More women must find space on the political table this time round

Silence is not an option anymore. We can’t be silent about financial inequality. We can’t be silent about violence.

We can’t be silent about the poverty of women’s opportunity to take political leadership even though they are brimming with potential. They are the mothers. They are the homemakers. They want safety for their families. Prosperity. Security.

If women’s voices are essential aspects of humanity, to be rendered voiceless is to be dehumanised. And the history of silence is central to women’s history. Let me explain.

Women are around half of the world population but hardly hold a quarter of political seats. In fact, if women banded to form their own parties, they could disrupt a country’s political system, according to Kathryn DePalo-Gould, a political science professor at Florida International University.

The evidence is all around us and throughout history. Take the example of the lineage of Kikuyu women’s political protest — in particular, Muthoni Nyanjiru and Wangari Maathai — and of contemporary women who continue to use their intellect powerfully. Their actions have shown that while the women did not wield as much power as men, they had the critical capacity to mobilise quickly and over a wide area and had the institutions and traditions to deploy.

Kikuyu women

There is ample evidence of Kikuyu women coming together in succeeding decades to protect their interests — including by organising strikes for better work conditions.

A little study of Kenya’s political history will reveal that, although we have come a long way, we still have a very delicate democracy, especially burdened by the culture of patronising the women in political leadership.

Basically, several years after enacting the current radical constitutional provisions to tackle the marginalisation and under-representation of women, the fight for equality in Kenya remains far from won.

Although small but significant gains by women have been made — including the election of Kenya’s first female senators and governors — the Constitution still requires that not more than two-thirds of elective or appointed officials in a public body be of the same gender. This is known as the “two-thirds gender rule”.

That was to be implemented five years after the promulgation of the Constitution in 2010 but has remained elusive. This was emphasised by Cabinet Secretary Margaret Kobia at a recent meeting for women political aspirants, government supporters and civil society groups in Nairobi. Prof Kobia called on women to embrace the spirit of patience and persistence in negotiating the women's agenda, to ring-fence, safeguard and fortify the gains and scale up efforts for gender parity.

It is expected that women’s political participation in decision-making bodies would improve the quality of governance at all levels of society and ensure that laws benefiting women, children and families — such as food production, domestic violence, sexual slavery and women’s health — are enacted.

With IEBC chairman Wafula Chebukati’s directive requiring political parties to strictly adhere to the two-thirds gender rule, we expect to have more women cleared to seek elective positions. Parties are the primary and most direct vehicle through which women can access elected office and political leadership. Therefore, their structures, policies, practices and values have a profound impact on the level of women’s political life.

Political participation

Parties that take women’s political participation seriously benefit from stronger electoral positions, access to new groups of voters and stronger relationships with their constituents. Those that can produce new faces and ideas maintain a vibrant and energised image in an age of declining voter turnout.

Women’s participation may be promoted not only as candidates but also party members, leaders and office holders. The Constitution entrenched the principle of equality and requires the state to adopt affirmative action programmes and policies to “redress any disadvantages suffered by individuals or groups because of past discrimination”.

My message to women navigating various spaces is to literally take a seat at the table and join the conversation. We must reimagine the expectations of people in power to develop more transparent, inclusive and responsive governments. The change can start by electing more women into political office and normalising their roles.

However, the women also need to raise their game. There is no denying that when women come together, everyone wins.

Ms Ngunjiri is an economist and political analyst. [email protected].