Caroline Wafula
6 January 2008
Nairobi — Although they came out in large numbers to contest in the 2007 General Election last week, only 15 women candidates have made it to the 10th Parliament after successfully going through campaigns that were marred by violence and other challenges.
As a result, the number of elected female MPs in the 10th Parliament will increase by five from the 10 who were members of the Ninth Parliament.
The total number of female MPs is, however, expected to be higher than the 18 who served in the last Parliament given that political parties are expected to nominate a good number of them.
There were nine female MPs nominated in the Ninth Parliament out of the 12 nominated MPs.
Most of those who will be nominated are likely to be among those who lost their bid for elective parliamentary posts.
It will be the first time in Kenya's history that 20 or more female MPs will serve in Parliament. In the East African region, Kenya has the smallest number of women holding elective positions.
The successful entrants in the next Parliament took part in a crowded race in their respective constituencies. The election campaign platform, which was male dominated, was described by many of them as tough and intimidating. They also cited financial constraints.
The number of female candidates soared to record highs with some beating outgoing MPs with huge margins.
In total, 269 out of the 2,548 parliamentary candidates in the 2007 General Election were women, up from 44 of the 1,015 legislative aspirants in 2002.
The Party of National Unity fielded 13 women out of its 135 aspirants while the Orange Democratic Movement fielded seven women out of 190 candidates. ODM-K had 15 women among its 133 candidates. Almost all the other 108 parties also fielded women candidates.
The party nominations in November which earned them a ticket, however, saw many women aspirants subjected to physical and emotional abuse. There were also cases of abduction. Some 20 serious cases were reported and some women chose to suffer in silence.
Dr Penninah Ogada, a gender and human rights consultant and lecturer in political science at the University of Nairobi, says violence that marked the campaigns had a two-pronged impact: the female voters were intimidated and denied an opportunity to support the candidate of their choice. Secondly, the aspirants were traumatised psychologically and physically intimidated into giving up the quest for elective positions.
Efforts by the government to create 50 special parliamentary seats for women went down the drain in August when the male-dominated Ninth Parliament voted down the government introduced constitutional amendment Bill. That may explain the large turn-out of women in the parliamentary race.
Even though the 15 women in the 10th Parliament is a slight increase from the 10 elected women in the Ninth Parliament, it is below expectation given that more than 200 women contested in last year's parliamentary race.
It is also below expectation given that women make up about 52 per cent of the Kenya population but remain under-represented in Parliament.
But still, women activists salute the women who made it through the race that was characterised by numerous malpractices right from the campaigns to the counting process.
Most of those elected to the House are new entrants, most of them from the Rift Valley region. Only one of the six female nominated MPs in the Ninth Parliament who contested various seats sailed through the elections.
Two of the three women who were elected in Nairobi Province are new entrants.
Televangelist Margaret Wanjiru, the founder and Presiding Bishop of Jesus Is Alive Ministries, trounced Cabinet Minister Maina Kamanda who contested on a PNU ticket. It was a hotly contested race that only separated the loser from the winner by several hundred votes. There were 17 other contenders.
In Kasarani, ODM candidate Elizabeth Ongoro made it to the august House after trouncing 28 candidates, among them six women.
In Dagoretti, Education Assistant Minister Beth Mugo recaptured the seat after a neck-and-neck race for votes with ODM's John Kiare.
Mrs Mugo has been the MP for Dagoretti since December 1997 and defended her seat on a PNU ticket.
She was the president of the Council for Economic Empowerment of Women in Africa, a regional non-governmental organisation that campaigns for women-friendly laws and policies.
It was, however, Rift Valley Province that brought in the highest number of women to Parliament, all highly rated and respected professionals.
In Eldoret South, former high school teacher Ms Peris Chepchumba won the seat on an ODM ticket, beating 11 contestants among them outgoing MP David Koros.
Ms Lornah Laboso won the Sotik seat, also on an ODM ticket, after garnering an overwhelming 36,508 votes. She beat four other contenders, with outgoing MP Antony Kimetto of New Kanu managing only 976 votes. Mr Stanley Rotich, who came second, had 11,379 votes.
Mrs Laboso lost her bid for the seat in 2002 on a Narc ticket when she was trounced by Kanu's Mr Anthony Kimetto.
Another new entrant is Prof Hellen Jepkemoi Sambili, wife to
Planning Permanent Secretary Edward Sambili, who ousted outgoing MP Joseph Korir to capture the Mogotio seat in Koibatek district.
The Egerton University lecturer becomes the first woman MP for the constituency.
Mrs Sambili beat five male candidates on a United Democratic Movement ticket. She had narrowly lost to the outgoing MP in the ODM nominations and decamped to UDM after citing irregularities.
Former Head of Public Service Dr Sally Kosgei emerged the winner in the race for the Aldai seat on an ODM ticket after defeating 12 contenders, among them the former MP, Mr Jimmy Choge, who ran on a PNU ticket.
She broke more than three decades of the Choge family tenure in the Aldai parliamentary politics and goes on record for that achievement.
Dr Kosgei has been described as clever, quiet, diplomatic, and self-assured. Previously, she was fiercely loyal to former President Moi. She is among politicians who broke ranks with the former head of state to contest on an ODM ticket while her former boss backed PNU.
Former East African Legislative Assembly MP, Prof Margaret Kamar, won the Eldoret East seat while former Cabinet Minister Linah Chebii Kilimo made a comeback after recapturing the Marakwet East seat on a Kenda ticket.
Mrs Kilimo is known for her anti-female genital mutilation campaigns in the region.
Prof Kamar, a former Deputy Vice-Chancellor at Moi University and Principal of Chepkoilel Campus, has been active in Maendeleo ya Wanawake politics in the Rift Valley.
In Eastern Province, senior ODM member Charity Ngilu retained her Kitui Central seat, beating, among others, ODM-Kenya's Mwendwa Munyasia who was widely seen as the favourite for the seat. The former health minister, who was sacked by President Kibaki after she joined ODM while still in office, is remembered for having pulled off a big surprise by capturing the Kitui Central constituency seat on a DP ticket in the 1992 multiparty elections.
She ran for the presidency in 1997 along with Nobel laureate Prof Wangari Maathai, becoming the first-ever female presidential candidates in Kenya.
In Kathiani, youthful businesswoman Wavinya Ndeti beat the ODM-K wave and felled former MP for Kathiani and Assistant Minister Kyalo Kaindi on a Chama Cha Umma ticket.
Another youthful politician, Cecily Mbarire, successfully contested the Runyenjes seat on a PNU ticket where she trounced the immediate former area MP, Mr Martin Wambora. Ms Mbarire was a nominated MP in the Ninth Parliament. In Central Province, Justice and Constitutional Affairs Minister Martha Karua retained the Gichugu parliamentary seat after trouncing her two opponents.
Nyeri Town voters elected 54-year-old Esther Murugi Mathenge who contested on a PNU ticket.
In Coast province, Dr Naomi Shaban retained the Taveta seat which she contested on a Kanu ticket. She beat nine contenders among them former area MP Basil Criticos.
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