Kenyan Woman Issue 36

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Special Post-Election Issue A comprehensive coverage of GENDER and ELECTIONS

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Issue Number 36 • April 2013

EDITORIAL

Women must hit ground running as assemblies start sittings

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he electioneering period has finally come to an end and women, despite their performance must move forward.

Energy should now focus towards sustaining 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 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 worrying that up to now no woman has declared interest in contesting as a Speaker or a Deputy Speaker of the National Assembly or of the Senate.

Equity

Individuals elected must demonstrate that the seats are not a preserve for men. We look forward to seeing the likes of vocal and fiery former MPs like Millie Odhiambo (Mbita); Rachel Shebesh (Women’s representative Nairobi County); Gender minister Dr Naomi Shaban (Taveta); Tourism Assistant minister Cecily Mbarire (Runyenjes); Special Programmes minister Esther Murugi (Nyeri Town) and Former Higher Education minister Helen Sambili (Mogotio) leading from the front.

They are among the 16 women leaders who were elected as Members of Parliament (MPs) out of 290 seats. Another five women have been nominated by the political parties to the national assembly. The senate has seen 16 women nominated plus another two, one youth and one disabled also joining them.

All the 47 governors and an equal number of senators-elect are men as per the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission’s (IEBC) final list.

Numbers

However, the MPs-elect and the women’s representatives need not look far for lessons of how to succeed in the political arena. History was made by the likes of Grace Onyango as the first woman to be elected mayor, MP; Margaret Kenyatta as first woman mayor of Nairobi in the 1960s; outgoing Gichugu MP, Martha Karua, who was a presidential candidate in the just concluded polls, served as Deputy Leader of Government Business among others.

They should lobby for representation as Speaker or Deputy Speaker of the two houses and also target to be chairpersons of crucial House committees.

Indeed, every election in Kenya since independence 50 years ago has been an experiment and the just concluded election is not an exception.

Against all odds Women lose in the coalitions as those from marginalised communities make history

…By Jane Godia

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hile women thought they would benefit from the new political order within the new constitutional dispensation, it has actually proved to be their undoing.

The just concluded General Election has left women trailing behind and wondering if ever communities within which they live and vie will ever elect them to political leadership.

Among eight presidential candidates was one woman Martha Karua who was ranked in the sixth position after she managed to garner only 43,881 votes. Total votes cast were 12,338,667.

Karua who initially had a lot of women behind her, seems to have lost ground when women abandoned her to pay loyalty to their parties.

Constitution

Initially when the Constitution was promulgated in 2010, the women’s movement was on frenzy creating awareness about the gains within the new laws. It was agreed that women will vote as a bloc for one of their own no matter the tribe or party affiliation. However the outcome of the General Election was a clear indication that women were still not ready to support each other. Despite being the majority in terms

of population and even as registered voters, it seems the women were swayed by other forces to abandon their own and vote in men.

Discrepancies

Kenyans queue to cast their votes in the just concluded General Elections. Despite the numerous measures put in place to ensure more women were elected, they are still trailing behind. Below: An elderly woman casts her ballot in display of her democratic right. Pictures: Kenyan Woman Correspondent & Ben Oroko

Out of the 47 counties no woman was elected for the gubernatorial seat. However, only nine women will be managing counties as deputy governors.

These are Penina Malonza (Kitui), Fatuma Achani (Kwale), Hazel Nyamoki Katana (Mombasa), Adelina Mwau (Makueni), Evelyn Chepkurui (Narok), Ruth Adhiambo (Kisumu), Mary Ndiga Kibuka (Taita Taveta), Dorothy Nditi Muchungu (Embu) and Susan Chepkoech Kikwai (Kericho).

Hopefully when the governors will be meeting with the president in the scheduled biannual meetings, at least some of these women will be present.

In 1963 when Kenya established its first government, there were 41 senators and none was a woman. The scenario has been replayed this year, after the Senate position was entrenched in the new constitutional dispensation. In the just concluded General Election, no woman was elected senator.

However, unlike 1963, this time around 16 women will be nominated by political parties to the Senate as required by the Constitution. Another two women —a youth and a person living with disability — will also

find their way to the Senate house. In total, the Senate will have 18 women out of the total 68 members.

Party lists

The elections which were conducted under major coalitions helped in strengthening the presidential candidate and by extension male candidates. While many men lost nominations with parties that were within strongholds, some of them moved on to other smaller parties within the alliances and won. In this case, there were no blocs for parties where people only voted for one party.

Unfortunately the coalitions did not benefit women and the women’s movement lost the strongest women politicians. These included Prof Margaret Kamar, Beatrice Kones, Linah Jebii Kilimo, Sally Kosgei, Wavinya Ndeti, Margaret Wanjiru, Elizabeth Ongoro and Charity Ngilu.

Ongoro who wanted to vie for Nairobi Senate was forced to give up her bid for Margaret Wanjiru to enable the Cord CoContinued on page 3

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Special Post-Election Issue

Issue Number 36 • April 2013

Losers in Kilifi County call for poll repeat Hostile environment …By Yusuf Amin

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omen candidates in Kilifi County who lost in the just concluded General Election plan to challenge the outcome of the poll.

The losers cite massive irregularities and insecurity which they say forced voters to stay away from the polls.

A Senate aspirant with Shirikisho Party of Kenya Naomi Cidi who was defeated by Justice (Rtd) Stewart Madzayo complained that most voters kept away from polling stations due to insecurity in some parts of the constituency.

Cidi singled out Chumani Primary School polling station where no voting took place after a gang raided the centre on the eve of the elections and killed police officers and other IEBC officials.

“This sacred away voters and thus majority did not come out to vote for their leaders,” she explained.

Cidi further said that more than five polling stations in Kilifi North Constituency did not conduct elections adding that this disenfranchised women candidates as some of the areas affected were their strongholds.

Insecurity

She said as women leaders they will challenge the outcome of the elections in court as they did not reflect the will of the electorate.

She blamed the Police Service for failing to beef up security

deprive women chance in politics

in the affected areas which had already been perceived as Mombasa Republican Council (MRC) zones.

The women aspirants also complained that ballot papers from various polling stations in Kilifi North were transported to Kilifi town without party agents accompanying them, thus creating room to doctor results.

Sophy Kombe, a candidate for the Woman Representative position who got 33,343 votes asked the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC) to nullify the results for Kilifi County as they were marred by irregularities.

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…By Valentine Atieno he harsh political climate in the country has deprived women of seats despite constitutional provisions that not more than two thirds of members of elective public bodies shall be of the same gender.

According to a research by the Adoption Pathways Project, women hold the key to food security and if elected in top leadership, Kenya’s dependency on relief aid is poised to reduce.

However, despite Kenya recognising the need for women’s political and economic equality, there is still a lot to be done to sensitise the society that the global arena is changing and women too need to be included in leadership and decision making platforms.

“We have had so many trainings for women aspirants and candidates to boost their leadership capability and to give them the courage to face the male counterparts in politics and to have a leader’s perception for their leadership roles,” said Zipporah Musau, Communication Officer, UN Women.

Protest

Her sentiments were echoed

by Ether Kache who also contested for the Kilifi County women representative seat on a Chama Cha Uzalendo ticket.

Kache protested that torn ballot papers were found around Kilifi North Constituency tallying centre at the Pwani University.

Kache claimed that she was tipped by members of the public who found burnt ballot papers and reported the matter to the IEBC officials for investigation.

Kache who lost the seat to Asha Jumwa Karisa (ODM) said that she recorded statements with the police and hoped that those involved in the vice will be brought to book.

She said that she will challenge the election of Karisa who garnered 87,288 votes during the election citing massive irregularities.

Numbers

Esther Kache displays a ballot paper marked in her favour but dumped miles away from the actual tallying centre. She was vying for Kilifi County Women Representative seat in a Chama Cha Uzalendo party ticket but lost. Picture: Yusuf Amin

Women account for a majority of the population in Kenya today and play a major role in national building.

“We are going to ensure that our women candidates are empowered in the political arena to give them the responsibility to participate actively in decision making and that the women bring a different perspective into politics,” said Daisy Amdany, Chair National Women’s Steering Committee.

Speaking at a forum organized by the UN Women in Nairobi that seeks to champion gender issues, the level of women representation in parliament is still very low.

“The UN Women seeks to continue to empower women at different sectors of leadership, economic empowerment, violence against women and women as ambassadors in peace building and humanitarian response,” noted Musau.

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

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axpayers will spend an extra KSh570 million annually on the salaries of nominated women county assembly representatives to meet the set gender quota.

It has emerged that voters in more than half of the counties did not elect any woman to the county assemblies, and have to create a large number of special seats to meet the gender threshold set in the Constitution.

The Constitution demands that not more than two-thirds of members of the county assembly can be of the same gender and special seats be created to meet the quota in the event that the condition is not met in the election.

Constitution

The list of elected ward representatives that is awaiting publication in the Kenya Gazette shows that counties such as Mombasa, Marsabit, Kiambu, Kakamega, Baringo, Homa Bay and Embu did not elect a single woman to the county assemblies and will on average have to nominate at least 10 women to comply with the constitutional demand.

Data from the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC) shows that none of Kenyas 47 counties elected enough women representatives to meet the one-third rule leaving nomination as the only way to meet the legal threshold.

Failure to vote in at least 484 fe-

male candidates to make up a third of the 1,450 elected county representatives means that the Treasury will have to fork out half a billion to nominate women representatives.

Implications

“We warned Kenyans in advance that failure to elect women to the county assemblies will have serious financial implications,” said Micah Cheserem, the chairman of the Commission on Revenue Allocation (CRA), in an interview with Business Daily. He added: “This is the price we must pay for ignorance so that we learn a lesson.

It is a constitutional requirement so it has to be fulfilled.”

The Commission on Revenue Allocation said that the gender requirement for county assembly had to be met immediately unlike that of the National Assembly and Senate which the Supreme Court said would be achieved progressively by August 2015.

County assemblies are charged with the mandate of making laws and playing the oversight role over county budget and the county executive committee.

They must approve individuals nominated by the Governor to be part of the county executive committee and pass legislation related to areas where the regional government has authority.

The Constitution gives the county governments the authority to oversee entertainment, health services and public works such as sewerage, storm clearances, water and sanitation, pub-

lic transportation and issuance of trade licences.

“A county assembly consists of the number of special seat members necessary to ensure that no more than two thirds of the membership of the assembly is of the same gender,” states Article 177(1b) of the Constitution.

Cheserem estimates that about 600 women will have to be nominated to the county assemblies to satisfy the gender threshold — setting up the Treasury for a higher public service wage bill.

Revenue

Ultimately, the failure to elect A woman being guided by an IEBC official on where to insert her ballot female representatives will cumu- paper. Kenya performed poorly in gender representation with some counties latively cost the taxpayer about not voting even a single women. Picture :Kenyan Woman Correspondent.

KSh2.9 billion in remuneration the nominated candidates will have to lists presented do not comply with the of special members over a five-year be met from money allocated to that male and female representation quotas term.

The Commission on Revenue Al- particular county,” said Winfred Li- as required,” said Lichuma at a press location reckons that counties that did chuma, chair of the National Gender briefing.

There are a total of 1,450 elected not elect any women to the assemblies and Equality Commission.

The commission has moved to the county representatives plus a further will spend more on salaries and allowances for the extra members, com- High Court seeking an order to com- 376 members made up of eight canpared to counties that elected a sizeable pel political parties to only nominate didates from each county to represent women to the National Assembly and the youth and persons with disabilities. number of female contenders.

The additional nominated mem“This is money that could be chan- county assembly in order to achieve bers will be appointed by political parnelled to development of infrastruc- gender balance. ties in proportion to their strength in ture and service delivery,” explained the county assembly.

Cheserem.

“In the just concluded elections it For example, out of the 55 wards The Salaries and Remuneration Commission has set the basic salary is unfortunate that at the county as- in Nakuru County, only eight elected of a member of the county assembly at sembly level the one third gender rule women meaning that a further 16 must was not fully met and parties must be nominated to the county assembly KSh79,200 per month.

“It is the taxpayer who will bear now nominate candidates to meet to meet constitutional requirement.

Courtesy of the Business Daily. the burden because all expenses on the legal threshold. Unfortunately the

Burden

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Special Post-Election Issue

Issue Number 36 • April 2013

Dama Sirya Maruwa Centenarian who has lived to see Kenya’s election process evolve

…By Diana Wanyonyi

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t 104 years, Dama Sirya Maruwa has lived to see four generations of her family and several political regimes from colonial period to Jomo Kenyatta, Daniel Moi, Mwai Kibaki and now Uhuru Kenyatta.

The centenarian participated in Kenya’s first election during Kenyatta era. Although she is illiterate through a translation by her daughter she says that this could be year she voted. She also voted during the general election in the Moi era but has since then not participated in any election exercise.

Although she did not vote for the two Kibaki terms and the immediate past General Election, Maruwa says the only difference about the campaigns and election then and today is that there was no violence or rigging.

“I remember in 1963 I participated in the first general election that had only two political parties Kenya African National Union (KANU) and Kenya African Democratic Union (KADU). For us to vote we had vipande (identification cards) and people voted peacefully for the leader they wanted,” says Maruwa. She notes: “This was a multi-party regime yet peace and unity prevailed during the elections.”

Enrollment

cise began her grandmother was not happy that she would not participate in the General Election not only due to her old age but because she lacks the new generation identification card.

“The minute she learnt that the country is preparing to have an election she asked us on daily basis if we would let her register as voter. We told her that it was not possible because she does not have new generation identification card and moreover her health condition would not allow her to walk the distance to the polling station,” explains Kazungu.

Participation

Maruwa who is widowed says she did not participate in the elections but spent most of her time praying and meditating that the country would remain united after elections. However, her age does not allow her to remember many things as she tires easily.

Having witnessed the post-election events of 2007-2008 Maruwa says: “I was not happy with what happened in 2007-2008 during the post-election period with neighbours fighting and killing each other because of politics.

This is against African traditional setting and norms.”

According to Kazungu, the old woman spends most of her time advising her family members to shun violence and preach peace using riddles

Dama Sirya has lived for more than a century and she knows the importance of a peaceful election process. Below: KANU membership card. Pictures: Diana Wanyonyi and examples of past events.

“She always narrates to us how people lost their lives including children after the coming of colonialists to Kenya and how everybody was trained to fight the colonialists including women. That ruined peace and she does not want Kenya to be in the same situation again,” explains Kazungu adding that is why she used to spend most of her time praying for peaceful election and co-existence between.

Maruwa is a proud custodian of Mijikenda history as she is the oldest

““I was not happy with what happened in 2007-2008 during the post-election period with neighbours fighting and killing each other because of politics. This is against African traditional setting and norms.”

