Janet Sitienei’s political journey of resilience and triumph
Turbo MP Janet Sitienei speaks at a function in Turbo Constituency, Uasin Gishu County, on September 17, 2023.
What you need to know:
- Janet Sitienei joined politics in 2012.
- The 2013 election was the turning point of her political career.
- Her competitors referenced to culture and traditions arguing that a woman could not take over a seat previously held by a man of Ruto's stature.
- By 2016, she was enjoying good visibility and political networks.
In 2012 after long service in public service, Janet Sitienei decided to resign from her job as a District Extension Officer in Bungoma and try her luck in politics. Having established a good social capital in her community, she felt her life in politics would pay off dividends.
The 2013 election was the turning point of her political career. She joined the United Republican Party (URP) to contest for the Turbo Constituency seat. Unfortunately, she lost with only 200 votes in an election she says was marred with a lot of irregularities.
“I decided to decamp to National Rainbow Coalition (Narc) but the dye had already been cast. The seat was previously held by President William Ruto, who had quit to vie as a running mate for the retired President Uhuru Kenyatta.”
Then her competitors started referencing to culture and traditions arguing these norms did not permit a woman to inherit such a seat.
“Cultural perceptions that a woman could not replace a politician of President Ruto’s stature garnered a lot of currency ahead of the 2013 General Election, and my political aspirations at the time were consigned to oblivion.”
Ms Sitienei (left) receives a certificate from an IEBC official at Uasin Gishu High School in Eldoret town on August 11, 2022, after she was declared winner of Turbo Parliamentary seat.
After the loss, she tried to secure a job without much success. She went into farming, using the knowledge she gained while pursuing a degree in agriculture, nutrition and dietetics at Egerton University, to flourish in farming. Then in 2015, Uasin Gishu County Governor Jackson Mandago appointed her as his political advisor.
“This position was godsend. I helped the governor to successfully implement his development agenda, in the process ensuring the myriad of challenges facing the people were addressed.”
“I was also able to interact with different people and sharpen my leadership skills. I built strong political networks and aggressively made inroads at the grassroots and with the community, which helped to propel me again into the political limelight.”
By 2016, she was enjoying good visibility and political networks that she started readying herself for the 2017 election.
“I had a strong feeling that I was ready to leave my footprints in Turbo Constituency. I quit my job and plunged again into the hotly contested race.”
Again, things did not work in her favour. She lost in the URP nomination race.
“Turbo Constituency comprises of both cosmopolitan and rural population. Most contestants were competing for the rural vote and therefore, the URP ticket was won by the candidate banking on the cosmopolitan vote.”
Sitienei had to quickly change strategy. She applied to vie as independent candidate knowing very well the masses were on her side. The decision was the best she had ever made. She recorded a resounding win in the election, becoming the MP for Turbo Constituency.
“I could not believe it after I beat the party’s candidate with an overwhelming majority of the votes cast.”
Her win left many people bewildered.
“The truth is that the victory did not come easy. I went against the political grain. I did not have enough money to wield a strong campaign and neither did I have backing of any political party.”
She says without support from any quarter, she banked her hopes on God, her savings, and contributions from friends and family.
How did she do it? Sitienei says her win was mainly as result of investing so much in her community and winning the hearts of her constituents, who were ready to support her on whichever political outfit she choose.
“I respect the people and they respect me too. They saw a lot of hope and trust in me.”
Indeed, Sitenei has ensured that while serving as MP, she is accessible to the people and uses public funds prudently to transform their lives.
Read also: Independents a threat to Raila, Ruto majority government plans
As the 2022 poll neared, she had grown so strong politically that every political party wanted to identify with her. It, therefore, did not come as a surprise when she won the 2022 general election on a URP ticket, the most popular political party in her constituency.
Right messages
In this election, Sitenei believes her development record and vying on a popular political party contributed to her win. She had initiated many projects, many of which were completed during her first term.
She says the electorate also gave her overwhelming support because of her open door policy. They praised her for interacting with everyone, regardless of their status.
She also planned well. “I conducted a well-coordinated campaign and delivered the right messages to voters.”
Nevertheless, her political journey and the wins came with a share of problems. She depleted her savings during the 2017 campaigns and had to fight strong party machinery that wanted its candidate to win. Financing political campaigns remained a major barrier for her quest for leadership positions.
“In 2013 for instance, I registered twice to get a party ticket. I first contested for URP ticket and when I lost, I moved to Narc and paid additional money as registration fee. This is gruesome for women who largely depend on family and friends to raise money for their campaign kitty.”
The other challenge was gender bias. When she first vied, not many women were running for political office, and voters had not tested a woman’s leadership, hence, convincing them was very difficult.
“…and gender norms still influence voters’ thinking as they strongly feel the governor, MP, and senator positions belong to men, while women should compete for the women representative seat.”
Verbal violence and bribery were also used to dissuade her from vying. She recalls being insulted, especially in her opponents’ stronghold. “Politics is not for the fainthearted. There was mudslinging, voter buying and back stabbing that I encountered.”
Her more than 10 years in politics have provided her with useful lessons that are a resource to her and other women.
To win an election, she learnt, “one must have a sound work plan, do the groundwork well, and continuously interact with the people to have them know and believe in you. One must also have the necessary resources and start the campaigning journey slowly but early.”
Sitenei notes that while resources are essential, skills on how to articulate issues before the floor of the house are critical to help women sustain their visibility, relevance, popularity and future wins.
“We need to support nominated women MCAs and strengthen their skills because currently only a few are able to transit to elective politics. We also need to develop winning strategies for women.”
On such strategy, she explains, is helping women who are already in politics to flourish. She notes analyses of past elections show a trend women who had previously won elections, losing.
“We need to work towards sustaining the seats held by women in parliament so that we do not gain one and lose two. If we keep losing and gaining, it will be difficult to attain the required gender threshold.”
For her, the future is bright. “Society has realised that there is good leadership in women because they are transparent, honest and capable of bringing change.”
This story is published in partnership with African Woman and Child Feature Service (AWC)
