Politics Is A Dirty Game But These Young Kenyan Women Are Bold Enough To Tread These Murky Waters
Several young women took to the ballot in the 2022 Kenya general elections and left with
lessons that sharpened them for the next general elections. Unsuccessful in her first attempt at
just 23 years, the Green War author still believes that environment should be at the core of every
economic model and she’s determined to argue this in parliament come 2027. However, her
journey in the 2022 general elections wasn’t a walk in the park.
“I drew out my card to pay for fuel worth 5000 KES for my campaign vehicle and the
attendant returned the card saying ‘it couldn’t go through’. I had spent all of my life savings on
the campaign. I locked myself in the bedroom for two days, cried and continued campaigning. I
didn’t give up.” Anita Soina shared.
Anita Soina was the youngest aspirant in the 2022 general elections to represent Kajiado North
constituents in the 13th parliament. Her grandfather, who valued leadership and the environment,
nurtured her political aspirations.
She made a bold move a few months before the elections when she defected from the now-ruling
party, United Democratic Alliance(UDA) led by President William Ruto to join the Green
Thinking Action Party (GTAP) led by Dr. Isaac Kalua.
“The Green Thinking Action Party (GTAP) values align with my values of environmental
consciousness. Additionally, the party waivered fees for women running for elective office.” She
said. Lauded for her environmental consciousness, Anita is fondly called the ‘Green MP’.
“Lack of political goodwill on climate change, water, sanitation and environmental
consciousness in parliament was a motivating factor to join politics. We need people in
decision-making spaces who are passionate about the environment. No qualifications are needed
to be environmentally cautious, and I hoped to share this gospel in parliament.” She added.
However, Anita’s miss at her first attempt to run for office has been re-ignited as she vows to go
bigger and better in the 2027 general elections. She’s confident that Kenya’s political landscape
is slowly widening for female participants and younger generation of female leaders will step up
when heroes like Martha Karua retire from active politics. This wave of young women
politicians is relentless in pursuit of their political careers.
Less than 2000 female political aspirants participated in the general elections that saw seven
women governors, three senators, 26 Members of Parliament and 115 Members of County
Assemblies elected into office. Interestingly three out of the four presidential aspirants had female running mates, a first of many. Despite the new high record, women’s participation in
politics still lags and achieving the 2⁄3 gender rule is far from being realized.
Ms Nancy Baraza, a human rights activist notes that these numbers barely meet the 2⁄3 gender
rule even with the appointive seats combined. Sighting culture as one of the main challenges
women politicians deal with, she posed questions the Kenyan electorate needs to reflect on if
achieving gender parity is a goal they are serious about.
“Culture violates women’s human rights in the sense that patriarchy puts a man on top of the
pyramid on every leadership and decision-making platform that arises. It is important to note
Women are the majority in illiteracy and the World’s poor. How can they lead when they are
illiterate? Sure, women have solutions to their problems, but they need to be educated to
implement these solutions at a higher level. Politics is expensive, who will finance their
campaigns?”
Financial constraints were the most prevalent challenge for most female aspirants and Linet
Chipkorir is one of the candidates that Kenyans took a special interest in because of how she was
running her campaigns. Famously known as Linet Toto, the Bomet women’s rep had her
supporters mobilize funds to support her campaign as she traversed the county using a motorbike
during the campaign period. Most young women aspirants relied on family, friends and persons
of goodwill to finance their campaigns and savings.
“Structural culture, religious and societal beliefs hold women back from pursuing their political
ambitions and dwindles their confidence.” Bina Maseno, the founder of Badili Africa Shares.
Badili Africa is a social advocacy organisation that empowers women to take on leadership roles
in their respective institutions through their political spas and glam sessions. The organisation
was born after unsuccessfully running for a Member of the County Assembly (MCA) in Kayole.
“ We have therefore coined the term, ‘political spa,’ to connote a safe feminine space where we
address heavy policy and political issues at a ‘salon’ level. The Spa element acts as an incentive
for young women in informal underprivileged urban settlements and, tertiary institutions of
learning to engage in a non-threatening environment where they are free to share their views,
concerns and opinions about their political power as citizens. We then link governance issues like
voting rights and participation in elections, cost of livelihood, underdevelopment(of informal
settlements for example,) access to family planning, insecurity, and sexual and gender-based
violence to political governance in a manner that is not “traditional” and that speaks directly to
them.” Bina shares.
The Kenyan political scene is predominantly male and therefore, most young women grow up
thinking politics is a manly affair. The media portrays politics as a men’s affair and young girls
are conditioned to believe that politics should be reserved for men. Besides, the media’s portrayal
of women politicians is quite discouraging. Besides over-sexualization, the media sensationalizes
the lives of women politicians, focusing on their dress codes, and marital lives. These stories are
further fleshed out on social media as users comment on ways they think women should use their
bodies for different things.
Lynne Obwoge, a recent graduate shares that this kind of negative media attention often puts
women in jeopardy as the longevity of their marriages is tested. For women, it feels like they
have to choose between their families and political ambitions. Politically ambitious women are
frowned upon because most communities in Kenya still measure a woman’s success by her
marriage.
“I come from an extremely patriarchal society. To speak up as a woman is hard enough let alone
a young woman. Highly propelled by the phrase, ‘What can a woman tell us?’ Leadership by
women generally is concept men in my community struggle with. Being a woman makes it hard,
young makes it harder. ‘ Kichwa ngumu’, tough headed or ‘anafaa afunzwe adabu’ she ought to
be disciplined”. She shared some of the remarks men make.
But Lynne is not the only one that has noticed this. Habiba, the current vice president of the
The Technical University of Kenya used to share this belief.