While many women still ponder over which political party to join, Maruwa is among the women who had enrolled for party membership many years back. At the time of the one party rule she did not shy away from enrolling as a member of the ruling party Kanu.

When the voter registration exercise began last year, Maruwa wanted her name to be on the voters’ register. One of her great granddaughters Miriam Kazungu says when the exer-

— Dama Sirya Maruwa

traditional female dancer before Kenya’s colonization remaining.

The dancing group comprised of eight female dancers who passed away a long time ago. It was formed under the Mijikenda culture and they would perform dances at the shrine of a female prophetess known as Mepoho in Kaloleni area. The prophetess was believed to have been swallowed alive by the earth after she predicted the coming of white people who will change their culture and take away their land.

Seated on a three-legged stool (locally known as Kigoda) outside her daughter’s compound in Ziwa la Ng’ombe area in New Nyali Constituency, Maruwa’s old looks tells more about her age. On her ears she wears wide beaded earrings which symbolise beauty and culture.

When she is not taking her nap, Maruwa will be found glued to a radio that broadcasts in Giriama language keen to update herself with country’s current affairs. Her main interests are politics and health matters.

Despite her age Maruwa is keen on

the news hour and at 1 pm she moves closer to the radio to listen to news often nodding in agreement with what is being broadcast.

After the news is over and the station plays a traditional song, Maruwa starts smiling. She recalls that she was the best traditional dancer and the team’s leader.

“We used to wrap our waist with a wrapper in blue and red colours known locally as hando. The colours were specific because they symbolised divine and holiness. I kept it well for my generation,” she says.

Women emerge biggest losers within coalitions Continued from page 1

alition strike a balance among tribes within the city. Ongoro and Governor elect Evans Kidero come from the same community. However, ODM has nominated her to the senate.

The women, especially those seeking parliamentary positions suffered huge losses under the coalitions.

Jebii Kilimo who has normally gone against the grain to win the Marakwet East constituency seat this time found the tide too strong for her as the United Republican Party (URP) sought to dominate the North Rift.

Kilimo says that despite contesting on The National Alliance (TNA), a party that was in the same alliance with URP, she still lost the seat.

Kilimo says the electorate was warned against voting for her because she was in a party that would not allow the region to talk as a family.

Outsiders

“They were told that they should not elect an outsider who will give out the family’s secrets,” Kilimo said when she visited the Women Situation Room, that was observing the elections.

At the end of the General Election, out of 290 constituencies only 16 women were elected Members of

Parliament. This is a very small percentage, and translates to only 5.5 per cent compared to the last parliament when there were 18 women, 8.1 per cent, out of 222 seats.

The women elected are Peris Tobiko (Kajiado East), Millie Odhiambo (Mbita), Mary Emaase (Teso South), Grace Kipchoim (Baringo South), Hellen Sambili (Mogotio), Esther Murugi (Nyeri Town), Alice Wahome (Kandara), Esther Gathogo (Ruiru), Alice Ng’ang’a (Juja), Naomi Shaban (Taita Taveta), Joyce Laboso (Sotik), Regina Ndambuki (Kilome), Rachel Kaki Nyamai (Kitui South), Jessica Mbalu (Kibwezi East), Cecily Mbarire (Runyenjes) and Mary Wambui (Othaya).

Achievements

For the first time in the history of Kenya, a Maasai woman Peris Tobiko defied culture that barred women from assuming leadership position to be elected into parliament. However, among the Maasai, Narok will have a woman as its deputy governor and there will be two women Mary Yiane Seneta and Roselida Tuya who will represent Kajiado, and Narok respectively. Uniquely other communities that have never embraced women’s leadership include the Pokot, Turkana, Borana, Rendille and Somali. All these

will have women from their respective counties at the national assembly for the first time. This then shows how the 47 women’s representative seats have helped women, and particularly those from marginalised communities ascend to positions of leadership.

Implications

While the Pokot have taken a hard stance towards women’s leadership, they have elected one woman within West Pokot County as a county ward representative. The challenge among the Pokot, is how the men will be addressed by a woman while culture dictates that a woman sits on the floor while addressing men. It is thumbs up to Hellen Cherotich Madio, who won the Lomut Ward seat in Sigor Constituency, West Pokot County. She is among 84 women who managed to secure county ward seats out of 1,450 countrywide.

Sadly, the counties will have to nominate women to ensure that the principle of not more than two thirds of one gender is adhered to. The cost of paying salaries for nominated women county representatives will be drawn from allocations earmarked by Commission of Revenue Allocation and this means that in the next five years, development might not take place as is

expected.

While Nyanza gave Kenya the first woman parliamentarian since 1963, it worth noting that the region has not been very friendly towards women being elected in parliament. Since 1992, when Phoebe Asiyo was last elected, the region has been defiant towards women leaders. However, in the General Elections, Millie Odhiambo won the Mbita Parliamentary seat amid controversy that a woman who is married elsewhere should not be given leadership from her parents’ home.

Odhiambo served in the previous Parliament as Nominated MP.

Numbers

Another woman who defied party wave to win is Mary Emaase who won the Teso south Constituency seat on a United Republican party (URP) ticket against the Orange Democratic Movement (ODM) party wave that was blowing through Busia County.

Emaase, also comes from a community that has never appreciated women’s leadership and she becomes the first woman from the Teso community to defy cultural norms and to be elected to parliament.

She is joined by Grace Kipchoim who also defied culture to emerge the first woman and person from Endorois

community to clinch a parliamentary seat. Kipchoim won the Baringo South Constituency seat amid all odds.

The 16 women MPs will be joined by the 47 Women Representatives to bring the total number of women elected into the National Assembly to 63. These will be joined by another 12 members who will be nominated by political parties. The National Gender and Equality Commission is seeking to sue the IEBC for failing to compel political parties to uphold the twothirds gender principle in their party lists that will determine nominations.

Among those to be nominated should be women and men who will represent special interest groups including youth, persons with disabilities and workers. However, from the names that parties gave to the Registrar of Political parties just before elections, the rule of nominating women and men equally as well as those living with disabilities and minorities has not been adhered to.

However, although the women’s numbers are not impressive, it is hoped that within the bigger voice for women, the tone of debate in parliament will certainly change to ensure that policies which have a special leaning towards women are given more consideration than before.

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Special Post-Election Issue

Issue Number 36 • April 2013

Culture denies Gusii women elective seats T …By Ben Oroko

hough majority of women from the Gusii community vied for different seats in the just concluded General Election, retrogressive cultural mind-sets hampered their bid to capture the positions.

The shambolic party primaries that preceded the elections, inadequate information on the position of the women representative’s seat and candidates marital status conspired to deny women leadership positions.

According to Rebecca Otachi the only female candidate for the Kitutu Chache North Constituency parliamentary seat, her opponents used smear campaign to edge her out of the race.

“Unless the community changes its mindset towards female candidates in respect to their marital status, we will still have very able women missing out on leadership positions,” observes Otachi.

The issue of the women representative’s seat provided for in the Constitution was used by the opponents to create an impression that women should not contest for any other political seat as they had already been awarded theirs by law.

…By Larry Kimori Kenyan women had little to celebrate about on March 8 when the world celebrated International Women’s Day. The day was marked quietly as Kenyans came to terms with the results of the March 4 General Elections. The results also served to affirm fear by women that the political arena was yet to embrace their bid for leadership.

None of the hundreds of women who contested the six elective positions were elected to senior posts like President, Senator and Governor.

The few who sailed through were elected to the National Assembly as MPs and or women’s representatives, while the rest were elected country representatives.

The theme of IWD was most appropriate for Kenya, if the voters were to promote it, as the country faced the first polls within the new constitutional dispensation.

It was marked on March 8, right in the middle of the tallying of the presidential at Bomas of Kenya, which had most Kenyans glued to the radio and television screens anxiously waiting for the final outcome.

Theme

Misconception

“Whenever I shared a platform with my opponents, they kept telling the electorate that I should not seek MP’s seat because women have their seat already allocated to them by the Constitution. This propaganda eventually confused voters because they expected my name to be among the women candidates seeking the Women Representative’s seat,” she notes.

Otachi claims that voters had been misled that every woman was contesting for the Women Representative’s Rebecca Otachi lost in the race for Kitutu Chache North Constituency parliamentary seat due to seat, a development which she says unfair competition. Picture:Ben Oroko. contributed to her poor performance in the race for Member of the National Assembly.

Being the only female candidate among However, she admits that women candi“It was, therefore, quite a challenge to dates from the Gusii community who were 13 men, Otachi says, people were eager to liscorrect this view in the electorate’s minds. vying for various elective seats were affected ten to her vision for the constituency if she According to some of my agents, in some by flawed party primaries. got elected. polling centres women were looking for my “Though I did not win the seat, I was able name under the Women Representative's to sell my agenda to the electorate and inballot paper and I lost quite a number of my “I personally blame flawed party pri- crease my visibility for future attempts,” she potential votes due to this misconception,” maries for my poor performance in the observes. laments Otachi General Election since I initially associated She regrets that the community is yet to myself with the United Democratic Forum change its cultural mind-set about women’s (UDF), which was a popular political veAt the same time Otachi points out that leadership, with majority holding a view that hicle among my supporters but during the financial constraint were a major challenge women from the community were not yet ripe party primaries, the party ticket was given to during the campaigns as she relied on family for political leadership, especially in the Na- my opponent without conducting of formal resources, support from well-wishers and pertional Assembly. nominations. I had to quickly switch to the sonal savings to finance campaigns. little-known Farmers’ Party to avoid missing While election laws prohibit voter-buying/ out on the ballot paper,” Otachi recounts. bribing, Otachi says that the campaigns were a “My dream of representing my constituShe notes that it was hectic as she had to display of financial might among various canency in the National Assembly was shattered re-introduce her new party of choice besides didates, influencing the electorate to demand by retrogressive cultural beliefs which do not readjusting her campaign posters and other for cash hand-outs from aspirants. recognise women’s potential in political lead- materials on the new party’s colours.

She laments incidents of voter-buying ership,” says Otachi. She adds: “My political opponents took advantage which influenced the voting patterns and fi“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 nents kept reminding the electorate that Kitu- ganda messages to the electorate that I had leaders. It compromised the electorate’s demotu constituents since independence has never dropped out of the race, thus discouraging cratic right to choose leaders based on policies been led by a woman, so let Rebecca contest and confusing my supporters," states Ota- and ability to deliver on the political positions for the Women Representative’s seat and leave chi. they were seeking. the National Assembly seat to male candi“Hand-outs played a major role in the She describes the campaigns as generally dates,” discloses Otachi. peaceful, saying she did not encounter any inci- campaigns and the electorate expected to reShe notes that negative stereotyping against dents of violence in the constituency, since she ceive cash hand-outs and thus ignored candiwomen seeking political leadership from the preached peace and engaged on issue-based dates if they failed to hint that they will part Gusii community still reigns supreme. campaigns without attacking other candidates. with something after addressing them,” she recalls.

Otachi managed to garner 564 votes, “Though I did not win the seat, I was able to sell my agenda to though she raises concerns on the final tally of votes. However, she pledges to work with the electorate and increase my visibility for future attempts.” the the community in their development agenda — Rebecca Otachi in the next five years.

Primaries

Agenda

Culture

Why gender agenda did not gain momentum in elections

the International Women’s Day theme was: “The Gender Agenda: Gains momentum. A modern progressive world needs equality.”

According to Lucy Githaiga, Country Manager Diakonia, women faced many hurdles not only as aspirants and candidates but also as voters.

Githaiga singled out gender biases in party nominations and negative socio-cultural attitudes as some of the factors that impede women’s quest for political office.

“The structures of political parties, electoral systems and legislative assemblies often created systemic barriers to women’s full and equal participation in Government,” said Githaiga.

In view of that, she suggested that women use various organisational strategies to overcome those barriers to their participation in leadership in future.

Diakonia jointly with Association of media Women in Kenya (AMWIK) had spent the better part of last year and this year conducting regular training for women aspirants to equip them with skills to present themselves as parliamentary or county representative candidates.

They were also to learn skills on how to maximise media (electronic, print and social media) to gain visibility and a voice in the society.

Platform

In 1995, the Beijing Platform for Action identified women in power and decisionmaking as one of its critical areas of concern and outlined concrete actions to be taken by governments, the private sector, academic institutions, regional bodies and non-governmental organisations as well as the United Nations system to increase women’s access and full participation in power structures and decision-making.

In most countries, women around the world are meeting the challenges of leadership, and contributing to change in their communities, countries and in the international arena.

“By building strong foundations for leadership and strong networks, representing women’s perspectives in decision-making circles, and seizing opportunities for change, women are meeting the challenges they face in creating the change necessary to achieve equality with men in decision-making at all levels,” adds Githaiga.

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Special Post-Election Issue

Issue Number 36 • April 2013

Men dominate positions in Taita Taveta County

…By Renson Mnyamwezi

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ale politicians clinched most seats in the just concluded General Election and sustained their dominance in politics in Taita-Taveta County.

Out of the several political seats created under the devolved system of government, only two female politicians were elected.

The women election losers interviewed blamed their dismal performance in the just concluded election on cultural bias against women, lack of funding by their political parties, intimidation by male politicians and lack of community support.

They also cited flawed party nominations and massive rigging as some of the reasons hindering their chances to ascend to power.

Taveta Orange Democratic Movement (ODM) parliamentary loser Ruth Lelewu said that outdated, retrogressive and counterproductive cultural beliefs worked against women seeking elective positions in the community.

“A number of women were denied nominations by their parties. Even those who won the nominations were denied funding and did not get support from their parties and their communities,” she claimed.

Barriers

“Our communities are not ready for women’s leadership. Some male politicians ganged up to ensure that female politicians especially those perceived to be popular are locked out of the race,” said Lelewu who came a distant fifth in the competitive race.

Gender, Children and Social Services Development Minister Naomi Shaban is the only woman to have won a legislative seat.

Shaban who was defending the Taveta parliamentary seat is the first woman Minister from the coastal region.

Another female politician, Joyce Wanjala Lay was elected the new County Women Representative. This seat, however, was reserved for women under the new Constitution.

Strong women who lost included former Central Bank of Kenya (CBK) deputy Governor Jacinta Mwatela of Wiper Democratic Party. Immediate former CEO of Kenya Oil Refineries John Mtuta Mrutu of ODM won the hotly contested race.

Mwatela, the wife to outgoing Mwatate MP and Education Assistant Minister Calist Mwatela has vowed to challenge the results in court, claiming she was rigged out.

“I have been robbed of victory. This is daylight robbery,” she claimed after the final results were announced. The two candidates had battled it out at the flawed Orange Democratic Movement (ODM) nominations where Mrutu was declared the winner.

