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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- Ttaining 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 Wsation, 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.