“After attending the political spa and glam session on campus, my political views and beliefs
were broadened. I used to think that politics is a dirty game, unethical and no one should be
participating in politics. I can’t believe that a year later, I’m the vice president of this great
university. The growth is unmatched and trust me the national political scene should look
forward to seeing me in future. In Sha Allah!” shared an excited Habib.
The Muslim girl from remote Isiolo hopes to mentor young girls from her home and encourage
them to be more involved in politics as she shared how she’s promoting women’s participation in
politics at the Technical University of Kenya.
“I believe universities should employ the 2/3 rule like in my institution, the Technical University
of Kenya where the proportion of women to men in the students’ leadership is equal. I encourage
other universities to take it up as it will increase participation and probably motivate them to join
active politics in future.”
However, women still battle with similar challenges across the board and if not addressed, could
frustrate their efforts and political careers as shared by Spice Warriors founder, Anita Soina.
“Young people, particularly women don’t have levelled grounds when competing for elective
office; it’s unfair. We are easily ‘fixed’. During party primaries, we are easily told to step down
for another candidate, promised a job or a nominated position to pave the way for our male
counterparts.” Anita shared.
Young women leaders find it hard to sail through party primaries because they are often unfair
and violent. Besides the financial hurdles involved, male aspirants take centre stage while
women take the rear seat. Women are talked out of political races by being awarded nominated
positions which are ‘safe’ or promises of jobs if they let their male counterparts have their spot.
Edwin, a 32 years old environmentalist said, “Women who agree to step down for their male
counterparts are easily controlled and therefore trusting that they make their own decisions is
hard. I’m always very critical about voting for women leaders.”
However, Sakina believes that it’s better safe than sorry. “A nominated seat is a certainty that you
will be in government and you can promote your agenda while there instead of taking the risk
and missing out on both opportunities.”
Given the hostile nature of party primaries, the IEBC and political parties ought to ethically and
financially support female aspirants during party primaries to avoid falling victim to their male
counterparts. This vulnerability is what promotes ‘fixing’ which taints a woman’s political career
and is reduced to party ‘flower girls’ as referred to by some publications.
This hostility is not only experienced physically, as bullies take to social media to harass
aspirants online. “Unlike our male counterparts, women cannot campaign at night because we
are at risk of being sexually abused.” Anita shared.
Women are preyed upon and joining active politics sets a target on them. Their abusers are
spread across different social media platforms as much as in their physical surroundings. Female
aspirants are shamed for virtually everything as they struggle to fit all the religious and societal
beliefs of their voters. Women with disabilities deal with even worse situations as shared by
Salome Kimata OGW, executive director of United Disability Empowerment in Kenya.
“It is good to note that the participation of women with disabilities in politics is extremely
low. Access to information on women with disabilities engaging in the political process is very
limited.” She begins.
“Generally lack of a level playing ground, women with disabilities politicians face
communication barriers. Electoral processes materials not packaged in accessible formats to
ease access to information e.g. braille, sign language interpreters for women politicians
with hearing impairments. Stigma, discrimination and lack of opportunities hinder their social
inclusion and are often subject to abuse.” These challenges are sadly faced by both aspirants and
voters in the same breath.
“Voting itself could be a major barrier due to the lack of awareness and accessibility. The
government can be more inclusive in various ways. Political parties need to enrol more women
with disabilities as their members and include women with disabilities in their party leadership
organs e.g. National Election Council, and National Election Board and ensure their parties have
a disability league established.” Salome graciously shares.
Election Management Bodies should encourage and support women with disabilities’ political
participation by encouraging more women with disabilities to participate in their women’s
political leadership programmes. This will in turn inform their decisions while creating materials
to be used for elections so that everyone is catered for, regardless of whatever special needs they
might have. The government can also be proactive in dealing with cyberbullies as they contribute
to the problem of online harassment.
While social media has been resourceful in terms of campaigns and cost-efficient, the platforms
also pose great risks to the mental and physical well-being of aspirants. The constant
name-calling, derogatory labels and death threats demoralize women aspirants and they end up
losing confidence in themselves. But Anita believes that what doesn’t kill you makes you
stronger and goes ahead to develop a thick skin towards what she calls, “toxic politics.”
Anita’s passion for healing and restoring mother earth inspired her to write a book that demystifies
environmental jargon into simple relatable terms that promote environmental consciousness
among the youth. She founded the Spice warriors foundation which promotes conservation
through tree planting and the Soina Foundation to advocate for sexual and reproductive health
rights, gender-based violence and social issues affecting women and girls in Kajiado.
“It’s dehumanizing that women and girls in drought-stricken areas lack essential needs for their
menstrual hygiene; water. This reality dawned on me when we went to distribute washable
sanitary towels and there was no water in that community.” A disgruntled Anita shared.
Women’s leadership is purpose-driven and their political aspirations are grounded in causes they
are passionate about. They believe in the spirit of Ubuntu. Unlike their male counterparts whose
personal interests supersede their voters’ needs, women leaders prioritize the good of everyone
as shown by the author of Green War, Anita Soina.
She has politicized the struggle of Kenyan women living in drought-prone areas and taken
personal initiative to represent their challenges in parliament. If successful in the next general
elections, Miss Anita’s influence could upgrade menstrual and maternal health, and girls’
education, and advance gender justice alongside climate justice and climate education. Her
decorated career in just 24 years is proof enough.
Young women are setting the stage to take on leadership reigns with purpose and determination.
They have proven their commitment to transformational leadership through purpose-driven,
goal-oriented and commendable innovations. We should rid ourselves of ill-informed notions
that women do anything to stay relevant and give them the chance to lead. The next best time is
now!
Politics: Why We Need More Women Representation In Parliament
Kenyan politics: the good, the bad and the ugly
Politics – why join the party?
This story is part of the African Women in Media (AWiM)/ Luminate Young Women in Politics media project.