Irregularities

"Corruption is also another challenge facing woman as some male politicians bought their way in. People are voting for money without considering the qualities of leadership," she added bitterly.

In an interview, Lelewu said women could equally serve this nation like men do but some cultural practices were hindering their efforts to ascend to power.

"It is now time communities shun ancient cultural values to give equal education opportunities to both boys and girls," she said.

While encouraging more women to vie for political positions in future, Lelewu challenged them to start campaigning early enough.

"Lack of empowerment has discouraged a number of women to fight for leadership positions with men. But we are encouraging them that politics is not a preserve of men," said another election loser Edita Damian Milimito.

She blamed her woes on IEBC for failing to clear her. "I had lost my identity card and IEBC officials had promised to clear me with passport but later reneged. I was later locked out of the Mata Ward election in Taveta constituency for lack of ID," she said.

"I had paid the requisite Ksh 2,500 for the seat but my political rivals colluded with unscrupulous IEBC officials to lock me out of the race of which I should have won," claimed Milimito, a mother of two.

She blamed the poor performance on corruption and discrimination against women. "My chances of

Kenyans turned out in large numbers to vote in a new government but did not elect enough women to meet the constitutional requirement. Picture: Renson Myamwezi winning the seat were frustrated by IEBC," she added.

Milimito at the same time said she was appalled by this traditional belief that a woman should not aspire to positions of leadership.

The politicians spoke as women failed to use their numerical to vote in leaders of their own to address years of marginalization.

Commission

The National Gender and Equality Commission had earlier warned of a constitutional crisis if the gender rule is not achieved. But this was however overruled by the Supreme Court ruling which suspended the realization of the principle to 2013.

Speaking in Wundanyi town, during a civic education forum with

"Corruption is also another challenge facing woman as some male politicians bought their way in. People are voting for money without considering the qualities of leadership."

— Jacinta Mwatela

target groups to educate them on the various elective positions in the just concluded elections, the Commission’s Communications Officer Daniel Waitere said the implementation of the gender rule was vital and should not be ignored during the elections.

He said despite challenges to the commission was facing in the implementation of the gender rule; it has embarked on forums to enhance public awareness among the marginalized communities.

Reluctance

Two women leaders in the region Gertrude Mwakio and Evelyne Wabosha told the commission that it would be difficult to attain the gender rule because women were still reluctant to vie for political positions created by the new constitution.

"It will be difficult to attain the gender rule because women do not want to compete with men. Women especially in rural areas should be sensitized to come out and vie for the various political positions that had always been dominated by men," said Mwakio.

The leaders noted that majority of women were not willing to seek for leadership positions because of the huge financial requirement and grueling nature of campaigns. "Women need to be empowered economically to be able to effectively participate in the electoral process," added Wabosha.

At the same time Waitere hit out at former MPs accusing them of being gender insensitive by failing to pass the Constitution of Kenya (Amendment) Bill on the two thirds gender rule that would unlock the crisis.

He said the Bill still pending in parliament would have provided a mechanism for achieving the principle that more than two-thirds of the members of the National assembly and Senate shall be of the same gender.

"The commission would like to see more women participate in the electoral process and that is why it is creating public awareness to boost voter listing and advising Kenyans on the need to support politicians with good policies that will benefit them," said the communications officer.

Kilifi residents want a more equal representation …By Robert Nyagah

T

he huge imbalance which appears to have been created by the election of people from a single ethnic and religious background in various positions in the Kilifi County must be redressed through sober nominations at all levels, a cross section of commentators have suggested.

“We are worried about the results of the general election in the Kilifi County in majority of the electoral areas where the predominant local and Christian Giriama community dominated the seats right from the gubernatorial to ward positions,” noted Morris Mangi who lost the Gongoni Ward on a United Democratic Front (UDF) party ticket.

According to Mangi, although nearly all the seats in the Kilifi County had been taken by Orange Democratic Movement (ODM), there was also dominance by a single ethnic group and that is the Mijikenda.

“I do not wish to be tribal or discriminatory in my judgment, the Constitution is clear about our rights but the fact is that unless the present total dominance of the Mijikenda community is addressed through sober nominations, the region will suffer imbalance in its development agenda,” he noted.

Imbalance

Speaking in Malindi, Mangi expressed fears that the minority in the Kilifi County including the women, people from up country counties and the general business community remained clearly unrepresented in the just concluded elections.

Chief campaigner for ODM in Malindi Constituency, John Kambi Dosa also expressed fears that the dominance of the Mijikenda community in all leadership positions would create an imbalance in development and fair representation.

He asked the winners to consider offering qualified people available po-

litical positions through nominations to promote cohesion.

“Elected leaders to various positions should approach the nominations in a sober way and include other minority groups in the beneficiary lists,” said Dosa.

The business community in Malindi also asked the elected leaders to

“We are worried about the results of the general election in the Kilifi County in majority of the electoral areas where the predominant local and Christian Giriama community dominated the seats right from the gubernatorial to ward positions.”

— Morris Mangi

ensure that those nominated represented the interest of the other minority groups including foreign investors and businesspeople from upcountry that represent a huge chunk of the electorate.

Nominations

According to Andrew Mataza, North Coast chairman of the Kenya Chamber of Commerce and Industry warned that unless nominations were fair and directed towards creating a balance in leadership, Kilifi may end up with huge development imbalances.

Mataza partly blamed the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC) for what he termed as failure to undertake adequate voter education, a situation he charged for dominance of a single party in the region’s politics.

He said that although the Cord Coalition Presidential candidate had differed with the “full suit style of electing leaders (election of leaders from the same party at all positions) ”,

the people of the Kilifi County seemed not to have been well informed in their choice of leaders and parties they were expected to vote for.

He hoped that nominations would finally address the imbalances caused by the selections in the general election in representation of various minority groups.

Mataza insisted that Kilifi County was metropolitan in its nature and for that reason minority groups such as the business community and foreign investors should benefit from nominations in political positions from county to ward level.

“I plead that those mandated to undertake nomination at various levels will consider giving slots to the various minority groups including foreign investors to ensure that the metropolitan status of the county is not lost,” observed Mataza. He added: “Let us have all the communities living in Kilifi represented at the political level of management so that we can mix and work to develop the county.”

6

Special Post-Election Issue

Issue Number 36 • April 2013

It was a tough call for pastoralist women

…By Hussein Dido

R

ebecca Lolosoli, Habiba Jillo Ali and Anne Wairimo were among the few women from pastoralist communities who contested for the 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 County 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 Samburu 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 following 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 Lemalasia 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 (AMof their own. Picture: Hussein Dido WIK), a non-governmental organisation engaged in empowering women to leaderalso have affected the dismal performance by lenging for women to voice themselves or to life is also an excuse used to bar women from ship positions had pitched tent in Laikipia, take leading positions. Most of these parties leadership.

Samburu and Pokot in order to drum up sup- women candidates.

Since Kenya’s independence from the Brit- only nominate men to winnable positions durSeveral women affiliated organisations came port for women candidates in the area.

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.

Through these organisations, profiles of 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 the 220 members of parliament (MPs). There the podium because the campaign rallies are women politicians have been published in local tions in the pastoralist region. dailies, online newspapers and newsletters to When the results were announced, the or- has also been very low female representation male-dominated. give them visibility. ganization’s officials and the women candidates in decision-making positions within governDuring our recent campaign visit to Arwere shocked that the outcome did not favour ment sectors/departments, the local governRetrogressive cultural practices especially chers-post, Lolosoli pleaded and challenged ment (municipalities) and parastatals. them across the region.

When the Narc government took the among the pastoralist communities hinder women to back one of their own in the forthThough the pastoralist women have truly 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.

They came out in large numbers and with retrogressive cultural barriers that hinder parliament. However, this still falls short of ing to power. Many Kenyan communities the United Nations target of achieving 30 per still believe that men should lead. Combin- vowed to support one of their own but their them from ascending to leadership positions. ing politics and ‘child-rearing’ and or family male counterparts managed to edge them out Jacinta Alimlim who was eyeing the Coun- cent representation of women in politics.

It also falls short of the Beijing Platform of the race. ty Assembly Representative seat for Nachola “It is going to be a big shame for us women Ward, Samburu North Constituency suffered a for Action (the Fourth World Conference for in this region if we do not use our numerical similar fate. The seat had attracted more than Women in 1995), where it was agreed by all governments that there should be equal parstrength to elect one of our own in this elecsix contestants. tion,” Lolosoli told a political rally.

“I lost the seat to my brother but this does ticipation of women and men in decisionIn unveiling her plans, Lolosoli had said not mean that I will stop offering leadership making bodies. The gender imbalance in she would help to tackle insecurity and conflict to my people. I shall continue since it gives me Kenya’s political playing field has widened so among the neighbouring warring communities pleasure to bring positive change to men and much, since the male political ideology continues to define the standards of evaluation of in the counties. women,” she stressed. women’s political performance and participaShe urged women in the area to embrace tion. peace and unity and vote as a bloc in order to And after the promulgation of the new secure seats in the area.

The poor performance by several strong There has been a long standing animosity women who have in the past fiercely fought to constitution that came up with the devolved between the Turkana and Samburu communipromote gender equality and participation in government structures and establishment of the county positions, few women went for the ties as a result of cattle raids, killing those who politics was not encouraging. resist during the raids as well as killing that is During the campaigns violence against position of senators, governors and members part of a rite for the morans. women was witnessed in certain areas. Female of parliament.

In almost all the 47 counties, women went Other than Lolosoli, various church elders candidates were beaten by supporters of their from these communities also called for peace male rivals, male power was seen at play with for the position of women representative leaving and brotherhood to end violence in the area just manipulation and possibly rigging out of wom- behind the other positions for men to dominate.

What hinders women from being frontrunbefore the elections. en. Lack of funds for women politicians was ners in politics?

Lolosoli noted that she had helped to raise also a major handicap.

One of the major problems that women school fees for vulnerable and poor children However, tribal and clan rivalry seems to the areas to ensure that they remained in have determined how the election outcome face is the lack of funds to conduct elections.

“It is going to be a big shame in school. was going to be. The long standing animosity Due to the feminization of poverty, many said a vote for women will also encourthat exists between the Turkana-Samburu as women interested in politics are faced with fifor us women in this region if age She pastoral girls to be role models in their soa result of cattle raids, different ethnic identi- nancial constraints which bar them from conties 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 upon them in order excel in their life. rans (age groups) also affected the way people hence their political leadership potential go strength to elect one of our unnoticed.

During the occasion, the women aspirants voted.

The political parties’ structures are also pledged to agitate for development and ensure Before March 4, various church elders from own in this election.” that morans abandon their way of life and enthese communities called for peace and broth- male-dominated, thus are discriminative — Rebecca Lolosoli gage in income generating activities. erhood to end violence in the area. This could against women. It therefore becomes chal-

Strengths

Equality

7

Special Post-Election Issue

Issue Number 36 • April 2013

Dennita Ghati:

Set to advance the cause of women …By Fred Okoth

A

former journalist who fell in love with the anti-FGM campaign in Kuria district is now the Migori County women’s representative.

For the 35-year-old Dennita Ghati, the election to the National Assembly marks the beginning of another chapter in her fight for the right of the girl child.

“I believe it will still be the same thing but at a different level,” Ghati said soon after being declared winner in the polls where she trounced her opponents to become the county’s first women representative.

Ghati who was vying on an orange Democratic Movement (ODM) party ticket garnered 181,457 votes to win the seat, beating her opponent Fatuma Mohamed of People’s Democratic Party (PDP) who got 58,176 while Elzeba Ayuma of The National Alliance (TNA) came third with 4,778 votes.

It has been a long journey for the former journalist, who started as a reporter at the Standard Media Group before rising to the position of a subeditor.

Born about 35 years ago in Kegonga area of Kuria East District of Migori County, just a few kilometres from

the Kenya-Tanzania border, Ghati attended local schools before joining Kenyatta University in Nairobi where she graduated with a Bachelor’s Degree in Education.

She then opted to join the media to reach out on more people.

“By writing, I hoped to reach a wider audience and help in promoting the plight of the girl child,” she says.

She grew up in an area where Female Genital Mutilation (FGM) was the norm with approximately 93 per cent of all the girls from the region still being forced to undergo the rite.

Track record

During her stint in the media, Ghati became an anti-FGM crusader and pleaded with the residents to stop the rite and give the girls a chance to be in school.

Her commitment to fight the vice eventually won her a scholarship with the Ford Foundation to study for a Master’s degree in Community Work from the University of Columbia in the United States.

Upon completion of her studies, Ghati dedicated her entire time to fight against the vice which she said was very rampant at the time.

She was actively involved in set-

ting up the Education Centre for the Advancement of Women (ECAW), an association which has been involved in the fight against FGM in Kuria as well as promoting education of the girl child throughout the county.

As the chairperson of the Centre, Ghati has been involved in lobbying parliamentarians to pass anti FGM legislations as well as talking to the provincial administration to enforce existing laws.

“I realised that the problem was not mostly in the lack of laws but on the enforcement,” she says adding that she has therefore been organising meetings with chiefs and police to try and talk to them to help in the fight against the vice.

She has also helped to establish a rescue centre for the girls who are forced to undergo the rite and hundreds flee to the centre every December and stay there until at the end of the circumcision period which is at the end of the year.

Plans

And with her election as the Migori Women Representative, Ghati believes she will now be able to fight for the rights of Migori girls and women at a different level and hence

Dennita Ghati can now address girl child issues on a national platform.

Picture: Fred Okoth

achieve even more success.

“I believe this is a great chance for the voices of the Migori women to be heard,” Ghati said soon after her election adding that she intends to use her new position to fight for even greater advancement of women in the county.

“I believe I can articulate the desires of the women of the Migori County,” she said adding that apart from fighting FGM, her other agenda will be to ensure that women of Migori County also have the opportunity to go to school and make a career of their choice.

Mary Wambui beats all odds to win Othaya seat eight men to win the seat after she garnered 16, 285 votes. She was followed closely by Nairobi lawyer Peter King’ara (GNU) who garnered 14,

…By Joseph Mukubwa

I

t has been a long and bumpy journey for Mary Wambui who can be termed as a woman of all seasons.

Despite state machinery campaigning against her in Othaya, Wambui still went on to win the Othaya Parliamentary seat.

It was not easy for Wambui to take the decision to campaign in Othaya after the president’s son openly declared the family’s preferred candidate.

While this should have held her back, Wambui decided to soldier on.

However, she soon realised that it is not all smooth sailing in politics.

After winning the nomination, she faced a second challenge when her The National Alliance (TNA) nomination certificate was snatched from her.

218.

Her win must have been an embarrassment to the President’s preferred candidate Gichuki Mugambi of Saba Saba Asili who came a distance third with 10,972 votes.

