Why many female aspirants failed in party primaries

Registrar of Political Parties Ann Nderitu at a past event in Nairobi.

Photo credit: File | Nation Media Group

What you need to know:

  • The Office of the Registrar of Political Parties says it is doing everything possible to ensure women get their rightful share of the political sphere as envisioned by the Constitution.
  • IEBC voter education manager Amina Soud challenged women’s caucuses to use their strength to amplify their voices in political parties for their benefit.

An audit of the recently concluded party primaries shows that negotiated democracy and direct nominations were a double-edged sword for female aspirants.

Mr Mule Musau, the national coordinator of Election Observation Group (Elog), on Tuesday said negotiated democracy and direct nominations favoured women but also disenfranchised them in a big way.

Mr Musau spoke during a meeting organised by Journalist for Human Rights (JHR), the Kenya National Commission on Human Rights (KNCHR) and Elog to disseminate nomination results.

“Our audit shows that even though many political parties put women in the nomination lists after being rejected by the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC), they put women in areas where they were unlikely to win,” he said.

Mr Musau added that some women faced discrimination and violence at the hands of their rivals. Lack of resources was an undoing for many women aspirants who felt they lost unfairly as they lacked the money needed to lodge an appeal with the Political Parties Disputes Tribunal or the High Court, he said.

“Many women who felt they lost unfairly lacked the money to lodge appeals to seek justice that they so badly needed. In some instances, they were asked for Sh20,000 for the MCA seat and the fee was higher for other seats, which they could not afford, “he said.

Unlevelled playground

He also cited rampant voter bribery during the primaries as another major problem that confronted most women aspirants as they did not match the deep pockets of their male counterparts to influence and sway voters through money.

Lack of strong nomination rules in the political parties to level the playfield was another major setback.

Mr Sammy Muraya, the project manager of The Voice for Women at Girls at JHR challenged the media to be part and parcel of initiatives aimed at looking for solutions on matters touching on women.

Mr Muraya, however, noted things are changing, with more women landing leadership roles in their respective careers.

KNHCR assistant director Lucas Kimanthi said lack of strong nomination rules to level the playground for all aspirants was hurting women aspirants.

Mr Kimanthi added that the organisation’s report, which is still being prepared, on the primaries shows personalised attacks were gender-angled and targeted female politicians. He noted the need for the media to promote participation of women in the forthcoming election.

“Media need to focus on sexual and gender-based violence (SGBV) prior to, during and after election. This form of violence is usually rife during the election cycle in the country and it is, therefore, important to highlight it,” said Mr Kimanthi.

He reiterated that many women lost in the primaries because they lacked the resources necessary to lodge appeals. “We also noted that the legal framework is good but entities charged with enforcing these laws are complacent and, therefore, not helpful to women,” he said.

Amplified voices

Mr Churchill Otieno, the Nation Media Group Managing Editor, Nation.Africa and head of news, underscored the need for the media to amplify the voices of women and the youth. He said the Kenya Editors Guild (KEG) has opened the door for women candidates for media coverage and added the media is working with electoral managers and other players to level the political playground.

“Election coverage should take care of all, irrespective of their gender, both moneyed and those without, and those with great ideas,” said Mr Otieno.

He gave the example of NMG and Standard Media Group that have established gender desks to amplify matters concerning women, including aspirants.

Mr Otieno, who is also the president of KEG, decried the trolling and attacks aimed at women aspirants on social media—usually sponsored by their opponents.

“We have a duty to find ways of protecting women candidates by exposing those sponsoring such attacks. Anybody trying to bring down an individual on the basis of gender is an enemy of society and must be held to account,” he said.

Rightful share

Registrar of Political Parties Anne Nderitu said her organisation is doing everything possible to ensure women get their rightful share of the political sphere as envisioned by the Constitution.

“My office is not registering any new parties that do not comply with the gender rule in the list of their officials. They must comply if they want registration in accordance with the law,” said Ms Nderitu.

The registrar added that office has been training women's league caucuses from various parties in how best to champion women issues within their political formations.

She urged the women caucuses be allowed to sit in governing councils of political parties.

IEBC voter education manager Amina Soud challenged women’s caucuses to use their strength to amplify their voices for their benefit. It is the electoral agency that proposed to political parties to slash by half nomination fees for women aspirants, she revealed.

Ms Agatha Ambong, a prosecution counsel at the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions, said they are training their staff in how to handle SGBV offences in this electioneering period.

Such cases will be expedited to ensure victims have access to justice without delay, she said.