I look forward to Kenya's female President - Uhuru

President Uhuru Kenyatta on Friday said he is hopeful Kenya will one day get a female President.

Uhuru said women have displayed great potential in leadership and time has come when they must be tested on the presidency.

He spoke at State House Nairobi when First Lady Margaret Kenyatta hosted over 2,000 Girl Guides and their leaders during celebrations to mark this year's World Thinking Day.

Uhuru said women across the country must always try to bring out the best qualities in them without allowing to be put down by anybody.

While maintaining that women are naturally gifted with attributes of servant leadership, Uhuru said, for instance, some of his best performing CS’s are women.

“I pray to God and look forward to the day that I shall be sitting and listening to the first female President addressing the people of the Republic of Kenya,” Uhuru said.

He added, “Some of my best ministers are women. Women understand the basis of servant leadership. Women understand that it is a dedication to the family and the country that matters”.

The head of state appealed to the girls to fully explore the potential they have in leadership and elevate the country to end myths and false perceptions that women cannot make good leaders.

“Nobody should put you down because you are girls on the excuse that you have no capacity. Leadership in the family and the country does not exist without the full participation of women,” he said.

“What really matters is the commitment to the family and the country. I will continue working and supporting the girl child and ensure women take their rightful place in our society called Kenya,” Uhuru noted amid applause from the girls.

First Lady Margaret Kenyatta, who is the patron of the KGGA extolled the virtues of dignity, integrity and servant leadership among the Girl Guides and Girl Scouts.

“I applaud you for standing firm, and holding on to the virtues that this movement has come to be associated with: dignity, integrity, service, leadership and patriotism,” said the First Lady.

Female Presidents

Ameenah Gurib-Fakim, a biodiversity scientist, became president of the Republic of Mauritius on June 5, 2015.

She’s Mauritius’ third female president in history.

Charity Ngilu in 1997, ventured above the political parapet to scratch at the highest and hardest of glass ceilings by becoming Kenya’s first female presidential candidate.

Though she became fourth and did not win the top job in 1997, Ngilu left her mark on the political landscape.

Ellen Sirleaf has been president of Liberia since 2006.

She was the first elected female head of state on the African continent.

By 2016, Sirleaf was the only female head of state elected to office.

Everyone else had been either appointed as an interim president, nominated or ascended by constitutional right.

Ethiopia recently made headlines after members of parliament elected an experienced diplomat Sahle-Work Zewde as the country's first female president.

The very first of this being Sylvie Kinigi, who served as acting Head of State in Burundi between 1993 and 1994.

Perhaps the least known of them all was Ivy Matsepe-Casaburri, who served as South Africa’s acting President for all of 14 hours in September 2008 between Thabo Mbeki’s resignation and Kgalema Motlanthe’s ascension to power.

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