Blow

Bruising battle

She had to fight hard including storming Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC) offices to register her complaints.

She would later get her certificate, but then her woes did not end. Wambui, who previously freely attended the president’s functions, found herself being locked out. Many things that are demeaning were raised against her including the fact that she is not educated and cannot be able to properly articulate issues in Parliament.

In one function, Kibaki who was campaigning against her said she is not educated and, therefore, cannot adequately articulate issues especially in Parliament.

However, when on March 4 Othaya residents went to cast their votes, she emerged the winner ahead of the first family’s preferred candidate. Her win threw the town into a carnival mood.

Wambui who was vying for the seat on a TNA party ticket floored

Mary Wambui at Othaya CDF hall shortly before she was announced the winner of Othaya Parliamentary seat. Picture: Kenyan Woman Correspondent

Over 500 of supporters thronged around the town immediately after Othaya Returning officer James Mbai announced that she is the winner.

Wambui who was accompanied by her daughter Winnie when she joined her supports in jubilation with the mothers singing ‘Mama Wetu, Haki Yetu’, while at the top of her vehicle.

As they had been saying as to who is their preferred candidate, Othaya voters dismissed Kibaki’s call to support Mugambi and instead went for her.

Wambui is popular among the people of Othaya for being down to earth and socialising with the local mwananchi. The businesswoman and philanthropist is generous and kind to many.

Wambui who has also been linked with first family many a times has been campaigning alone saying she came with her two legs without the backing of nobody.

However, King’ara who came in second has since vowed to move to court to challenge the results. Another political rival Esau Kioni has dismissed the elections as a sham.

Previously a nursery school teacher, Wambui joined politics in the 1980s as a Kanu activist and was also charged with the responsibility of manning the Nyeri Kanu office.

Although she has been very visible in political functions at-

tended by the president, her desire to vie for the Othaya Parliamentary seat saw her face the challenge and shame of being barred from functions attended by the head of state. Towards the election date before the campaigns were officially ended, Wambui was side-lined by President Kibaki’s security detail.

She was locked out of presidential functions and only Mugambi was allowed where Kibaki endorsed him publicly.

Mugambi was also endorsed by Kibaki’s children Jimmy and Judy.

Jimmy was seen campaigning publicly for Mugambi who has been the chairman of Othaya Development Association for 10 years.

Kibaki has been on record saying that although he is retiring, he will still be working hand in hand with people of Othaya. But as they say there are no permanent enemies in politics. The President has been the MP for Othaya for over 38 years and as Wambui steps into his shoes many are holding their breath and waiting to see how as the area MP Wambui will work with the president together when he retires this year as the Head of State.

Debacle

When Wambui won the TNA nominations few months ago, the certificate was given to Mugambi, an issue which sparked protests in Othaya and drew condemnation from women’s groups.

Immediately Wambui announced her intention to vie for the seat, four Othaya residents went to the court to challange the move saying that Wambui has been named in the Waki and Artur reports.

The case was later dismissed and this allowed her to go ahead and vie for the position.

Now that she has clinched the Othaya seat, all that people expect is to see her deliver on her promises.

8

Special Post-Election Issue

Issue Number 36 • April 2013

Journey towards attaining two thirds rule should begin now …By Joyce Chimbi

U

nlike many countries that are recently emerging from war, Kenya still has a long way to go in as far as women representation in positions of leadership is concerned.

Rwanda, Liberia and even Sudan have shown tremendous initiative towards ensuring that the political process is engendered by expanding the space to accommodate women leaders.

According to a research on gender issues in the Great Lakes Regions of Africa, despite an increase in women legislative bodies, women continue to be underrepresented in most structures of power and decision making.

Many have watched in dismay as the political space that had been expanded to accommodate more women in Kenya was occupied by scores of men across the country.

Constitution

Although the Constitution demands that not more than two thirds of the same gender should occupy public elective positions, the Supreme Court ruled that this clause will be achieved progressively and should be attained in 2015 within the national assembly.

“This ruling threw the spanner into the works and gave political parties a loophole to ignore women,” says Julia Mueni, a woman leader from Machakos County.

Indeed, the discrimination began with the political party nominations.

When the political party primaries were held to nominate candidates to vie for elective positions, it was evident that the political terrain would be rougher for women than ever before.

The male dominance of political parties blatantly made a farce of the space that had been expanded by the

gender sensitive Constitution of Kenya 2010 as scores of party tickets went to male aspirants.

Still, about 91 women threw their weight behind the National Assembly seats across the 47 counties.

Only 16 women were elected in all eight regions. The Rift Valley region which in the previous parliament had elected the highest number of women, only elected four women. Two of them newcomers, only two out of the seven female politicians who were in the previous parliament successfully defended their seats — Helen Sambili and Joyce Laboso. The rest succumbed to political party euphoria.

Political goodwill

“For a country to have elected fewer women within the context of the most gender sensitive constitution in the world is a message that we are operating in a political context that has very little, if any, political goodwill for its female politicians,” says Grace Gakii, a gender activist in Nairobi.

Unlike before where only three seats were contested for, namely the Presidency, Member of Parliament (MP) and Civic, there are now an additional three more seats.

“Although there were more seats for women to compete for, the environment was still not enabling.

Women remained under attack from male opponents and even the society,” says Hamisa Zaja, a politician in the Coastal region.

Violence

While there were fewer incidences of physical violence and assault against female aspirants, the elections were characterised by verbal abuse and degrading sexual innuendoes.

When Veska Kangongo presented her bid to vie for the gubernatorial seat in Uasin Gishu County, Rift Valley, her rivals said that the first governor in the region will be “anything but a woman”.

A statement that was dropped across the country consequently leaving only a handful of women to run for top seats such as gubernatorial and senate.

Zaja explains that besides the society’s negative attitude towards women’s leadership, women are still not able to amass the required resources to conduct high magnitude campaigns.

“I pulled out of the race for the governor of Mombasa County under the Wiper Democratic Movement because I did not have the economic muscle required,” she says.

This is besides the money required to oil an effective campaign that includes acquiring vehicles, fuelling them to facilitate mobility and branding.

“Although there were more seats for women to compete for, the environment was still not enabling. Women remained under attack from male opponents and even the society,” — Hamisa Zaja, politician, Coastal region

Martha Karua addressing her supporters in one of her campaigns. She was the only female candidate for presidential seat and emerged number six out of eight candidates. Picture: Kenyan Woman Correspondent When Martha Karua, who emerged sixth in the presidential race announced that she only has KSh56 million to her name, it was not clear how she would finance her campaign machinery when her most serious rivals were talking about an KShs8 billion campaign budget.

Challenges

Other than resources the nomination fee was prohibitive to most women especially those seeking to vie for high offices.

Besides resources, women aspirants faced serious challenges that included the violence that has become a part and parcel of Kenyan politics.

“Women are not violent in nature; they tend to shy away from violence.

This means that while the Constitution requires that not more than two thirds of members of elective public bodies should be of one gender, it will be an uphill task, before women can get there,” says John Ndeta, Media Coordinator Peace Initiative Kenya project.

If things went on the correct way, out of the 290 members of the upcoming National Assembly, at least 117 ought to have been women. However, only 16 female aspirants made it. Even after the elections failed to favour women, among the 12 seats that were left for party nominations, only five women were picked for the national assembly.

“The society is anything but supportive. Male politicians successfully incited and confused voters to push women to vie for the affirmative action seat (women representative),” Mueni explains.

It is only the women representative seat that will see the number of women in the national assembly now

stand at 65 which will include two women of who one will be a youth and another living with disability.

Further, the manner in which campaigns were conducted proved to be a barrier for women.

“Men campaign and lobby at night but for women it is different. You find that a woman aspirant goes to bed thinking that her position in the party is secure, only to wake up to new realities in the morning after men have kept their night vigils,” explains Zaja.

Women who defy these political traditions face threats of rape, and other forms of bodily harm.

Education

The fact that the constitution also a put a minimum level of education for those aspiring for political positions proved to be a challenge for women. When the current crop of women leaders should have been in school, a good number of them were not offered the opportunity. This then restricted the number of women vying.

One of the strongest politicians in Nairobi County, Bishop Margaret Wanjiru found herself locked out of party nominations at the very last minute for lack of a university degree.

“Before she was disqualified, Wanjiru had a massive following. But she’s not alone, many women have shied away from elective seats for lack of post-secondary education,” Mueni explains.

Clearly, more than ever before, the results of the general elections have reaffirmed the perception that the promise held in the Constitution, to expand the political space for women, is still far out of reach for a significantly high number of women harbouring political dreams.

9

Special Post-Election Issue

Issue Number 36 • April 2013

Rachel Ameso It was a tough battle

Female MPs reclaim seats against odds

clinching the Kakamega Women Representative seat …By Ruth Omukhango

R

acheal Ameso’s untiring journey of traversing Kakamega County for the past seven months came to a triumphant close when she was declared the winner of the Women Representative Seat after defeating her competitors by a margin of over 70,000 voters.

Unlike other regions, Kakamega County is vast with twelve constituencies and required that Ameso, who was campaigning on the Orange Democratic Movement Party (ODM) to spent sleepless hours on the road on the campaign trail that began in August, last year.

Ameso confesses that seeking to capture the women’s representative seat was more tedious compared to that of an ordinary Member of Parliament considering not only the vastness of the county but challenges of poor infrastructure which required women politicians to dig deeper into their pockets to hire expensive vehicles to penetrate difficult areas so as to reach the voters.

“Due to lack of proper infrastructure in constituencies, I was many times forced to travel to Eldoret County to find accommodation but also in worst cases like Lugari Constituency, I had to sleep in the vehicle,” explains Ameso.

Strategy

To successfully campaign in the County, she had to understand the different and unique issues in the 12 constituencies before addressing the electorate. She admits that many times she risked chances of being short-changed by party campaigners and brokers whose relationship was merely based on trust.

Despite her success as a women politician, her greatest challenge was in fact that party coalitions worked against women since candidates within her CORD (Coalition for Restoration of Democracy) were allowed to vie in their individual parties, therefore, facing stiff competition from candidates within the alliance itself.

“The confusion within the Coalition drew mixed reactions from the voters as it seemed like a husband who had more than three wives and all of them were competing against

…By Allan Murimi

T

each other,” says Ameso.

Popularly known for her slogan: “Mama ni Nyumba”, Ameso’s hopes to fulfil the promises laid down for the electorate in the County as clearly stipulated in the Kakamega County Manifesto.

Her passion is to empower women and youth in the county. She clearly emphasises that development cannot happen in the absence of women in the region and hence the need to bring them on board in all aspects of development for the betterment of both men and women.

Vision

Ameso’s vision is embedded in one core prin- Rachel Ameso gearing up to tackle issues in the vast Kakamega County. Picture: Ruth Omukhango ciple — solutions to local problems lie with the local She is certain that empowering lieves that the well-being of a family people and, therefore, to fulfil the aspiration of women and men unit is critical to the wellbeing of a the youth in the county will drastically reduce the levels of insecurity of Kakamega County by returning nation.

Having been born and brought and turn them around into producback to her community what they inup in the County, her biggest chal- tive and responsible men and women vested in her.

Ameso who is currently pursu- lenge has been the literacy levels in in the community. The use of teching a Master’s Degree in Business the County which remain low and nology such as electricity to enable Administration (Marketing Option) continues to breed a vicious cycle of them venture in income generating at the Daystar University also holds poverty that has lasted over the years. businesses is critical to their growth.

“I look forward to the day when a Bachelor’s degree in Commerce Early marriages are common in the in Entrepreneurship from the Ke- County since most girls are unable to mothers will look forward to their nya Methodist University (KEMU). continue with secondary education sons coming home with a packet of With a solid background in business after they complete their Kenya Cer- milk rather than them being depenentrepreneurship, she is confident tificate of Primary Education (KCPE). dants,” she notes.

Saddened by the poor health conthat she will empower women and ditions of women such as respiratory youth economically in order to deThis is evident in the level of diseases like asthma and eye infecfend and promote the well-being of women and girls in the community livelihoods as well as the inability tions caused by smoke from firewood through providing safe spaces for to take up opportunities that would usage, she plans to sensitise women contribute significantly to the well- on health hazards as well as introduce their development.

“The empowerment of women being of everyone including large other convenient and safe methods that can be harnessed to prevent such and youth in the country will auto- families.

“One thing that I have observed infections. matically address the current inseIn order to support women ecocurity in the county since businesses is that a number of women in urban will create job opportunities for the centres look for girls from the Luhya nomically, Ameso would like to escommunity to be house girls and this tablish a strong women’s movement youth,” says Ameso.

As an entrepreneur, she sees must come to an end,” says Ameso as that can enable members access immense potential and opportu- she justifies why girl child education reasonable amounts of credit which nities that can be harnessed in the and women’s empowerment is top on they will pump into income generating activities. county to improve livelihood. She her agenda.

“I have lived in this same village “Merry go rounds have in the believes in empowering her community through the ordinary means for like them but what has set me apart past worked for women but the imis my education,” she notes. Ameso pact has remained small and reduced them to become productive.

“We have a lot of resources in Ka- believes in modelling girls and boys women to social gatherings,” she obkamega County that can be tapped to excel to the next level of education serves adding her idea will involve and exploited for the benefit of our so that they can be change agents that changing perceptions of business in order to take it to the next level. people,” observes Ameso. She be- the community desires.

Inability

wo female politicians in Mt Kenya region have made history after they were re-elected in constituencies that have history of being represented by male parliamentarians.

Runyenjes MP Cecily Mbarire and her Nyeri town colleague Esther Murugi beat their male rivals to retain their seats on The National Alliance (TNA) tickets.

Mbarire beat her Alliance Party of Kenya (APK) rival Eric Muchangi with more than 8,000 votes after garnering 28,231 against Muchangi’s 19,954 votes.

In Nyeri Town, Murugi beat her closest rival Maina Mathenge who vied on a Government of National Unity (GNU) ticket with more than 7,000 votes to retain her seat. She garnered 28,564 against Mathenge’s 21,154 votes.

The two constituencies had never been represented by women in parliament until 2002 when the two politicians broke the jinx.

During the 2002 elections, Mbarire beat Martin Nyaga Wambora to become the first woman MP for Runyenjes Constituency while Murugi beat P.G Murithi in the 2007 General Elections.

“I am happy because Christians prayed for me and we were able to overcome the curse that is perceived to have befallen Nyeri since time immemorial that no MP can be re-elected,” said Murugi.

Speaking after winning the seat in Nyeri Town seat, Murugi said she was happy to have broken the so called curse twice.

Mbarire said that she was happy to have broken the jinx adding that her constituents are changing in the way they elect their leaders.

“I think the people of Runyenjes are changing in the way they elect their leaders. They looked at my performance and wanted continuity for full growth,” she said.

