Obstacles Kenyan Women Face in Politics
- Rebecca Michael
- Dec 20, 2016
- 2 min read
The Kenyan political train has left the platform and it is hurtling towards August 2017. The election process is not only hectic, but also chaotic. It is a tough world where principles or morality holds no sway.
By all means it is a typical gravy train and almost anything that walks on two legs is trying to be part of the leadership. What with the mind boggling sums semi -literate MCA's are making. Our MCA's, MPs, Governors and senators alike are not only making colossal amounts of money in terms of salaries, but also heart rending amounts while bleeding this country dry through corruption.
This brings us to the challenges that women are facing as they try to claim their rightful place within the Kenyan leadership. By all means it is not easy for a woman to ascend to a position of leadership in this country. The first challenge rolls in, in the form of insecurity. Campaigns in Kenya are more often than not marred by violence and hooliganism. Threats to personal safety/life are heightened by the socialization that most people have gone through.
Many men would look down upon a woman who is trying to gain a position of leadership. History serves me right, we have witnessed women roughed up during campaigns and actually rigged out of the 'democratic' process of nomination by the party bosses.
Campaigns and bribery (bribing voters) have become synonymous with the Kenyan electoral process. It has become a well rooted trend that, those candidates who have money buy their way into leadership. This has become a major challenge to women aspirants because in many cases, they do not have the financial muscle to match what their male counterparts have.
Mr. Money bags cruises around the electoral region dishing out money and flooding the youth in a deluge of alcohol, hence effectively buying the ignorant and gullible electorate.
The society has not quite reconciled to the fact that, women can play a very important role in the leadership and development of this country. It has happened elsewhere, e.g. Liberia and yet the Kenyan voter keep saying that it is un-African to have women leaders. Presenting the idea of a woman president to the people, more often than not, the answer you will get is that, the president's job is too tough to be handled by a woman.
Really? In this age? Is this what we should be teaching our daughters?
Finally I Challenge the Kenyan legislators. The constitution, which happens to be the supreme law of the land, states clearly that, no single gender should hold more than two thirds of elective posts.
I challenge the male dominated parliament to deal with this issue once for all as they also work on mechanisms to level the ground for all aspirants
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