By Amy Moyi
The local community is yet to embrace female leadership.
The story explores how cultural barriers prevent women from getting elected into leadership positions in Kajiado County of Kenya
Out of over fifteen women political aspirants for various elective seats including senator, member of Parliament and member of county assembly in Kajiado county in the year 2022 general election, no single female aspirant won against their male counterparts.
A report by the UN Women Africa indicates that Kajiado is one of the 6 counties in Kenya where women were not elected to any other political seat besides women representative
According to a former nominated member of the county assembly for persons with disability Josephine Sharrar, the biggest obstacle to women’s leadership in Kajiado County is failure by the local community to embrace female leadership.
“Women are more in number than men but they are their own enemies and prefer electing male leaders. In Kajiado, women culturally feel more inferior than men and a female aspirant has to work harder than a male aspirant and endure insults to prove herself a capable leader.”
Ms Sharrar who was nominated as a member of the county assembly on a Jubilee party ticket in the year 2017 has had to overcome the challenge of discrimination because of her gender and physical disability.
“There is a cultural perception that a woman should only vie for a woman representative position and not a higher elective seat like a governor.
Leadership is even harder for a woman with a disability because disability is seen as a curse. We are raising awareness in the community against discrimination of people with disability.”
As a member of the county assembly representing people with disability, Ms Sharrar successfully pushed for the waiver of charges required for the assessment of persons with disability at government hospitals in the county.
Ms Sharrar was also able to push for the employment of persons with disability and the accessibility of buildings for persons with disability.
Sophia Katampoi a young female political aspirant from Oloolua ward in Kajiado county has been inspired by her passion for leadership to vie twice for a political elective seat as Oloolua ward member of county assembly on a KANU party ticket in the year 2017 and 2022.
“I first vied for a member of county assembly at twenty-eight years. People would either say I am too young or question why I am not married. Kajiado county is highly patriarchal and since devolution, there has not been a single elected woman member of the county assembly.”
Ms Katampoi has cited tribal bias and stereotypes based on factors like marital status and education, especially among the older generations as a barrier to young women seeking elective positions.
According to Kajiado County paralegal coordinator Michael Brian Muraguri, the county is yet to achieve the two-thirds to one-third gender representation stipulated in the Kenyan Constitution because of the failure to embrace female leadership.
“Kajiado County is dominated by culture and traditions that have not embraced female leadership. All female members of the county assembly in Kajiado County are nominated. Women leaders especially those that are vocal are often stigmatised and sidelined.”
Mr Muraguri has reiterated the importance of integrating women into leadership positions as critical to a progressive society and the development of a community citing the key roles played by women.
“Women are key decision-makers in every home.
A society that suppresses women’s voices remains backward. There are significant positive changes in counties with female leadership like Kitui County which developed manufacturing industries like fruits and textiles under governor Charity Ngilu.”
According to Mr Muraguri, interventions by the national and county government as well as the allocation of resources for civic education at the grassroots level will increase women’s participation in politics and play a crucial role in positively changing the communities’ attitudes towards female leadership.
Forum for Women Development Democracy and Justice(FODDAJ), a women’s based organisation based in Kaijado County, has been advocating and spearheading initiatives to increase women’s political and civic participation.
FODDAJ has been involved in programmes to enhance the political participation of women in elective positions by identifying women leaders in the community and providing them with the capacity to campaign, network, communicate and create visibility.
The organisation also conducts civic and voter education to encourage women to elect female leaders.
The executive director for FODDAJ Nancy Sitima has said sensitisation of women is important because currently there is no equitable representation of women in leadership positions from the grassroots level because of a lack of empowerment.
“Women are not well represented at all levels of governance from the ward to the county. Women have not been adequately empowered in education and in decision-making and are exposed to female genital mutilation because of the patriarchy in Kajiado county,” she said.
According to Ms Sitima, the patriarchal society limits opportunities available to women but sensitisation efforts have been pivotal in creating awareness and increasing women’s participation in politics and decision-making.
“Forum for Women has been at the front line of championing the rights of women to access educational opportunities, land and resources in order for them to be in a position to earn their own livelihoods and make their own decisions. We have made strides over the years and now there is more participation of women.”
The capacity-building programmes for women have enabled more women to gain exposure and increased the number of women vying for political seats and nominated to political positions.
The programmes are also breaking traditional patriarchal attitudes in the community that does not embrace female leadership.
To further increase women’s political participation after the enactment of the new constitution, the United Nations conducted an advocacy campaign and prohibited funding for a number of campaigns by women aspirants in Kajiado County in the year 2013.
Kajiado North sub-county assistant county commissioner Bathsheba Osiemo has emphasised the importance of female leadership citing that the government is working to ensure equitable gender representation.
“Women are able to work as effectively as men in leadership positions. The government is ensuring women’s participation in civic spaces through initiatives like sensitization by the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission during elections. All structures including the Nyumba Kumi have female representation.”
Mr Muraguri has said that despite the two-thirds to one-third gender balance requirement in the constitution, there still exists a gap and Kenya is yet to achieve the gender requirement at both the county and national level because of challenges in implementation.
Ms Osiemo has called on more women to seek leadership and elective positions. She has urged women seeking elective positions to be persistent despite any obstacles they may encounter in order to reap the benefits.
“I encourage women seeking elective positions to believe in themselves, never give up and try again even when they lose. Success comes with persistence and consistency. These spaces are for us all not just for men,” she concluded.
This story is part of the African Women in Media (AWiM)/Luminate Young Women in Politics Media Project