Her father the late Njagi Mbarire was the only MP to have been re-elected in Runyenyes Constituency in the early 1970s.

Coincidentally, Runyenjes Constituency was carved off Manyatta Constituency in 1988 as Nyeri Town was hived off the larger Nyeri Constituency in the same year.

Murugi served the Kibaki government first as Minister for Gender and Children’s Affairs before moving to the Special Programmes ministry.

Mbarire served as Tourism Assistant Minister while earlier she had been the Transport Assistant Minister between 2005 and 2007.

Women lawyers take leadership in Narok

…By Munene Maina

W

omen campaigning in Narok faced a myriad of challenges that included lack of finances to move around in the expansive area that has very poor roads. Although the community is gradually accepting women leaders, cultural impediments remain a big hurdle to many women seeking political seats.

Unlike in the past elections women came out in large numbers to vote as early as 4 am and braced the scorching heat in long queues before casting their votes. There were no major incidences against women in most polling stations in the county.

Soipan Tuya will be the first Narok women representative after a land slide victory in a hotly contested race pitting other six contenders.

She garnered 108,381 votes to emerge the win-

ner with her closest competitor Mercy Cheroyitch getting 53,981 votes.

Tuya, an advocate of the High, beat the hitherto seasoned political rivals like Lydia Masikonte and Agnes Pareiyo who became third and fourth respectively.

Masikonte, daughter to former Narok North MP William Ole Ntimama and Pareiyo a renowned anti-FGM crusader both served in Narok County Council as nominated councillors.

Masikonte got 28,497 votes while Pareiyo got 26,832.

Tuya will be the first woman in the history of Narok to be elected in Parliament. Being the women representative in a county where women are subjected to cultural gender discrimination that impede their empowerment, she faces an uphill task to ensure women overcome the challenge.

Among the issues Tuya hopes to fight against are female genital mutilation (FGM) which stands at 73 per cent in Maa community as well as early child marriages. She is expected also to ensure that women in the county are empowered economically, socially and politically.

During her campaigns, Tuya promised a new dawn to women and youth in the county saying her leadership will transform the community.

Experience

With her experience working with the government and non-governmental organisations around issues of human rights and gender access to justice, women and youth hope her tenure in parliament will change their position in society especially in leadership where they are sidelined.

Tuya, is the daughter of a former Narok South

MP Samson ole Tuya. She holds undergraduate and post-graduate degrees in law.

Another woman who will be at the helm of Narok leadership will be Evelyn Chepkurui who will serve in the capacity of deputy governor. Chepkurui, also a lawyer, has in the past contested for parliamentary seat to no avail. In 2007 General Election she came second in the contest for Narok South parliamentary seat.

Another woman is Leah Ntimama who has been at the forefront campaigning for URP in Narok. She is expected to be nominated to the Senate.

Other women who vied for other positions did not go through. The only woman running for Narok South parliamentary seat Ruth Too came last with 647 votes in a race dominated by men.

Janet Naserian also tried her luck in Kilgoris Constituency only to be defeated in the ODM primaries.

10

Special Post-Election Issue

Issue Number 36 • April 2013

Bright future for the disabled in the new political dispensation …By Joseph Mukubwa

T

he face of the country’s political arena has changed with the recent election of people with disabilities in political positions. As the results were announced for the six elective positions, names of people living with disabilities featured prominently.

The first notable one was lawyer Tim Wanyonyi who was elected Member of Parliament Westland Constituency. Despite the challenges he faced of campaigning on a wheel chair, Wanyonyi went on to beat several rivals to clinch the seat previously held by Local Government Minister Fred Gumo who has since retired from politics after two decades.

Wanyonyi, is looking forward to be sworn in while on a wheel chair together with the 289 other men and women. He joins former Samburu East Sammy Leshore who was elected Senator for Samburu County. Leshore has been on a wheel chair ever since he survived an assassin’s bullet forcing him to use a wheelchair for the rest of his second term in the august House.

They will be joined by four others who will be a man and woman who will be nominated to the National

Assembly and another man and woman who will be nominated to the Senate. The four will be people living with disability.

Others who have trailed the path of politics while physically disabled include the late MP for Mumias Constituency Dr Elon Wameyo who was elected in 1979 and served until 1997. The later former Gem MP Dr Oki Ooko Ombaka became blind in the middle of his tenure after being elected on a Ford Kenya ticket in 1992. Lawyer Josephine Sino was a Nominated MP by Safina party in 1998 and served for one term.

interpreter.

They educated them on the Constitution and offered civic education in relation to the elections, reminding them of their rights and responsibilities as citizens.

According to Josephine Aska, Chief Executive Officer Federation of Deaf Women Empowerment at the organization was started four years ago.

Initially it targeted people with disabilities but later discovered that even normal people wanted to join the programme as it was an interesting group.

“Initially, the trick was to look for better ways to convince them using the signs and later the people got used,” explains Aska. She adds: “We have ofIn the pre-election periodthere fered civic education to hundreds of were a number of organisations that people who keenly listened to us. Most targeted people living with disability of the people in Nyeri and Kirinyaga Lawyer Tim Wanyonyi who in creating awareness around the new counties responded very well to the campaigned on a wheel chair and political dispensation and voting. programme.” managed to beat several rivals to Among the voter-education groups Aska notes that basic education was Federation of Deaf Women Em- clinch the seat previously held by Local on the Bill of Rights impressed many. powerment Network which focused Government Minister Fred Gumo.

However, she observes that most had on people who were hard of hearing.

Picture:Kenyan Woman Correspondent difficulties in understanding issues Indeed, as many organisations around devolved government. struggled to offer civic education on “We use sign language and an the eve of the General Election, this where they are not able to talk and are interpreter while educating which special group made up of deaf mem- of hard hearing, they walked the ex- is the easiest way, although it is a big bers went beyond borders. tra mile to educate over 800 people in challenge to many,” she explains.

Despite them being in a position many parts of the country through an Through funding from the UNDP

Awareness

…By Albert Mutua

T

…By Joseph Mukubwa

F

Nyeri county new team from left former Mathira MP Nderitu Gachagua, Nyeri women rep Priscilla Nyokabi and Nyeri Senator Mutahi Kagwe recently immediately after they were announced winners at Nyeri Moi Primary School. Picture: Joseph Mukubwa for Nyeri County. Her priorities include matters touching on the youth and education as well as ensuring there is piped water in all homes within the county.

She has had her input in various boards of schools within the county. “I also serve on the Karima Boys’ School Board where I prepared the strategic plan that saw the school start a progressive journey from mean grade 5.8 to last year’s 8.8 becoming the best boys’ school in Nyeri South District,” she explains.

She is also a member of the Gatugi Girls’ and Muirungi Secondary schools boards.

Record

Previously she served as a programme officer with the International Commission of Jurists (ICJ) Kenya chapter.

“In early 2004, I joined the Kenyan Section of the International Commission of Jurists as an Assistant Programmes Officer and rose through the ranks to Senior Programmes Officer,” says Nyokabi who

has now moved from the courts to politics.

In August 2009, she joined Kituo cha Sheria as the Executive Director when the predecessor Dr Ekuru Aukot joined the Committee of Experts on constitutional review.

She is a recognised human rights lawyer and has travelled across the globe in advancement of the human rights agenda in Kenya and globally. This is what she will want to exercise as she serves the people of Nyeri County.

Sebisubi leaves a mark in the race for Kinango seat …By Teryani Mwadzaya

R

ehmat Nadzua Sebisubi may have lost her bid for the Kinango Constituency parliamentary seat in the just concluded General Elections but will firmly be remembered for her brevity in challenging the male dominated political field.

Sebisubi, who was contesting on Unity Party of Kenya ticket, did not shy away from the hotly contested race which had attracted seven male aspirants including the incumbent Samuel Gonzi Rai who retained the seat.

By remaining firmly in the race, Sebisubi managed to build her social, political and economic profile

Funds

The Federation of Deaf Women Empowerment Network has over 3,700 members countrywide with 420 of them coming from Nyeri County and over 100 from neighbouring Kirinyaga County. Aska, who is interested being nominated to represent the disabled notes that many of their members are also interested in the special seat and their being deaf should not be used as a barrier to ascending political positions.

She urges Kenyans to embrace the disabled as provided in the Constitution so that they can represent their own in the County assemblies, Parliament and Senate.

The Network has offices in Central, Coast, Rift Valley and Western provinces.

However, Aska urges more donors to chip in and fund the group saying lack of resources has been a major challenge.

Women post poor performance in Taita Taveta County

Human rights defender clinches Nyeri county seat ormer Kituo Cha Sheria executive director Priscilla Nyokabi has been elected the Nyeri County Women representative.

The National Alliance (TNA) party candidate garnered 215,418 against her closest rival Mukami Wachira who got 62,725 votes. Other contestants were Ann Nyambura (DP) 17,225, Sheila Githaiga (Narc) 17,088 and Cathy Irungu (Mazingira party) 12,456.

Nyokabi, 35, who is an advocate of the High Court holds a degree in law from the University of Nairobi.

She hopes to develop teamwork within the next three months which will help in drafting a development plan for the county.

Ambitious, hardworking, selfdriven, self-motivated, positive and pragmatic, Nyokabi has huge plans

under Amkeni Wakenya the group received KSh1.2 million which they used to inform and educate hundreds of voters.

“Amkeni-Wakenya helped us most in funding and capacity building. They improved our work very much as well,” says Aska.

in the community.

Sebisubi had promised to introduce projects geared towards alleviating poverty if elected. Records from the Kwale District Development Plan 2004-2008, indicate that poverty levels in the area remain high with about 50 per cent of the population living in absolute poverty. Leadership she believed that a woman can take charge of public affairs and offer alternative leadership based on integrity and rule of law.

However, she faced the customary laws of the Durumas, who just like their Digo counterparts, use traditional systems of governance that are purely dominated by men to resolve cases of murder, adultery,

fornication, divorce, marriage and theft within the community.

“Although I garnered 674 votes against the 20,000 votes bagged by the winner, I am happy that I managed to remain in the race upto the last minute and trounced some of my male opponents,” she said during an interview.

Her campaign mainly focused on promoting girl-child education which resonated well with the womenfolk.

“Although I lost the elections, it is my sincere hope that the MP-elect will work towards the realisation of people’s aspiraSebisubi lost in the 2013 elections tions,” Sebisubi reiterated adding but still believes in her course. her ‘dreams’ will not fade into Picture: Teryani Mwadzaya oblivion.

he March 4 General Election was a historical event that took place under the new constitution. The process of electing six leaders as opposed to three in the past elections was a gruelling ordeal.

In Taita Taveta county things were not different as there was a huge turnout of voters to exercise their democratic right. Taita Taveta has four constituencies namely Voi, Mwatate, Wundanyi and Taveta with over 120,000 registered voters.

Security was beefed up within the County despite few reported incidents in Taveta and Wundanyi constituencies where some leaflets were dropped warning people not to vote for a particular candidate.

However, despite women turning out to vie for positions that included governor, senator as well as MP and women’s and county ward representatives, they posted a dismal performance.

According to Edina Damian Milimito who was contesting for the position of a County Assembly representative and the only woman among eleven aspirants, the challenge was when the IEBC refused to clear her for lack of an identity card.

Hiccups

“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.

However, all was not lost for the immediate former Taveta MP Naomi Shaban who trounced her closest rival Ruth Lelewu of ODM in a race that had attracted nine candidates. Taveta has 24,499 registered voters with about 66 polling stations.

According to results released by the IEBC Shaban clinched 6357 votes against her closest rival Basil Criticos 6,251, Mike Banton 4,190, Stephen Odiaga 1,396, Ruth Lelewu 1,180, Muli Kimenzu 654, Jerry Kimaro 302, Raphael Nzuki 179 and Patrick Ngoto had 105 votes.

The entire voting process was termed as unfair by other candidates in Taita Taveta County.

Lelewu cited discrimination against women candidates.

“We really had it rough as our opponents especially men dished out money during the campaigns but Shaban managed to retain her seat on a TNA ticket,” she said.

11

Special Post-Election Issue

Issue Number 36 • April 2013

Beth Muchiri

The only woman elected in Laikipia County …By Paul Mwaniki

B

eth Waithira Muchiri is the only woman in Laikipia County who won in the hotly contested election to secure a place in the new county assembly.

Muchiri, 30, trounced former Laikipia County Council Chairman Joseph Karonji twice after he sought an Agano party certificate after losing to her in the TNA nominations.

She will now represent Tigithi Ward in the County assembly, a seat that has been held by men over the last 30 years.

Decamping

“Most of my male competitors refused to give up after I trounced them during the party primaries.

Majority decamped to other parties so that they could be in the ballot box but I was ready for a re-run,” says an elated Muchiri after she emerged the winner.

The youthful winner attributes her victory to the willingness of the electorate to embrace change in leadership in the region. She notes that the

region has lagged behind in development due to bad leadership.

Muchiri notes that despite having received immense resources, only a handful of projects that directly benefit the residents have been implemented in the County.

“Most educated youths have been left to languish in unending poverty despite the fact that the government introduced the youth fund,” she observes.

She says her immediate duty is to work with the Government to channel more funds to the grassroots where cottage industries have shown potential.

“Tigithi Ward in Laikipia Central District is known for its productivity in crop production and what the youths need here is capital to own greenhouses so that as groups they can reap highly from the resources,” she explains.

Muchiri who was born and brought up in the County maintains that she is better placed to articulate the aspirations of the local people.

At the same time she notes that most women lost in the election due to lack of resources and other respon-

sibilities that are vested in them at family level.

“Young mothers like me have the responsibility of bringing up children at home as well as other chores that require women to submit to their husbands,” she explains.

Approval

On resources, Waithira notes that in a home most property still belongs to the man and it is hard to use the same resources in your campaigns without seeking his approval and this is why majority of women are hardly able to sell their agenda.

However, she thinks women should be more persistent in politics if they want to reach the level of their male competitors.

Her plea to The National Alliance (TNA) party which garnered eleven seats in the county and will have a vacancy for eight nominations is to award at least five or six women who tirelessly tried but failed on other grounds.

Councillor Jane Wanjugu who contested on a TNA ticket in Segera Ward and came second blamed it on retrogressive culture among some com-

munities which up to now have not embraced women leadership.

“Though I campaigned tirelessly, Beth Muchiris race was crowded by men but she I found it hard to made it through. Picture: Paul Mwaniki penetrate the regions where some commusaw almost every woman going for nities embraced their men other than women coming from it instead of opting for the seat with outside in Laikipia North Constitu- less scope in campaigns but all inclusive Member of Parliament. ency,” she notes.

