Long walk to gender Bill, ‘flower girls’ and fighters

Mrs Grace Onyango (left), the first elected woman MP, and Dr Julia Ojiambo, who became the first woman assistant Minister in Kenya. The five pioneer women MPs were neither slay queens nor layabouts — they were solid leaders in their own right. PHOTOS | FILE | NATION MEDIA GROUP

What you need to know:

  • An activist from Vihiga, she was picked by Governor Patrick Renison.
  • The other was Ms Margaret Wambui Kenyatta, daughter of founding President Jomo Kenyatta.
  • The ongoing debate on two-thirds Gender Bill mirrors what has gone on in some countries for long.

From one woman at a time for most of the past half century to the current hundred-plus elected representatives, Kenya’s legislature has gradually been caught up in the global push for gender parity.

Although voting on the two-thirds Gender Bill is scheduled for this week, the battle to have more women in Parliament has gone on for years.

The first lone woman in the colonial-era Legislative Council, Mrs Priscilla Ingasiani Abwao, who was popular in Nairobi’s Ofafa-Jericho Estate, took her seat on February 19, 1961.

ACTIVIST

An activist from Vihiga, she was picked by Governor Patrick Renison from two names forwarded to him by the Kenya African Women’s League, the precursor of Maendeleo ya Wanawake.

The other was Ms Margaret Wambui Kenyatta, daughter of founding President Jomo Kenyatta.

She was alone in the House until independence. Thereafter, no woman was nominated for the next 10 years.

In 1969, Mrs Grace Onyango, 95 years old today, fought her way to be the first elected woman MP (Kisumu Town).

She became lonely too in the 158 MPs House.

The subsequent 1974 General Election brought in her three “sisters”, albeit briefly.

JEMIMAH GECAGA

Mzee Kenyatta would later nominate Mrs Jemimah Gecaga, the sister of powerful Foreign Affairs minister Njoroge Mungai.

But she later paved the way to a brother who had been beaten in an election by Dr Johnstone Muthiora in Nairobi’s Dagoretti Constituency.

Mrs Anarita Karimi Njeru, a high school headmistress, was elected in a by-election as MP for Meru South (Imenti South). She was later jailed in 1978 on charges of embezzling school funds.

This left Mrs Onyango with Dr Julia Ojiambo (Busia South), who also became the first woman assistant Minister in Kenya. The other was the youthful Chelagat Mutai (Eldoret North), who had brought down political giant Reuben Chesire.

The five pioneer women MPs were neither slay queens nor layabouts — they were solid leaders in their own right.

GENDER BILL DEBATE

The ongoing debate on two-thirds Gender Bill mirrors what has gone on in some countries for long, including in America and most of Europe, where it has taken at least two centuries to achieve gender parity in the Legislature.

To some critics, the dilemma Kenya finds itself in can be traced to a decision to have the requirement in the Constitution introduced progressively.

In Rwanda, for instance — celebrated as the world’s top women-friendly Parliament, with 54 women out of 80 MPs, forming 67.5 per cent, including those nominated — the relevant laws were enacted before they were written in the Constitution.

In Eastern Africa, Ethiopia, Tanzania, Burundi and Uganda have attained over 33 per cent women representation, while Federated States of Micronesia, Papua New Guinea, Vanuatu and Yemen have no woman in Parliament.