Women urged to plan better and early for elective posts

In 2010, Kenya ushered in a new constitution which brought a lot of excitement, hope and promise for Kenyan women concerning their place in leadership.

The new constitution, Article 27 (8) and Article 81 (b), came with affirmative action aimed at reducing gender inequality in leadership positions. 

The constitution envisaged that there would be no more than two-thirds of members in elective and appointive positions being of the same gender. 

Though the law protects women's interests in leadership positions, Registrar of Political Parties Anne Nderitu said women still have a lot to do. 

Nderitu said women have the potential to get more leadership positions if only they take the election campaigns more seriously/

"Women running for political offices tend to start their campaigns and registration into parties just when the main election day is close. This makes their campaign bid weak in the long run," Nderitu said.

She spoke on Wednesday in Nairobi when she attended the opening if the 2023 CRAWN Trust annual women's rights convention set to take place till Thursday.

"Six months to the election you now see a group of women coming to the registrar offices. When they come, first of all, they are usually clueless about the electoral process and they have not even joined a party," she said. 

Nderitu said the women show up to her office six months before elections to 'shop' for a party as they don't know which party they should join and the officials of existing parties.

"That is where the rain starts beating us. Any woman who is seeking to run for a seat in the next election should first familiarise themselves with the legal framework way before the elections," she said. 

"Women seeking positions should ensure they have already joined a party and are working with the party before the poll day."

She was reminiscent that during the nomination of candidates for last year's election, there were women who appeared before the returning officer without a proposer or a seconder, which is a requirement to run for office. 

"You better prepare yourself with the legal framework to understand what you are supposed to do to ease the process," she said. 

Nderitu said as per the records in the office of the registrar of political parties, there are 38 percent of women and 62 percent of men in the registered parties in Kenya. 

She said there are fewer women joining political parties yet when it comes to voting, women make up the majority of voters. 

"Let us identify the political parties we want to join. Don't say that political parties are dirty or they don't accommodate women. Go there and if you face a challenge tell us so that we help you get accommodated," she said. 

One factor usually considered when a party is being registered is whether it meets the two-thirds gender rule. 

Nderitu said not attaining the two-thirds gender rule may make the registrar of parties deregister it. 

"I want to request us as we ponder on the issues that happened during elections let us prepare for the next election early enough," she said. 

She said the women who attempted to vie in the previous election but lost ought to be encouraged the most to go back to the ballot. 

Further, she noted that women get fewer positions because they tend to relax right after elections, unlike men who keep the campaign spirit alive. 

"One thing that is very critical is what we do after elections because that is where we find ourselves being beaten by men. After elections, women keep quiet about their participation in the next election. Meanwhile, all the men go to the grassroots," Nderitu said.  

Gender and Affirmative Action Cabinet Secretary Aisha Jumwa agreed with Nderitu's observation saying women come out to knit their vitenges a few months before the election. 

"Anne has said we are not succeeding because some women don't understand the electoral procedure. Men are preparing, they are already out declaring their bids," she said. 

"Women are waiting for six months before the material day ndo tunaanze kuja na vitenge. No! We need to prepare early enough and adequately."

The CS was the chief guest at the annual women's rights convention. 

Jumwa said the annual women's rights convention is timely, taking place when Kenyan women are rising in leadership nationally and across the globe.

The CS encouraged women to vie for elective positions saying they are strong and can achieve anything. 

"There is no force more powerful than a woman determined to rise. So ladies, stand up and develop yourselves," Jumwa said. 

Further, Jumwa challenged political party leaders in Kenya to give women direct tickets to run for elective positions to increase the number of women leaders. 

"More specifically direct tickets in the stronghold areas of the parties, I can assure you we will have more women leaders in parliament," she said. 

Jumwa lauded President William Ruto for giving women in UDA direct tickets to vie for elective positions during last year's general election. 

"Out of the seven female governors, four are from UDA," she said. 

She said among other factors impeding women from elective positions are violence, funding, negative cultural norms,  stereotypes and prejudices.

Jumwa said gender equality is power relations adding that though a lot has been achieved, more still needs to be done. 

CRAWN Trust Executive Director at the Community Advocacy and Awareness Daisy Amadany said the annual convention is vital as it allows for discussions and deliberations on women's development. 

"We initiated the convention every year because we thought it is important for us to come together as women to take stock of how far we have come, look at the challenges and deliberate the way forward," Amadany said. 

She said the long-term aim is to have actionable direction that can bring change. 

This year the convention, happening for the third time, was looking at inclusive governance.