According to Helen Kurutu who Wanjugu garnered over 1,200 votes while the winner scooped over lost during the nominations for the women’s seat, most women fear com1,600.

Having been elected in the previ- peting with men and this explains ous councils for two terms in her for- why they all decided to go for the mer ward before they were joined to seat because they were assured of fair form a bigger ward with diverse cul- play.

However, the number of women tures, Wanjugu says there is need for more civic education so that com- who offered themselves for the elecmunities can accept to give women a tive positions especially in the County Representative was higher than previchance in leadership.

Though women are shying away ous years and this can be termed as from major political seats, the cre- something positive coming from the ation of the Women’s Representative affirmative action. seat has acted as an eye opener that

Women lose and gain seats in Naivasha’s political strongholds

…By Steve Mucheru

W

omen vying for the senator’s seat in the Nakuru County in the recently concluded General Election found the terrain rough as they were shoved aside by male counterparts despite putting up a spirited campaign.

Those aspiring for political seats in the Naivasha Constituency gave the Governor’s and parliamentary seat a wide berth preferring to run for the senator position. Among them was former legislator Jayne Kihara who ended up being among those vanquished for going against the grain.

The former Member of Parliament and one time assistant minister failed to overcome the Jubilee wave, having contested on a Narc-Kenya ticket.

Despite being a crowd puller during her hey days in the National assembly, Kihara found a different ball game when vying for a more senior position and had 11 constituencies to contend with.

Prospects

“I was banking on the electorate from Naivasha and Gilgil to shore up the numbers but things did not work my way. The Jubilee euphoria was at its crescendo,” notes former legislator.

Blessed with a personal clout, Kihara was largely expected to give her competitors a run for their money regardless of the party affiliation but her calculations this time round failed to win her substantial votes.

Distraught by the loss, Kihara decided to quit politics and ply her trade on personal business. “I have learnt my lesson in politics.

I had my good and bad times in the political arena but I am now quitting elective posts,” she says.

Kihara alluded to have confidently expected to do well in the senatorial contest, but

could not withstand the TNA euphoria in the county.

“It is distressing that the party euphoria is still a major factor in politics despite the new political order,” notes Kihara. She says: “I am looking forward to a time when the electorate will evaluate a candidate’s ability to deliver instead of voting along party lines.”

Her former constituents gave her a paltry 16,287 votes compared to the eventual winner, James Kiarie Mungai who garnered 56,778 votes to walk away with the prized trophy.

The huge margin was, perhaps, what led to Kihara to retire from politics having turned down calls by the electorate to vie for the MP’s seat which she could have easily clinched.

Competition

Her fellow competitor Josepha Wambui Mambo of Grand National Union (GNU) also fared dismally securing 2,303 votes only. She could not hold out the heat in a campaign that had men calling the shots.

But, perhaps, on a lighter side, women candidates in the race for the County Representative seat both in Naivasha and Gilgil constituencies had the last laugh with Eunice Wambui Muriithi trouncing her rivals to win the Viwandani ward in Naivasha Constituency.

Going by the acronym, Mama Soko she enjoyed near fanatical following and appealed to almost all the electorate including the youth, perhaps due to the nature of her work as market vendor.

She rode to victory on the little known Mazingira Green Party garnering 6,213 votes to stem off the URP and TNA wave.

She was initially in TNA but failed to secure the party ticket and quickly jumped ship to the smaller party believing that she had been rigged out. The fanatical support

Former Naivasha MP and NARC-Kenya senatorial aspirant for Nakuru County Mrs. Jayne Kihara. She lost her bid to TNA’s James Kiarie Mungai. Picture: Steve Mucheru became a boon as she secured the seat at the end.

“I don’t believe the TNA nominations were free and fair forcing me to seek refuge elsewhere, luckily, the results have vindicated my decision,” said the affable Mama Soko.

Winners

However, she had to endure tense moments before upstaging her main rival from URP with slightly more than 100 votes.

In Gilgil, women were laughing all the way to the Country assembly as three of them were elected on a TNA ticket.

Leading the pack was the Gilgil Ward County Representative elect Jane Ngugi who

polled 6,791 while her closest challenger trailing behind her with more than 3,000 votes.

Others who made women proud included Monicah Gitau who won the Morendat civic seat and Jane Simita who won the Eburru/Baruk seat in the newly created Gilgil Constituency.

Despite vying on a popular party, the three had to overcome the rigours of party nominations, in the process flooring seasoned political heavyweights to have a smooth ride to the assembly.

“We had to overcome stereotypes and did a lot of mobilisation during our campaigns, luckily the majority of voters supported our bid,” notes Ngugi.

12

Special Post-Election Issue

Issue Number 36 • April 2013

Women candidates in Nyanza locked out

…By Oloo Janak

T

he absence of elected women from Nyanza in the Kenyan National Assembly over nearly a decade has been a shameful blot on a region that played a pioneering role in recognising the importance and role of women as leaders right from independence.

It was Nyanza that produced Grace Onyango, a pioneer woman leader in Kenya who was not only the first woman elected to parliament but also the first woman mayor.

The region was later to produce great women leaders, notably former Karachuonyo MP Phoebe Asiyo, and former Gem MP and one time Assistant Minister Grace Ogot. Catherine Nyamato also from the region served as a nominated MP, increasing the tally in the 1990s.

Of course other women have previously been elected and served at lower levels. These include two former Homa Bay County Council chairpersons Jane Were and Dorcas Matunga, former Kisumu and Migori mayors Priscah Auma and Truphosa Adawo respectively.

Gap

At the parliamentary level, the gap has been worrying over the past ten years. Other regions, traditionally synonymous with gender disparities in terms of representation are slowly embracing change. Rift Valley, for instance, managed to bring a record seven women legislators to the last parliament.

During the just concluded General Elections, Nyanza was expected to bring in several MPs. Gender equality advocates from the region had campaigned hard and long but their efforts returned minimal numbers from the constituencies.

Only Millie Odhiambo, who was nominated MP in the last Parliament, got elected to represent Mbita Constituency, formerly represented by Otieno Kajwang, now Homa Bay Senator.

The election did not come easy for Odhiambo, popularly referred to as “Gesa Gesa”, on account of her agility, debating prowess and visibility.

Odhiambo, a lawyer by profession and renowned gender equality advocate has through her election broken a jinx

of sorts. She has been elected where she was born –making her among the Luo, the first migogo (the usual reference to a lady married elsewhere by her relatives in her birth place) to achieve the feat.

Constitution

The constitutional provisions that allocated women seats at the County level has proved a saving grace for Nyanza as Odhiambo will now have companionship from the six Women County Representatives recently elected.

The Women County Representatives from Nyanza who were all elected on the Orange Democratic Movement (ODM) ticket are: Gladys Wanga (Homa Bay,) Denitah Ghati (Migori), Dr Christine Ombaka (Siaya), Mary Sally Keraa (Kisii), Alice Chae (Nyamira) and Rose Nyamunga (Kisumu).

While it is true that a number of women came out to contest various positions, constituency seats did not attract as many women as was expected.

There were no prominent names contesting as MPs except at the County Women Representative level and a few for governorship.

The second time loss of Roza Buyu to lawyer Olago Aluoch, by a narrow margin is probably the most painful among women MP aspirants. Buyu put up a gallant fight on an ODM ticket against a determined onslaught from Olago Aluoch on Ford Kenya ticket, who was aided by what many believe to be clan and gender considerations in Kisumu West, still predominantly rural and conservative.

Former Provincial Education Officer and later Teachers Service Commissioner Roselyn Onyuka lost the race for the Homa Bay County Women Representative at the ODM party primaries Wanga.

In Migori, Anne Omodho Anyanga, wife to Nyatike MP Edick Omondi Anyanga, who waged a determined fight for the governor’s seat, including using a helicopter to campaign in the vast county, lost her quest for the seat.

She nearly became deputy governor as she later dropped her bid to become running mate to Prof Edward Oyugi who lost narrowly by less than 180 votes to Okoth Obado who clinched the seat.

Women aspirants in Siaya County hold their hands as a sign of solidarity before the elections. Only one woman was elected for the position of a County Assembly Representative. Picture: Omondi Gwengi.

Ruth Odinga, a sister to ODM presidential candidate Raila Odinga lost her quest to become Kisumu County Governor amid tension and discrimination based on her dominant family background but has bounced back to become the Deputy Governor to the eventual winner Jack Ranguma.

In Siaya, Dr Concilia Ondiek, an educationist and wife to former Ugenya MP Bishop Stephen Ondiek, failed in her bid to be elected Women Representative, losing to Ombaka. A former nun and a scholar, who contested for governorship as an independent candidate, also lost her quest to Rasanga Amoth.

Numbers

It is, however, encouraging to note that many women this time round came out to contest for seats even though most of them lost. Those who have won seats will be role models and an encouragement to other women that all is not lost in their quest for gender parity.

Many of them were women of substance, from the academia, business and civil society, indicating that in future the region will not lack the kind of human resource required at various

levels of political leadership.

The equation of gender representation at the national, senate and county assemblies will obviously improve the situation for the region and make up for gaps that the political party primaries and the actual election brought up.

Almost all the six counties in Nyanza will need to nominate more women to the County Assembly given that most of the Ward Representatives elected were men. For instance, in Migori County, only one woman was elected as county representative out of the 39 seats.

Kisii and Kuria communities, who have been more conservative and negative against the election of women to key elective positions have this time produced two Women County Assembly Representatives — Alice Chae (Nyamira) and Denitah Ghati (Migori).

In the case of Ghati, it is important to note that most of her Kuria people still felt negative towards her candidature but she had a huge appeal across the County, making the majority Luo and other smaller ethnic groups vote her easily against other Luo women candidates.

The challenge is for the women

leaders and indeed the entire leadership of the region to forge ahead with the fight for greater gender parity at all levels, both elective and appointive positions to ensure that Nyanza regains its pivotal role as torch in producing and nurturing women leaders.

This will require determined effort, starting at school level as the number of women being produced to join universities and other tertiary institutions have significantly dropped over the last two decades.

Challenges

There will also be need for sustained campaign against negative cultural practices and attitudes that have in the past affected the participation of women in leadership at various levels.

The women elected to various positions and those who will be nominated must work hard to show that women can indeed make a difference when given leadership positions, as indeed has been amply demonstrated in the past.

It can be said, confidently, that for Nyanza, the 2017 General Election will see a major shift in attitude towards women and many more are certain to be elected at different levels.

Party wave upset realisation of gender rule …By Robert Wanjala

W

omen candidates performed dismally under the strong wave of United Republican Party (URP) that swept Uasin Gishu County in the just concluded general elections.

During party nominations, only a handful of women who secured URP tickets, were guaranteed a clean win in the final polls. The general elections for them were just a formality.

“Whether you like it or not Uasin Gishu County and by extension Rift Valley at large was a URP zone.

Like most voters I voted for any candidate who was on URP ticket,” says Calvin Koech, a resident in Uasin Gishu County.

Koech says women who vied on other political parties suffered a humiliating defeat for going against the community’s wishes. However, there are men who won on parties such as Kanu despite the URP wave.

However, strong women like Margaret Kamar lost for going against the grain.

According to Eunice Wairimu, a voter: “This election was not so much about candidates but rather alienation to political parties. Right from party primaries, women were never given a fair chance to stand.

Female candidates we expected were edged out leaving limited option to choose from.”

Wairimu notes that women who decamped to other unpopular parties in the region again did not make any impact during campaigns because of financial limitations and other factors.

A few of the female candidates who braved the URP wave on unpopular parties still lost to their competitors despite their potential to offer quality and effective leadership.

Political wave

According to Richard Maina, Regional Programme Officer with Transparency International, most women candidates failed to capture seats in the recent General Election due to strong political party waves.

Maina also blames strong cultural beliefs and financial challenges as

factors that prevented most women from competing favourably.

“Women who vied on unpopular parties met the wrath of voters in spite of their potential to offer quality and effective leadership,” notes Maina.

Defeat

He observes that female candidates from pastoralist areas were hardest hit as they were forced to solicit financial support from their unwilling husbands.

Maina notes that most husbands were not willing to support their wives saying that politics was a tricky venture.

“Majority of women stood out as the greatest losers because of lack of resources for elaborate campaigns coupled with cultural issues,” observes Maina.

Higher Education Minister Professor Margret Kamar conceded gubernatorial defeat against 39 year-old Jackson Mandago, a former Teacher Service Commission official who garnered 210,682 out of the possible 286,838 cast votes.

Kamar who vied on an Orange

Democratic Movement (ODM) garnered 70,912 votes.

Eusilah Ngeny (URP) won the Women Representative seat which had attracted seven candidates fighting on various political parties. Ngeny garnered 213, 487 votes against her closest competitor Moira Chepkok, (ODM who stood a distant second with 36,970 out of the 290,429 votes cast.

A handful of women secured county representative seats. Rebecca Magut and Josephine Tireite won Kuinet Kapsuswa and Cheptiret Kipchamo ward seats respectively.

Numbers

Maina says most male candidates mounted high political campaigns where women could not afford to foot such expenses.

Most communities are yet to fully appreciate the potential of women’s leadership. Maina blames political parties urging them to review their constitution to ensure free and fair nominations.

He notes that very few women would have landed leadership posi-

tions if affirmative action had not provided for the direct election of 47 women representatives across counties.

In Uasin Gishu County alone, less than six women managed to capture various seats in the recent concluded general elections.

URP of Jubilee Coalition swept all the six seats in Uasin Gishu County with the Presidential candidate Uhuru Kenyatta garnering 212,684 votes against the total 288,752 cast votes.

Raila Odinga’s ODM, a key partner of Coalition for Reforms and Democracy (CORD) came a distant second with 60,424 votes and the rejected votes stood at 5,279.

All the six constituencies – Soy and Turbo formerly Eldoret North, Kapseret and Kesses formerly Eldoret South and Anabkoi and Moiben curved up from former Eldoret East were swept by URP. While declaring winners, Truphosa Korir the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC) Uasin Gishu County Returning Officer, said the elections were free and fair.

13

Special Post-Election Issue

Issue Number 36 • April 2013

Esther Murugi breaks the curse of Nyeri Town S …By Joseph Mukubwa

pecial Programmes minister Esther Murugi has broken the jinx widely associated with Nyeri Town Constituency that all elected Members of Parliament in the area serve for only one term.

This is the second time she has proved sceptics wrong. When she won the seat in 2007, Murugi became the first woman to be elected legislator in the constituency.

“I need to thank all Christians who prayed for me to break the two curses. I now have the energy to serve the Nyeri Town people for another term. They have now nicknamed me ‘Mama Simba’,” she said after being declared winner.

Victory

Murugi who was vying on a The National Alliance (TNA) party ticket garnered 28,564 votes against her closest rival Duncan Maina Mathenge who garnered 21,154.

