NO FEMALE WAVE

Four women Nairobi MCAs, one fewer than last term

Former Gender CAS Beatrice Elachi is only elected woman MP

In Summary

• Waithera Chege was elected for a second term for Nairobi South ward while Susan Makungu clinched the Mlangi Kubwa ward.

• This is a decrease compared to the second assembly, which had five elected female MCA.

Scholastica Muthoni Mande, newly elected Mukuru kwa Reuben ward
MANDE: Scholastica Muthoni Mande, newly elected Mukuru kwa Reuben ward
Image: HANDOUT

Despite Nairobi having its first non-elected female governor, Ann Kananu, before the general election, only four women have been elected MCAs.

The last assembly, the second since 2013, had five women MCAs.

The Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission said only four women have been elected to the assembly with 85 elected members.

Countrywide, women did better outside Nairobi.

UDA's Waithera Chege was elected for a second term in Nairobi South ward, while UDA's Susan Makungu clinched the Mlango Kubwa ward.

UDA is linked to Deputy President William Ruto.

ODM's Rosemary Masitsa won the Makiba ward and Wiper's Scholastica Muthoni Mande won the Mukuru kwa Reuben ward.

The last assembly had Jubilee’s Millicent Mugadi of Kariokor ward, ODM’s Cecilia Ayot Laini Saba, ODM’s Rose Ogonda of Kware ward, Mlango Kubwa’s Patricia Mutheu of Jubilee and Waithera Chege of the Jubilee Party.

All except Waithera lost in the general election on August 9.

In 2017, Muthoni ran for the same seat on a Jubilee ticket but lost to Evans Otiso.

Waithera Chege, reelected Nairobi South MCA
CHEGE: Waithera Chege, reelected Nairobi South MCA
Image: HANDOUT

Makungu was in the second Nairobi county assembly but as a nominated MCA chosen by Jubilee.

She later joined at least 21 other Nairobi MCAs who defected to UDA early this year.

Makungu will replace Patriciah Mutheu who is the MCA for Mlango Kubwa.

Like Makungu, Rosemary Masitsa was also an ODM- nominated MCA in the last assembly. She will replace Solomon Magembe who was the MCA elected in 2017.

In 2017, Waithera Chege was elected on a Jubilee Party ticket but will serve another years for UDA.

Waithera championed the fight against Sexual and Gender-Based Violence, as well as air pollution.

She sponsored the Air Quality Bill that calls for heavy fines for any industry, company or individual who pollutes the air.

Waithera also introduced the Prevention of Violent Extremism Bill, which became law.

This was the first such Bill signed into law globally. It prohibits any individual or politician from recruiting or facilitating groups of people to go to war.

ONLY FEMALE MP

Former Gender CAS Beatrice Elachi is the only elected female MP among Nairobi's 17 subcounties. Running on an  ODM ticket under Azimio la Umoja-One Kenya coalition, she won the Dagoretti North parliamentary seat.

Susan Makungu , newly elected Mlango Kubwa MCA
MAKUNGU: Susan Makungu , newly elected Mlango Kubwa MCA
Image: HANDOUT

Elachi defeated 13 other candidates to win the seat with 52,515 votes. Her closest rival, independent candidate Elijah Oenga, got 13,620 votes.

Back in 2017, while vying for the same seat, the former CAS lost to Simba Arati who is the new Kisii governor.

Elachi, who is in her late 40s, has emerged as a fierce women's rights activist pushing for parity and a women's agenda.

Elachi is a mother of nine. Seven children are adopted from the Tana River clashes in 2013.

Her political career started in 2002 when she became the programme officer at the National Council of Women of Kenya and in 2007 joined the Kibaki Tena campaign team.

From 2010 to 2013, Elachi served as the Alliance Party of Kenya secretary general and was later nominated to the Senate.

She would became the first woman to serve as the Senate chief whip.

Rosemary Masitsa
MASITSA: Rosemary Masitsa
Image: HANDOUT

On September 6, 2017, Elachi was elected as the first female speaker at the Nairobi assembly but resigned in 2020 after a tumultuous tenure.

During her tenure, Elachi fought MCAs who wanted to impeach her on grounds of abuse of office, illegal appointment of an assembly clerk and poor leadership.

That was just one year after she took office but the courts restored her position.

In City Hall, women in power are said to face all sorts of pressure, dismissiveness and are put down by their male colleagues.

(Edited by V. Graham) 

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