The
plight of the woman in Kenyan politics continues. Save for the few
big-name brands - Martha Karua and Charity Ngilu quickly spring to mind -
women in 2013 are getting the shaft. Women do not seem to play a
commanding role in the politics of the day. Nor it seems are they
playing a commanding role in shaping the debates of the day. It was
news, for a minute, when Jimmi Kibaki attempted to foist a man on the
hapless voters of Othaya, but got trounced by the pre-eminent woman
political operator, Mary Wambui. It was news, for a minute, when Manzi wa Nai,
Rachel Shebesh, decamped to The National Alliance after a spectacular
Come-to-Jesus moment when it became apparent that she was not the only
hair-do in the Orange Democratic Party. It was news, for a minute, when
Raila Odinga's sister attempted to leverage her brother's popularity in
Luo Nyanza to swing the Kisumu County governor's ticket her way. It was
news, for a minuet, when James ole Kiyiapi picked a woman to be his
running mate in the 2013 presidential hundred-metre dash. And so on and
so forth.
Women lost the race when the Two-thirds Rule was improperly drafted. They were screwed the moment the Supreme Court refused to come to their aid. The woman movement is suffering setback after setback in a Twenty-first Century where women, globally, are taking strides to command the leading heights of politics, thought and ideas. Latina America has an enviable record of electing female presidents. Some have been disasters, but on the whole they have demonstrated that when it comes to political leadership, they can give as good as they get and that they are not short of ideas. Or that they are the Weaker Sex. The same is the case for certain parts of Asia, notably India, Pakistan, Bangladesh and Sri Lanka. One of the most admired Sri Lankan presidents must be Chandrika Kumaratunga who led that benighted island during one of the most trying times in its history - the darkest days of the Tamil Tigers' insurgency. She even managed to survive an assassination attempt that cost her an eye!
In Kenyatta's day, women had no place in the political arena. In Moi's day, they were like flower-girls. In Kibaki's reign, they started to come out of their shells but were quickly forced back in. Julia Ojiambo has been reduced to a cruel joke of her former self. Martha Karua stands out alone as the single most determined woman politician in Kenya. Charity Ngilu has lost the lustre that covered her from her insurgent 1992 campaign to her insurgent presidential bid in 1997 to her chairmanship of NARC in 2002. Anyone who can name ole Kiyiapi's running mate without searching their memory still has hope for the future of women politicians in Kenya. Kingwa Kamencu did herself in with the "no underwear" lunacy she attempted to foist on us with her nascent presidential ambitions. But is the likes of Rachel Shebesh who continue to cause deep embarassment to the woman movement in Kenya, especially in politics.
In the 2013 campaign, women are notable by their absence despite the fact, acknowledged by one and all, that women form more than half the registered voters in Kenya. Despite the fact that more women than men are obtaining university degrees, their impact in defining the topics of the day is negligible. Despite more women heading more public institutions than ever before, there does not seem to be a mood that women are the Second Coming any more. In the corporate jungle, there seems to be less and less lionesses than lions. Is 2013 their political and professional Waterloo? Where are the women?
Women lost the race when the Two-thirds Rule was improperly drafted. They were screwed the moment the Supreme Court refused to come to their aid. The woman movement is suffering setback after setback in a Twenty-first Century where women, globally, are taking strides to command the leading heights of politics, thought and ideas. Latina America has an enviable record of electing female presidents. Some have been disasters, but on the whole they have demonstrated that when it comes to political leadership, they can give as good as they get and that they are not short of ideas. Or that they are the Weaker Sex. The same is the case for certain parts of Asia, notably India, Pakistan, Bangladesh and Sri Lanka. One of the most admired Sri Lankan presidents must be Chandrika Kumaratunga who led that benighted island during one of the most trying times in its history - the darkest days of the Tamil Tigers' insurgency. She even managed to survive an assassination attempt that cost her an eye!
In Kenyatta's day, women had no place in the political arena. In Moi's day, they were like flower-girls. In Kibaki's reign, they started to come out of their shells but were quickly forced back in. Julia Ojiambo has been reduced to a cruel joke of her former self. Martha Karua stands out alone as the single most determined woman politician in Kenya. Charity Ngilu has lost the lustre that covered her from her insurgent 1992 campaign to her insurgent presidential bid in 1997 to her chairmanship of NARC in 2002. Anyone who can name ole Kiyiapi's running mate without searching their memory still has hope for the future of women politicians in Kenya. Kingwa Kamencu did herself in with the "no underwear" lunacy she attempted to foist on us with her nascent presidential ambitions. But is the likes of Rachel Shebesh who continue to cause deep embarassment to the woman movement in Kenya, especially in politics.
In the 2013 campaign, women are notable by their absence despite the fact, acknowledged by one and all, that women form more than half the registered voters in Kenya. Despite the fact that more women than men are obtaining university degrees, their impact in defining the topics of the day is negligible. Despite more women heading more public institutions than ever before, there does not seem to be a mood that women are the Second Coming any more. In the corporate jungle, there seems to be less and less lionesses than lions. Is 2013 their political and professional Waterloo? Where are the women?
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