Others were George Miatu 5,341, Paul Kanyari 2,084, Ng’ang’a Kibue 880 and Nginga Kimotho 442 votes.

Mathenge has since vowed to challenge the elections in court.

Murugi urged winners and losers to join hands and ensure that the Constituency moves forward.

She called on the electorate to forget about the politics of sixpiece-vote since the Nyeri people spoke through their vote and decided to elect some leaders who were not of TNA party.

Murugi’s first agenda this term is to ensure that the Nyeri Provin-

cial General Hospital is upgraded to a referral hospital.

The 60-year-old minister was first elected Nyeri Town MP in 2007 after unsuccessfully contesting in the previous elections.

She was then appointed Minister for Gender and Children Affairs and later moved to Special Programmes Ministry.

Membership

Murugi holds a degree in Land Economics from University of Nairobi and is a member of the Institute of Surveyors of Kenya 1989 Valuation and Estate Agents Chapter and also a member of the Institute of Surveyors of Kenya 1987 Land Management Chapter.

Murugi has also been a member of Soroptimist International which is a worldwide organisation for women in management and professionals working through service projects to advance human rights and the status of women.

Soroptimist activities are carried out under economic and social development, education, environment, health, human rights/status of women and international goodwill and understanding.

In 1977–1980 she worked as a Lands Officer attached to the Commissioner of Lands.

She has also been practicing as a Registered Estate Agent operating under Lustman & Co. (90) where the company offers property management services and has been Managing Director of Njanja Holding Limited.

A

market trader has defied all odds to clinch a civic ward seat in Viwandani ward in Gilgil.

For Eunice Wambui Mureithi, life prospects are set to change after voters endorsed her candidature overwhelmingly. Mureithi who contested on the Mazingira Party ticket managed an impressive 6,213 votes against her closest rival who garnered a paltry 112 votes.

Popularly known as Mama Soko, Mureithi is widely known for selling bananas and watermelon at the Naivasha Wholesale Market.

During the campaigns her opponents dismissed her as a joker and it took them by surprise when she was announced the winner.

Challenges

At the market place where she sells vegetables, fellow traders could not believe that she had won the seat and thanked God for granting her the win, with more than 1,000 people kneeling in their stalls to pray.

However, Mureithi admits that it was not an easy race for her. Only a few days before the elections, her campaign team was attacked by rowdy goons hired by her competitors.

“They beat us up and tore our dresses. They could not believe that a market place could produce any leader to govern them,” Mureithi said in an interview.

…By Ryan Mathenge

A

fter months of vigorous campaigns women who were eying various positions managed to claim elective slots during the March 4 General Election.

Although incidents of fear and intimidations had been reported, no violence was officially recorded to the authorities such as the police and Independent Electoral Boundaries Commission (IEBC).

It also emerged that for the first time the public embraced and tolerated women contesting for various seats in Central Kenya as enshrined in the Constitution.

In the past elections, many of the women assumed civic leadership positions and through nominations as members of parliament.

Female candidates who were vying on The National Alliance party ticket sailed through to clinch the seats thus defeating their male rivals after a year of bruising campaigns.

Institutions

Nyeri Town MP who is also the Special Programmes Minister Esther Murugi celebrates with her supporters in Nyeri town after being reelected as an MP recently. Picture: Joseph Mukubwa

Money fails to impress in the choice for Viwandani ward representative …By Nicole Waithira

Joint campaigns attract women to the electorate in Murang’a County

Her biggest challenge was a smear campaign targeted at her during the electioneering period.

“Some of those behind the smear campaign were women who cautioned people against voting for me because I was a single mother,” notes Mureithi.

Her other challenge was lack of resources as she did not have enough money to conduct huge political rallies.

“I survive through selling bananas and I could not afford to hold big rallies. It was too expensive. In most cases I was forced to walk for long distances and relied mainly on word of mouth to solicit for votes. This was quite different as majority of my competitors could afford to lavish their supporters with goodies,” she explained.

These, coupled with the fact that her party

“Those who dare contest for political seats are branded as prostitutes and women of loose morals. We have also been told that we cannot hold our homes.”

— Eunice Wambui

was unknown, made her competitors take advantage and hence start spreading rumours that she was vying on another party which was unpopular in the area.

Mureithi promises to fight for the rights of the children in the area, saying that even though the children did not cast their votes, they were the first ones to help in spreading the word that she was vying.

Plans

“I would like all children to feel safe and confident in their leaders. I want to not only invest in their education but also ensure that they can access proper health care,” she said.

Mureithi lamented that most women shied away from leadership positions because they did not believe in themselves.

“Those who dare contest for political seats are branded as prostitutes and women of loose morals. We have also been told that we cannot hold our homes,” she observed.

Mureithi pledges to help improve the markets by creating stalls in the area especially since many of them have been run down.

“It is unfortunate that the markets only have two toilets to serve a population of 900 people. I plan to create a cleaner environment for the traders who will be my first priority,” she noted.

However, Mureithi maintains that she will still continue selling fruits and vegetables but will now concentrate on wholesale trade.

A number of the institutions supported the female candidates as they tried to explain to the candidates concerns of affirmative action among other gender based issues.

In the National assembly category, Alice Muthoni Wahome trounced her male opponents to clinch the Kandara seat while Lucy Kago lost her bid for the Kigumo seat to Cabinet Minister Jamleck Kamau.

Muthoni, a lawyer by profession becomes the first female Member of Parliament to be elected in Murang’a County since independence.

She made her first attempt in 2007 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 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 most voted for candidate in the region.

In her campaigns, the former radio journalist called on the public to support female candidates as they are concerned with improving the living standards of the community.

Issues

Chege who resigned from Kenya Broadcasting Corporation (KBC) during her campaigns emerged as the only assured candidate to face the ballot as she conducted peaceful and issues oriented campaigns while men on the other hand issued threats and intimidations to their rivals.

The Kenyan Woman reveals that during the campaign for the county women representative, the candidates conducted joint campaigns unlike their male counterparts who conducted theirs individually.

“The women are known to embrace peace and that is why the campaigns attracted a lot of attendance with members of the public gathering information from the candidates,” noted Chege.

Murang’a County Commissioner Kula Hache lauded the peaceful campaigns in the region saying the same trend should be encouraged.

“Culture of peace should be encouraged as duty of electing leaders lies in the hands of the electorate,” noted Hache.

14

Special Post-Election Issue

Issue Number 36 • April 2013

Women finding their way in German politics I W

Election officials need to mainstream gender in their plans

…By Melissa Eddy

…By Henry Kahara

ithin minutes of being sworn in as governor of the southwest German state of RhinelandPalatinate, Malu Dreyer turned to members of the opposition and gestured to lawmakers seated across the aisle from her centre-left party, offering not a challenge, but an invitation.

“I pledge to you open and constructive cooperation,” Dreyer said. “That this applies to all members of Parliament.”

In this, her inaugural address, she added: “Let us speak more with, and less about, one another. The origin of an idea is not important, but its value and use for our state.”

In Germany, where much is taken earnestly and politicians can be dour, Dreyer, 52, has made headlines for her wide smile. Her party, the Social Democrats, touted her sunny approach in a campaign that sold her as someone as “beloved as free beer and days off in summer”.

Her character and reputation defy what she has said is a condition that steeled her for the rough-and-tumble of politics: Dreyer suffers from multiple sclerosis, and frequently uses a wheelchair to get around.

Perhaps unsurprisingly, her political agenda is heavily focused on issues of social justice.

Notably, within weeks of taking office January 16, she pushed an initiative to enact a nationwide minimum wage, something resisted for years by the German political and business establishments.

t has been said again and again that women are the people who suffer most during war or competitions where both genders are involved. This has largely been blamed on the patriarchal nature of the society.

Kenya’s historical March 4, 2013 General Election was not different. Women were reported to have suffered greatly during the Election Day. Monica Kisanya a resident in Kawangware was among a group of women who were voting at Kawangware Primary and the memories of the day will linger in her mind for the rest of her life.

Kisanya was among the thousands who had woken up early in the morning to exercise their democratic right.

“I was among the first people to arrive at my polling station (Kawangware Primary) that’s some minutes to 5 am,” explains Kisanya.

But as fate would have it the gate was not opened. Little did she know that she would be forced to wait for two hours for the polling station to open.

According to Independent electoral Boundaries Commission (IEBC), the body mandated to conduct elections, gates at all polling stations were to be opened at 6am.

“They were late to open the gate by one hour,” says Kisanya. This saw a crowd of desperate people who wanted to have their voice heard forming outside the gate of this school.

Things went haywire when the crowd started pushing as all of them wanted to vote and then go away to continue with their daily chores. “Everyone wanted to go in and vote,” she recalls.

Influence

Dreyer made that move through the Bundesrat, the upper house of Parliament, and consists of representatives from the 16 states. It is in those states that German female politicians, long in the shadow of men, and of Chancellor Angela Merkel, who has headed the Christian Democratic Union since 2000, are now making their mark.

Dreyer declined to be interviewed for this article, citing the need to focus on her work in the weeks after taking office.

While Merkel has won spurs as one of the world’s most influential women since taking office in 2005, a new generation of women wields influence closer to home. One quarter of all the states are now governed by women.

Unlike the first women to enter the top levels of politics in the late 1980s and early 1990s, female governors today have spent years building up credentials in less visible positions and developed their own leadership style in the meantime.

Dreyer is a prime example. She describes her style as “inclusive, very team oriented, but also decisive”. She likes to listen to arguments, weigh possibilities and then make a decision.

During the 11 years she spent as Labour Minister in her state, Dreyer — a trained lawyer who served as a state prosecutor in Bad Kreuznach before entering politics, as the mayor of that same city — became known for tackling problems at the source. She held roundtable meetings to discuss the issue of caring for the elderly in nursing homes so that workers could participate. Her own experiences as the mother of a patchwork family with three children and resident of a publicly sponsored social living project have contributed to her image of being straightforward and someone to whom average people can relate.

Bettina Munimus, a researcher with the European Academy for Women in Politics and Economics, based in Berlin, said that Dreyer’s more consensus-oriented approach is indicative of an overall shift, visible in the other states where women are now in charge — including the biggest, North Rhine-Westphalia, as well as Saarland and Thuringia.

“In the previous generation, the old male politicians used the ‘basta’ style of politics to outwardly demonstrate power and the need

Malu Dreyer was recently elected as a governor in German. She is already using her position to fight for favorable labor laws which will mostly benefit women. Picture: Courtesy for the final word,” Munimus said. Not so the female governors.

“They know that power is needed to bring about policy, but along the way, it is important to cooperate, to create policy with others. That is the identifying factor of this style.”

Since 2010, another Social Democrat, Hannelore Kraft, has governed North RhineWestphalia, Germany’s most populous state and one known for decades as much for its old boys’ political network as for its heavy industry.

Kraft was forced to settle right after her election for a minority government that relied on the support of political foes to pass legislation. Together with the deputy governor, Sylvia Löhrmann from the Greens, Kraft dubbed her government the “invitation coalition” and got to work.

Two years later, her fragile constellation collapsed, and Kraft faced off against a former minister from Merkel’s conservative party in fresh elections last May. Not only did Kraft retain her governorship; she won a clear majority in the state legislature for government with the Greens.

Survey

Many Germans would have liked to see Kraft run as the Social Democratic candidate, challenging Merkel for the chancellorship, in the September elections. A recent survey by Statista pollsters showed the 51-year-old, the third most popular politician in the country, after Merkel and Joachim Gauck, the German president.

Instead, the Social Democrats chose Peer Steinbrück, whose straight-talking style is more associated with the cigar-chomping era of Gerhard Schröder and who raised eyebrows when he recently told the Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung that the chancellor was popular “because she gets a women’s bonus”.

Heidi Simonis, Germany’s first female governor — she led the state of Schleswig-Holstein for 12 years — disputed that view. In a recent interview from her home in Kiel, she cited courage, capability in a specific field or overall political experience as qualities displayed by the women who now hold office in the states.

“Just being a woman is no longer enough to earn a female bonus in Germany,” said Simonis, also a member of the Social Democrats.

Simonis served as finance minister for her

state before she was elected governor in the wake of Schleswig-Holstein’s worst political scandal since World War II. At the time, she said, her focus was not on her gender, but the challenges at hand.

“I just said, ‘I have a job to do here, whether they love me or don’t love me,’ although of course I preferred that they love me,” Simonis said. “That was enough to last for 12 years, although it has nothing to do with nice eyes or being a woman. You have to achieve a bit more for people to give you their vote.”

In addition to now running four of the 16 states and holding nearly a third of all seats in the national Parliament, women in Germany still face challenges when it comes to equality in the workplace and the business world.

Women in Germany earn roughly 22 per cent less than their male counterparts in comparable positions, according to the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development.

Despite efforts in recent years to help better combine the demands of full-time work with raising a family, women in Germany still remain underrepresented in the highest management positions. Only four per cent of seats on the management boards of the country’s top companies were held by women last year, according to the German Institute for Economic Research.

On the flip side, more than half of the 7.4 million lowest-paying jobs in Germany are held by women, who often earn less than €8.50, or $11, per hour, the rate that — if it is up to Dreyer — will become the national minimum wage.

Dreyer has already argued in favour of the minimum wage as the state Labour Minister.

She reasons that women would be among the main beneficiaries if the country broke with its tradition of allowing each industry to set its own pay agreements and instead enacted a national minimum wage.

Taking advantage of her newness on the national scene, she made the issue a top priority and got support from other states to push through the measure on March 1. “Article 3 of the German Constitution ensures the equal rights of men and women,” Dreyer told the Bild am Sonntag, a popular Sunday tabloid. “As long as women in Germany are discriminated against, I will fight for their rights.”

Courtesy of New York Times

Injuries

Unfortunately the weak gate was unable to carry their weight and broke down. Some fell down with the gate and were trampled on by others.

“I was among those people who were trampled on. Actually some of us sustained some serious injuries and had to go in the hospital for check-up,” says Kisanya who suffered bruises on her left rib.

Kisanya who works with Nairobi City Council (NCC) says she also suffered injuries on her legs and is complaining of chest problems. “I visited a doctor and they took an X-ray but they have assured me that I am fine,” she says.

According to Kisanya, some of the people who suffered were old women. For now she proposes that there be two lines representing the two genders while conducting such activities in order to protect women from male harassment.

Her sentiments are echoed by Jane Kamau, a voter at Ndararua Polling Station, Riruta Ward, Dagoretti South Constituency. Kamau was on the queue for seven hours but for now she can hardly walk. Her legs have swelled as she has sprained them.

“Those planning elections need to have women in mind when planning such exercises where both genders are being involved,” says Kamau.

Ndurarua was one of the constituency’s polling stations with a large number of voters.

