Women work twice as hard as men to get elected, yet they are running the show in Nakuru.
The secret to their success in the August 9 General Election was revealed at a forum in Nairobi on Wednesday, reviewing the performance of female candidates.
“Do you want to know why Nakuru is a city of girls?” Njoro MP Charity Kathambi asked.
“In 2013, Nakuru county had only three women MPs. We united secretly and said we have to perform so that in future, we can make people attracted to electing more women.”
Cheers rang around the room as she said, “Today, the governor is a woman, the senator is a woman, we have four women MPs and eight women MCAs.”
She said at the Kenya Women Parliamentary Association, where she is the deputy secretary, women put aside party differences to work together.
This contributed to a high retention rate as 15 out of 23 women MPs were re-elected.
The overall number of women MPs increased to a record 29. Still only a tenth of the total number of National Assembly legislators, but a tonic to the small wins women fight so hard for.
We are watching and if he doesn’t keep his promise, we’ll meet him in 2027
RUTO ON THE SPOT
The meeting was organised by Journalists for Human Rights and the Kenya Editors Guild at Hilton Hotel.
It came in the wake of President William Ruto taking power with a promise to implement the long-elusive two-thirds gender rule within 90 days.
Women leaders in attendance said they had to overcome questions on marital status, age and tribe.
National Assembly Deputy Speaker Gladys Boss Shollei urged the media to stop body shaming and character lynching and appreciate that women are phenomenal.
She told elected women to get their priorities right and be wary of compliments that are condescending.
“Many women will come to Parliament and worry about your beautiful handbag, your nice dress, the next trip. And you become irrelevant,” the deputy speaker said.
She said when Ruto signed the Women’s Charter, promising to give women half the slots in his Cabinet, men called him aside and said, “If you give them 50 per cent, what will be left for us?”
He has since appointed seven women out of 22 Cabinet Secretaries, with supporters hoping he will compensate with appointments elsewhere in government.
“We are watching and if he doesn’t keep his promise, we’ll meet him in 2027,” Shollei said.
Let people stop saying that women want things for free. Let them see that women add value
CHANGING MINDS
Daniel Waitere, head of public communications at the National Gender and Equality Commission, said the mindset of voters is shifting.
“The voter is beginning to vote for people who, 10 years ago, they wouldn’t have considered worthy.”
UN Women gender and governance programme analyst Hellen Muchunu said interventions to support women increased participation and performance.
She said they conducted visibility campaigns, social media engagement and meetings with electoral players.
They also trained journalists on gender-sensitive reporting, provided communication materials under the ‘Chagua Mama’ campaign and supported the ‘Ms President’ TV show.
The woman representative seat, a much-maligned affirmative action position, proved a great stepping stone to other seats with more resources.
Some gains were eroded, however. For instance, there is only one woman speaker in 47 counties, down from five in 2017.
Daisy Amdany, executive director of Community Advocacy and Awareness Trust, praised successful women candidates, saying elections in Kenya are like going to war.
She said women are disadvantaged by prolonged campaigns and unlimited spending. One MP admitted to being in debt after spending Sh18 million.
Political parties should ensure more women get a party ticket as it gives them a leg up in areas where a certain party is popular, Amdany said.
She urged elected women to raise their profile in the media by going for talk shows, adding that their rights to political, social and economic inclusion are fundamental rights, not a special interest.
“Let people stop saying that women want things for free. Let them see that women add value,” the activist said.
We as the media are not your enemy. Let us walk this journey together. We might have failed you before but allow us to walk together
MEDIA COVERAGE
Nation gender editor Dorcas Otieno said you don’t need to pay the media for your story to be told. Conscious efforts are being made to have more positive stories of women.
“In every marketplace, there is a madman, so maybe one or two media may be bad, but we are trying. Give us a chance,” she said.
JHR project manager Sammy Muraya called for cordial relations.
“We as the media are not your enemy. Let us walk this journey together. We might have failed you before but allow us to walk together.”
The men are very open to helping us but through the bedroom. You seeing me here asking for an opportunity, it means I’m not open to that
Former Langata MP candidate Suzan Odongo thanked the media for giving her a platform.
She never had posters or banners except two that were stolen, but the media enabled her to reach the masses, and she finished number three despite running as an Independent.
“Many unsuccessful women aspirants are depressed, some are suicidal,” she said, adding that she is among the more than 800 looking for employment.
“The men are very open to helping us but through the bedroom. You seeing me here asking for an opportunity, it means I’m not open to that.”
Media consultant Wanyama Chebusiri urged stakeholders to intervene in Western, where no female MP was elected in Bungoma or Vihiga apart from the woman representative.
He advised women politicians to understand how the media operates, create a personal rapport with journalists and invest in professional communication people.
“It’s not enough to talk for 20 minutes and say a lot of nothing. The media is looking for news,” Wanyama said.
This drew a rejoinder from Kathambi, the MP from Nakuru. “Does it mean that only men have news?” she asked.
“I’m an ambassador of peace and climate change. Last year, I was one of two leaders recognised for peace. The other one was the Garissa MP. Every media house went looking for him, not me. With climate change, my work was reported in Spain but not in Kenya.”
With only 8 per cent of media houses being run by women, the media was left to introspect on whether it holds an unconscious bias.
Political parties also have a long way to go to level the playing field.
For now, Nakuru is a beacon of hope in a man’s world.