Kirinyaga Governor Anne Waiguru has called on Kenya to back affirmative action laws that would improve women’s representation in political leadership, saying the country is falling behind its East African peers.
Waiguru argues that Kenya remains the only country in East Africa without an affirmative action framework for gender representation in Parliament, even as Rwanda, Tanzania, Uganda and Burundi have made greater progress on the issue.
She points to recent gains elsewhere as evidence that voters are increasingly willing to elect women. In the United States mid-term elections, she notes, 100 women won seats, while Minnesota and Michigan elected the first Muslim women to the US Congress. Ethiopia, she adds, elected Ms Sahle Work Zewde as its first female president and also appointed its first female head of the Judiciary.
According to Waiguru, the low number of women in office does not reflect the number of women who vote. She says the gap raises questions about whether the problem lies in the electoral process or in social attitudes that continue to limit women’s path to leadership.
She says the debate should focus on equality of opportunity rather than equality of outcome. In her view, girls in many non-urban settings do not enjoy the same chances as boys because of household responsibilities, family expectations and, in some cases, school absences linked to menstruation.
Waiguru also rejects arguments that the Gender Bill would worsen the wage bill or deepen the debt burden. She says women already contribute heavily to the economy as traders, farmers and professionals, yet their role is often ignored when it comes to political leadership.
She says women face practical disadvantages in politics, including limited time and fewer opportunities to build political influence because of family duties. For that reason, she says affirmative action laws are necessary to correct long-standing inequality.
Waiguru says the Kenya Amendment Bill of 2018 offers a starting point for implementing gender equality in leadership. She also says political delay in enforcing Article 81(b) of the Constitution should end so the country can move ahead with the gender agenda.
Ms Waiguru is the Governor Kirinyaga County, and vice-chair of the Council of Governors