Here the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission ( IEBC) official gave women with young children the priority to vote first. A privilege some misused in the early hours of the morning as some women would borrow children in order for them to be considered. This happened for long without the knowledge of election officials.

When the officials learnt of this misconduct, they started putting a mark on the children after their mothers had voted.

Elderly people were also given consideration although they were not categorized according to age. The sick and those who had special needs were also given due attention.

15

Special Post-Election Issue

Issue Number 36 • April 2013

Resources a major factor during campaigns

…By Kennedy Kibet

M

ost female candidates in North Rift suffered humiliating defeat during the elections with the majority of former MPs failing to capture their seats.

The voters were purely driven by political euphoria and most candidates did not survive the wave in respective party strongholds.

North Rift region is made up of six counties namely: Nandi, Uasin Gishu, Elgeyo Marakwet, Trans Nzoia, West Pokot and Turkana. According to the records by the Independent Electoral and Boundary Commission (IEBC), the region has a total of 958,003 out of 1.9 million estimated voters.

Winnie Maru who was vying for

Turbo parliamentary seat lost during the nominations. She attributes the dismal performance by women to their inability to mobilise resources.

Resources

“Although stakes were very high and nothing was left to chance, most women aspirants were unable to mobilise sufficient resources to mount massive campaigns, which in some cases required giving freebies,” said Maru.

Outgoing Higher Education Minister Professor Margaret Kamar who was vying for the Governorship in Uasin Gishu County on an ODM ticket was among those who lost in the elections.

In Elgeyo Marakwet County, former Kenyan envoy to South Africa

Tabitha Seii who was vying for the senate seat lost to energetic law scholar Kipchumba Murkomen of United Republican party (URP). While the architect of 2010 Female Genital Mutilation (FGM) Bill Linah Jebii Kilimo failed to secure the Marakwet East Constituency, a seat where she had served for the last two parliamentary terms.

Political wave

In Aldai Constituency of Nandi County, the outgoing Agriculture Minister Dr Sally Kosgey of ODM lost her parliamentary seat as the URP wave swept the region.

New comers who attempted to make a debut in politics in the region also failed to win various positions.

ODM’s Chepkok Moira who was

vying for the Women Representative position in Uasin Gishu County along with Caroline Cherono of UDF for the same position were also both unsuccessful.

“It was a tight race but I thank all those who voted for me. In every contest there is always a winner and a loser,” said Cherono.

However, a number of women clinched County Representative positions in Uasin Gishu, Nandi, Elgeyo Marakwet and Turkana counties.

Winners

The women who sailed through included Eusila Ngenyi of URP in Uasin Gishu and Dr Susan Chebet in Elgeyo Marakwet County. Chebet is a former senior administrator of Moi University and a crusader for the

rights of the girl-child.

“We will use this position to articulate the issues touching on women,” noted Chebet. She said it was unfortunate that many women did not make it through the elective positions in all the counties.

Many of the women aspirants, however, carried out extensive campaigns despite the financial challenges and other obstacles they faced.

Most of the parties have also proposed to nominate many women in a bid to balance representation in the region.

Both the winners and losers said they were happy that the IEBC had managed to organise credible, free and fair elections despite the challenges and delays in releasing the final results.

Hugo Chávez knew that his revolution depended on women

A

nd he was not the only one.

Presidents of Tanzania and Haiti have both benefited from making women central to progress The funeral of President Hugo Chávez of Venezuela took place on International 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 revolution 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 grassroots neighbourhood women.

In 2006, when announcing the partial implementation of Article 88 of the new constitution recognising caring work as productive — a breakthrough worldwide — Chávez said: “Women work so hard raising their children, ironing, washing, preparing food … giving [their children] an orientation … This was never recognised as work yet it is such hard work! ... Now the revolution puts you first, you too are workers, you housewives, workers in the home.”

Chávez was not the first movement leader who went on to head the government, to have understood women’s centrality to creating the new society they were striving to build.

Half a century ago, Julius Nyerere, leader of Tanzania’s independence struggle and its first president, aimed his programme for development at the elimination of two ills: women’s inequality and poverty. He said: “Women who live in villages work harder than anyone in Tanzania, working in the fields and in the homes”.

He added: “The truth is that in the villages the women work very hard.

At times they work for 12 or 14 hours a day. They even work on Sundays and public holidays. Whereas the village men are on leave half their lives.

Nyerere’s ujamaa or “African socialism” — self-reliance and co-opera-

The late Venezuela's president Hugo Chávez embraced by his supporters. He believed in women empowerment and they helped him to achieve most of his revolutions. Below: the late Julius Nyerere, first president of Tanzania worked hard towards elimination of women inequality and poverty. Pictures: Courtesy tion — was to keep Tanzania independent, by enabling it to refuse foreign loans. He insisted men must do their share. Equity was a question not only of justice but of economic necessity and political independence.

Equality

Encouraged by Nyerere, in one region, 17 ujamaa villages created a communal society based on equity among women and men, children and adults — all contributed what they could and shared equally in the wealth produced. Their extraordinary society was destroyed by Nyerere’s power-hungry colleagues against his will, but it showed us what is possible.

Closer to Venezuela, women gained recognition under Jean-Bertrand Aristide, Haiti’s first democratically elected president (1990 and 2000). Determined to tackle extreme poverty and injustice, Aristide created a Ministry of Women’s Affairs, appointed women to ministerial posts, supported girl domestic workers and survivors of military rape. As in Venezuela, women were the main organisers and beneficiaries of literacy and

health programmes; the rise in the minimum wage benefited them especially the sweatshop workers who are mainly women.

Young people’s love for Aristide is legendary, but women’s devotion has been as constant. Two months after the devastating 2010 earthquake, women collected 20,000 signatures in three days demanding President Aristide’s return from exile — they needed him for reconstruction. A year later he was back, not as president but as educator, reopening the medical school he had founded for poor students, which the coup had closed.

Recognition

In Bolivia, indigenous women were recognised as central to the mass mobilisations which propelled Evo Morales into the presidency. These included the “water wars” which drove the multinational Bechtel out of Bo-

livia (they privatised the water and criminalised people who collected rain water). In 2008 the women were prominent in surrounding Congress for several days while the new constitution was debated; the white parliamentary elite intended to absent themselves to prevent a vote. The blockade forced them to sleep in the building till the vote was taken. That constitution heralded a new level of power for women — from pay equity to recognition for the economic value of caring work.

As the president of the poor is laid to rest, the historic Operation Condor trial opens in Argentina, tackling the co-ordinated campaign of state terror of former Latin American dictatorships. We must recall a little-known aspect of Chávez’s legacy. Venezuela’s oil revenue supported Argentina’s Presidents Nestor and Cristina Kirchner, enabling them to pass laws removing the military’s immunity

“Women who live in villages work harder than anyone in Tanzania, working in the fields and in the homes.”

— Julius Nyerere

from prosecution. The Mothers and Grandmothers of the Plaza de Mayo, who led the 1983 overthrow of the dictatorship, and who had long campaigned for justice for the thousands the dictatorships raped, murdered and disappeared, have long paid tribute to Chávez — a most unusual military man.

They, like women all over South America and beyond, will be watching anxiously to see that the gains of the Bolivarian revolution are not undermined.

Courtesy of the Guardian Online

16

Special Post-Election Issue

Issue Number 36 • April 2013

Bills to empower women to land ownership

…By Maurice Alal

L

and is a resource of controversy that has caused animosity and bloodshed in many countries including Kenya.

Culture has played a major role in determining who owns land, where and how it is divided. Unfortunately women have over time watched from the sidelines as matters on the precious natural resource take centre stage even when it has had huge effects on their lives.

Milcah Apiyo Muganda hails from the shores of Lake Victoria and has been married for 13 years with four children; a testimony of her union.

During her over 10-year marriage, Muganda was engaged in a productive mitumba business with her husband. After marshalling enough savings, they jointly purchased approximately 0.052 hectares of land in Kisumu County.

Recently, Muganda narrated, their union took a different path when her husband found another woman and would often spend days at her house before returning home.

Action

Muganda was shocked when she got wind that her husband was in the process of buying a piece of land for his new found lover after selling the one they had bought together.

Having run short of cash, he decided to dispose off what he owned with Muganda to buy land with his new woman.

Fortunately, Muganda moved swiftly and obtained restraining orders that barred any transactions on the land from being carried out without her knowledge.

Muganda’s story is just one ac-

count out of so many typical scenarios that women face.

“Women are eager to own land but many of them fear that their husbands will get other wives and they will be forced to forfeit their right to ownership or share the land with wife number two, while they are the ones who sweat their brows to buy the land,” says George Ogutu, District Land Adjudication and Settlement Officer, Kisumu East.

Traditionally, men in Africa own land and have their names printed on the title deeds. Rarely is it said that a piece of land is owned by the mama so and so but often you will hear the phrase ‘shamba ya mzee so and so’ or that land belongs to son of X.

Policy

Other than land which is bought there is the family land which passed from father to son as per traditions.

A man who inherits land from his father, subdivides it so that the sons also get a share when they are adults and married. This valued practice has, however, resulted in the suffering of women who have been rendered homeless after the deaths of their husbands and sons. Daughters are also left out of this equation.

Ogutu said that approximately 90 per cent of land in Kisumu County is owned by men. He affirms this by pulling out a random file with over 200 parcels of registered land and reveals from the first ten pages, only one woman’s name featured as a registered owner. If this were a sufficient sample, it would be evidence enough.

The National Gender Development Policy Draft 2011 estimates that 80 per cent of Kenya’s population lives in the rural areas and that women own only five per cent of agricultural land in rural areas.

“Women have been squatters in their own homes contrary to constitution and the anticipated bill will empower women to land ownership.”

— Dr Elizabeth Akinyi Nzioki

The document also shows that women provide 75 per cent of agricultural labour and are the major practitioners of small scale farming while commercial farming is mostly undertaken by men, which translates into women having less access to modern farming technology and income than men.

However, Ogutu explains that in Kisumu County, this is typical as one will find more men than women in sugarcane and rice farming which is a big income earner in the region’s agricultural sector.

According to the Draft Policy, the Ministry of Land through the Department of Land Adjudication and Settlement has introduced a manda-

tory administrative requirement that 30 per cent of members of District Settlement Plot Allocation Committees be women.

However, the Kisumu East District comprises of nine gazetted members, of which two are women. The District Commissioner, Willy Cheboi, states though this is currently the case, the next board will have to adhere to the Constitution requirement of meeting the two thirds principle.

This move is expected to give women a voice in decision making especially on matters of land ownership and use.

According to Jane Obiero, Nyanza Provincial Director of Gender and Social Development, some women are not eager to own land solely or in joint ventures.

Obiero says it is unfortunate that some women have the opportunity to own land but opt to give their share to their brothers claiming they will get land where they will be married not bearing in mind the sons of their in-laws.

Socialisation

“This is how women have been socialised in our societies, to put their fathers and brothers first. A lot of effort has to be put on sensitisation for women to be aware of their rights,” says Obiero.

She reiterates that all organisations should have gender units to address issues of gender disparities including the Ministry of Lands.

With the adoption and effective implementation of the National Land Policy Draft, issues revolving around women and land ownership will have moved a step towards becoming history.

The National Land Policy Draft will also provide the mechanisms to

ensure land rights of women living with HIV including rural women are not abused.

However, according to Dr Elizabeth Akinyi Nzioki, chairperson of the Task Force on Formulation of Community, Eviction and Resettlement Bills, evictions have for decades taken place in the country, especially in informal settlements in contravention of international human rights standards.

Constitution

This will be facilitated by the two bills that will be tabled in Parliament to speed up the eviction and resettlement of the victims in May 2013. The move is to enable community to own land without others being marginalized as has been the case since independence.

The Constitution of Kenya 2010 and Sessional Paper No.3 of 2009 on the National Land Policy provide for a new classification of land to a “community land” in regards to ethnicity, culture or similar community of interest.

Nzioki says the task force will draft a bill in consultation with members of the public in the 47 counties and Ministry of Lands to ensure international standards are adhered to in evicting and resettling of the people affected.

Speaking during the Task Force forum in Kisumu city, attended by the residents of Homa Bay, Migori, Kisumu, Nyamira and Kisii counties, Nzioki notes that the bill will address land injustices which have been a menace for decades.

“Women have been squatters in their own homes contrary to constitution and the anticipated bill will empower women to land ownership,” Nzioki says.

Food security an avenue to end gender based violence

…By Kenyan Woman Correspondent

I

n spite of the major role played by women in producing food and feeding their families, little attention has been paid to the connection between gender, violence and food security.

Gender discrimination fuels female malnutrition and disempowerment. Very often, discriminatory practices in rural communities generate biases in intra-household food distribution, whereby women and girls usually have access to limited and less nutritious food.

Poor families may marry off under-age daughters during times of famine so there is one less mouth to feed. Refugee women may be forced to trade sex for food. Women spend hours collecting firewood to cook the family meal, leaving themselves vul-

nerable to rape and other attacks.

Widows are persecuted over land ownership but, all too often, national laws favour men over women.

On International Women's Day this year, the global community focused on how to eliminate and prevent all forms of violence against women and girls.

Remedy

Domestic violence has an overall negative impact on agricultural production and family well-being. For many women struggling to feed themselves and their children today, food security would mean personal and legal security.

If the world unites to increase food security for women, we also nourish the minds and bodies of whole communities. If a girl can attend school in a safe environment, she can reach her full men-

tal and physical potential. She can avoid early marriage, forced marriage or other forms of violence. If a woman can register the birth of her children, legally own land and the money she earns, she can contribute to the benefit of her society and its economic development.

Women make up more than 40 per cent of the agricultural labour force in developing countries. Improving equality in women’s access to agricultural inputs (such as seeds, tools, fertilisers), education and public services would contribute significantly to achieving food security and better nutrition for all. Empowering women and girls legally and economically creates opportunities for development, enhances their political voice and reduces their vulnerability to violence. Food security links the diverse elements needed to build a peaceful and fair future for them.

A farmer attending to her crops. Food insecurity has been contributing to the increasing number of Gender Based Violence. Picture:Kenyan Woman Correspondent

Executive Director: Arthur Okwemba Managing Editor: Jane Godia

The Kenyan Woman is a publication of African Woman and Child Feature Service E-mail: info@awcfs.org www.awcfs.org

Sub-Editors:

Duncan Mboya, Faith Muiruri and Carolyne Oyugi

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 Mucheru, Oloo Janak, Robert Wanjala, Melissa Eddy, Henry Kahara, Kennedy Kibet, Allan Murimi, Nicole Waithira, Ryan Mathenge, Joyce Chimbi and Maurice Alal

Design & layout: Noel Lumbama (Noel Creative Media Ltd)

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