2.1 Regional Overview - Africa

According to the Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU), only 23.6 per cent of parliamentarians in Africa are women, with Rwanda, Namibia, and South Africa having the highest proportion of women in Parliament at 61.3 per cent, 46.2 per cent, and 42.4 per cent, respectively (IPU, 2018). Women’s representation in executive or ministerial positions is even lower than in parliaments, where women held 19.7 per cent of ministerial posts in 2017 (IPU, 2017). The IPU reports have not singled out Kenya as the focus was on performers; this, however, negatively affects women’s ability to influence national decision-making, including program design and resource allocation. Despite notable progress, the marginalisation of women and persistent inequalities are among the challenges that continue to limit the full realisation of democracy (Mindzie et al., 2014). Barriers and threats to WPP are classified into five broad categories – socio-cultural, economic/financial, institutional, political, electoral violence and legislative/legal.

Although Kenya is considered a democratic country that holds periodic elections, the country’s performance on women’s representation has been dismal compared with her East African neighbours. Overall, Kenya is 10% below the East African Community’s (EAC) regional average of 20% representation of women in parliament. This low score is despite a progressive constitution that provides a two-thirds gender rule, which is yet to be implemented ten years down the line. In both Kenya and Tanzania, like the rest of Africa, strategies to increase women’s participation in politics have been advanced through advocacy, special measures like affirmative action, conventions, protocols domesticating regional/international agreements for gender mainstreaming, but they are yet to prove effective in achieving gender parity in the highest government rankings (Chalaby 2017).

At the regional level, we note that Africa has built up an extensive body of instruments and policies to push forward the women’s rights agenda at the continental, regional, and national levels. These instruments include the Maputo Protocol, the Beijing Platform of Action, the SDG Africa Working Group, the End of the African Women’s Decade, the Solemn Declaration on Gender Equality in Africa (SDGEA), the Southern African Development Community’s Protocol on Gender and Development, and the East African Community’s Gender Equality and Development Act. Adopting these policy pronouncements set the agenda for the African Union (AU) member states and other stakeholders to promote gender parity in the democratic governance processes. However, regardless of the expanded normative commitments by African states, women’s political rights continue to be undermined by inadequate implementation, institutional barriers, discriminatory social norms, as well as by violence and intimidation (Bofu-Tawamba, 2015). Enhancing women’s political empowerment is dependent on a complex interplay of socio-cultural, economic, and political factors. The Maputo Protocol and the African Charter on Democracy, Elections and Governance (ACDEG) rightly recognise the interconnected nature of rights – putting economic, social, and political rights side by side. As noted in UN SDGs, women’s equal participation with men in power and decision-making is part of their fundamental right to participate in political life and at the core of gender equality and women’s empowerment. Full and equal participation of both women and men in political decision-making provides a balance. This harmony more accurately reflects the composition of society. It will enhance the legitimacy of political processes by making them more democratic and responsive to the concerns and perspectives of all segments of society. With the increased participation of women in politics, these are some of the benefits that can accrue.

Section seven on Conclusions for Learning and Adaptation discusses the outcome of this study in general. It outlines key lessons that can effectively guide, review and strengthen the WPP program. We argue that all partners implementing the WPP Program will be expected to adopt an adaptive programming approach which will allow learning and adaptation throughout implementation and work with all the key actors to generate, document and share key learnings periodically. For WPP to find solutions to some of the challenges highlighted in this report, use the lessons to inform interventions or sharpen approaches, the WPP team should consider making regular follow-ups to assess the relevance and effectiveness of WPP approaches continuously. Different ways of sustaining program efforts and results are discussed, focusing on socio-political and economic considerations and program design, strategies and partnership dimensions.

The report ends with targeted and actionable recommendations spelt out for seven actors, AU, ECOSOCC and RECs, Governments/Parliaments, Political Parties and Actors; Election Management Bodies, Independent State Institutions, Media and FBOs and the WPP Program Partners. Both conclusions and recommendations are disaggregated by country. Five different tools used for data collection have been annexed to this report at the end.

23.6 %

Of parliamentarians in Africa are women

46.2%

42.4%

61.3%

South Africa Namibia Rwanda

Chapter One : Review Context

1.1 Project Background

FAWE is a membership-based Pan-African non-governmental organisation (NGO) led by African women working for equality and equity in education across the continent. FAWE works in 33 countries in Africa, promoting gender equity and equality in education by fostering positive policies, practices and attitudes towards girls’ education. FAWE’s work influences government policies, builds public awareness, demonstrates the best educational approach through effective models and encourages governments and education institutions to adopt these models. FAWE also advocates for the participation of women in decision making positions in the community and the elimination of gender discrimination.

In partnership with the International Institute for Democracy and Electoral Assistance (International IDEA), FAWE has implemented the Women in Political Participation (WPP) project for three years. The project aims to increase the political participation and representation of women in Africa in line with the Maputo Protocol of 2003, various associated sub-regional protocols and standards, and the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). FAWE will implement the project in eight African countries, Botswana, the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), Eswatini, Cote d’Ivoire, Kenya, Senegal, Tanzania and Zimbabwe. The project comes against the backdrop of continued underrepresentation of women in political spaces and decision-making in political and public spheres irrespective of the numerous efforts to enhance participation of women in politics in most African countries.

FAWE staff pose with Kenyan women leaders and aspiring leaders at the launch of the Intergenerational Mentorship Programme on March 8th 2021. Photo credit: FAWE RS

This marginalisation, therefore, occasions the need to change the narrative, raise and sustain the awareness to change prevailing attitudes, examine obstacles to and proposals for reform and change, empower identified champions of change, and share comparative evidence that could propel action. Therefore, the situational analysis identifies obstacles faced by women to allow for a clear and precise identification of the types of challenges presented by different stakeholders in the quest for increased participation in different geographical and political contexts in Kenya and Tanzania. The study outputs such as analysis/discussions, conclusions and recommendations will assist the WPP team with better targeting of project interventions.