Women leadership key to development, shaping our destiny

Gender inequality in Kenyan politics is rampant. Despite our country being a continental leader on many fronts, we just can’t seem to address issues of gender inequality. It’s not like we haven’t been trying. Ever since the 2010 Constitution was passed, which required that “not more than two-thirds of the members of elective public bodies shall be of the same gender,” there have been attempts to deal with this issue. Nevertheless, Kenya still lags behind its neighbours.

Women in African nations have taken on significant political roles. Rwanda, not too long ago became the world’s first country with a female majority Parliament (61.3 per cent). Namibia and South Africa are also world leaders, with at least half of their parliaments composed of women. We know that women can play important roles on our continent. Just look at Nigerian feminist author Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie or Ethiopian entrepreneur Bethlehem Alemu.

Powerful female leadership has been instrumental to the development of countries throughout the history of our continent. Taytu Betul, the infamous empress of Ethiopia was a central figure in the battle to stop Italian colonialism. Jeanne-Marie Ruth-Rolland changed the face of African politics for women by being the first woman to run in a Presidential election. Why however, isn’t this the case in our country?

When debating a 2015 proposed amendment to our Constitution that would secure gender equity in government, President Uhuru Kenyatta ehorted the National Assembly to back the proposal: “I call upon all our members to vote for this Bill...the people of Kenya are waiting to see you make history this afternoon.” Despite his fight for this issue, the Bill was not passed. We Kenyans now have another chance at changing our country for the better.

It is the reason many leaders, in their presentations to the Building Bridges Initiative (BBI), called for substantial representation of both gender at all levels. With only 1/5 of our Parliament’s seats filled by women, our country needs more women leaders. While it is disappointing to see our country lagging behind its neighbours in this area, showing our support for measures that will empower women is a great place to start.

Women cannot be discouraged. The number of women involved in national politics is on the rise, from the National Assembly, to our Senate and Governor positions. Women must remain strong despite conditions discouraging our political participation, including emotional abuse, intimidation and even physical violence. But we must make sure that the law strengthens the ability of women to be involved in determining our destiny. After all, we can get inspiration from a few women leaders who fought it out with men and won their seats without the advantage of the law.

Fighting inequality is a gradual process. Just look at how long it took for our brothers and sisters in the US to gain their rightful place in society. But reaching this stage also required policy, such as Affirmative Action, which was the first step towards ensuring the place of African Americans in American society. 

The BBI report is yet to be made public, but going by the avalanche of memorandums calling for change to enhance women representation, it is expected to give them a second, for such legislation. The attempt by some politicians to prevent this is unacceptable. Recall DP Ruto’s words during the gender Bill debate: “You male MPs should be the last to stand in the way of our mothers and daughters.”

Women must expose this for what it is; classical fear of strong women in power. Revealing the truth is like lighting a match. It can bring you light or set your world on fire.

- The writer is an architect and comments on topical issues.