Here is a sample of the kind of thing young women may expect to hear when they set out to carve out a career in politics.
Man: Wow, you could be the first female Mavoko MP. That’s great. So tell me, what did your husband say? Is he okay with you running?
Man: It would be great having you as our MP. You have excellent credentials. But is your skin thick enough for this? Why don’t you start as an MCA and rise through the ranks?
Woman: Instead of wasting your money and time in politics, why don’t you get married? Age is catching up!
While a home should always be the centre of one’s life, it should not be a limit to one’s ambitions. Women who are aggressive, outspoken and “stand out” are marginalised.
One thing I have learnt is that there is little tolerance for error if you are a woman, and zero tolerance if you are a youthful one.
What I resent, however, is that beneath some of the criticism, I detect a feeling that politics is not really the place for a young woman anyway. Perhaps some men entertain this prejudice, but I find that it is the women themselves who come nearest to expressing it openly.
I don’t pretend to speak for all young women in politics. Each of us is unique, which is why it is wrong to be viewed with narrowed expectations. The academic achievement between young women and older men is pronounced particularly with the former earning even more degrees compared to the latter, yet this education success does not translate into greater leadership roles.
Article 55 of the Constitution is explicit that the state shall take measures, including affirmative action programmes, to ensure that the youth are represented, and participate in political, social, economic and other spheres of life. However, in our society, leadership is seen as an old boys and girls’ club, where young women are advised to wait untail the gain ‘enough experience’.
We may be young, but our life experience speaks for us. For instance, according to the International Labour Organisation in 2014, more than 73 million people between the ages of 15-24 were searching for work. This figure, however, did not include groups such as the discouraged workers, who have given up the job hunt. Lack of financial freedom has resulted in a generation of children who leave home for school but return after graduation, thereby postponing adulthood indefinitely.
These challenges put young women at a vantage point, for instance when it comes to executing the role of an MP, putting in efforts that will help resolve the social ills and problems brought about by joblessness.
As we stand for these seats, I am aware that I won’t necessarily be treated equally, and it begins to feel like a child at the grown-ups’ table.
We will be in a room with people who have a lot of money, longer political experience and mischief, yet we have strengths such as ground game and grassroots mobilisation skills. It is what it is. We bring style, sense of urgency, wit and a touch of class that is a true representation of Kenya’s youth today, and, soon, society will acknowledge us and offer us more responsibilities.
Participate fully with humility and confidence as the Art of War advises — sometimes you have to “crouch to conquer”. It works in winning the bigger prize — leadership. We are here asking Kenyans, what is your biggest problem and how can we solve it? We are putting the needs of Kenyans first through inclusive leadership to identify the pain points. The raisons d’être being “Let your vote work for you.”
The writer is a Value Engineer, YALI Fellow and a Mavoko Constituency M.N.A hopeful <[email protected]> @justinawamae