THE KENYAN STATE CANNOT BOAST OF DEMOCRACY AS LONG AS WOMEN HAVE NO ACCESS TO POLITICS.
By Philip Janet Kavutha
Kenya is fond of referring to itself as a modern democracy, but every election year, it reveals a bitter reality that women continue to struggle to achieve political visibility, recognition and even security. The gender inequality in politics cannot be discussed only as a women’s problem but as a problem in the governance of a country. It is a democracy that by definition, oppresses half a nation.
Women are still grossly underrepresented in Parliament, county assemblies and high-level government offices despite such constitutional guarantees as the two-thirds gender rule. Such exclusion is not by chance. The Kenyan political systems are designed in ways that benefit men financially, socially and culturally. Women have to take many steps before they start their political journey due to exorbitant campaign bills and party gatekeeping.
The deeper issue, however, lies in the fact that Kenya still holds that men are better leaders. The patriarchal culture has entrenched leadership as loud, authoritative, and confrontational, which are masculine qualities in society. Men are considered to be natural decision-makers, and women are supposed to be supportive, silent and nurturing. It is reflected in their voting, party nomination, and fundraising, all in favour of men. In the meantime, women who demonstrate ambition are doubted, criticised or sacked as incompetent.
The hypocrisy is clearly seen. A man who is confident is perceived as a strong man; a confident woman is termed as disrespectful. The personal life of a man does not matter; the marriage and motherhood of a woman are the subject of discussion. And as a last resort, women are targeted with online harassment, character assassination, and threats, as well as the means of moving them back to silence. According to Kenya, in case they cherish leadership, why should women struggle twice to make sure that they are worthy of what men are presumed to be?
However, the irony is obvious: the assumption that men are superior leaders has not been proven. Nations where women are highly represented in politics are typically well educated, socially
policy-oriented and less corrupt. Women leaders have better listening skills, work in a team and focus more on the welfare of the community. More of that, rather than less, would be beneficial to Kenya in the future.
Kenya needs to cease the tendency to treat women in politics as a token or a special exception. Equal rights to both genders do not come with favours; they are democratic duties. The issue that the
nation should address is the following: How do we claim to be democratic when we can make half the population climb a hill which in fact men only are carried over?
In case Kenya desires to have a future characterized by equity, sanity, and inclusive leadership, breaking gender stereotypes is not only necessary, but it is a kind of emergency. Women leadership is no longer a challenge to democracy; it is democracy.
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