n spite of the major role national laws favour men over a woman can register the birth of played by women in produc- women. her children, legally own land and ing food and feeding their On International Women's the money she earns, she can con- families, little attention has Day this year, the global commu- tribute to the benefit of her society Ibeen paid to the connection be- nity focused on how to eliminate and its economic development. tween gender, violence and food and prevent all forms of violence Women make up more than security. against women and girls. 40 per cent of the agricultural Gender discrimination fuels fe- labour force in developing coun- male malnutrition and disempow- Remedy tries. Improving equality in wom- erment. Very often, discriminatory Domestic violence has an en’s access to agricultural inputs practices in rural communities overall negative impact on ag- (such as seeds, tools, fertilisers), generate biases in intra-household ricultural production and fam- education and public services food distribution, whereby women ily well-being. For many women would contribute significantly to and girls usually have access to struggling to feed themselves and achieving food security and bet- limited and less nutritious food. their children today, food security ter nutrition for all. Empowering Poor families may marry off would mean personal and legal women and girls legally and eco- under-age daughters during times security. nomically creates opportunities of famine so there is one less If the world unites to increase for development, enhances their mouth to feed. Refugee women food security for women, we also political voice and reduces their may be forced to trade sex for nourish the minds and bodies of vulnerability to violence. Food se- food. Women spend hours col- whole communities. If a girl can curity links the diverse elements A farmer attending to her crops. Food insecurity has been contributing to the lecting firewood to cook the fam- attend school in a safe environ- needed to build a peaceful and increasing number of Gender Based Violence. Picture:Kenyan Woman Correspondent ily meal, leaving themselves vul- ment, she can reach her full men- fair future for them.

Executive Director: Arthur Okwemba Managing Editor: Jane Godia Sub-Editors: Duncan Mboya, Faith Muiruri and Carolyne Oyugi Supported by: Contributors: Yusuf Amin, Valentine Otieno, David Herbling, Diana Wanyonyi, Larry Kimori, Ben Oroko, Renson Mnyamwezi, Robert Nyagah, Hussein Dido, Fred Okoth, Joseph Mukubwa, Ruth Omukhango, Munene Maina, Albert Mutua, Teryani Mwadzaya, Paul Mwaniki, Steve The Kenyan Woman is a publication of African Mucheru, Oloo Janak, Robert Wanjala, Melissa Eddy, Henry Kahara, Woman and Child Feature Service Kennedy Kibet, Allan Murimi, Nicole Waithira, Ryan Mathenge, Joyce Chimbi and Maurice Alal E-mail: [email protected] www.awcfs.org Design & layout: Noel Lumbama (Noel Creative Media Ltd)