Women must step up or shrivel

By Njoki Karuoya

The primaries are finally over and the one thing clear is that women have lost once again.

Just when we thought we had made great strides in getting Kenyans to appreciate the participation of women in leadership, the reality is that that is an ideological expectation. The truth is that those aspiring to become leaders (and not necessarily for the good of the people but for the perks that come with the job) will do anything to get to the top. They will also do anything to get their buddies up there with them.

There is no point in blaming men for shoving women aside to secure their aspirations to be leaders. It’s not common to see people set aside their ambitions for the sake of another. It is not even advised by all those career experts who counsel people to focus on their goals and to always keep their eyes on the ball. Thus it would be unfair to expect all those hundreds of men to swallow their egos for the sake of gender parity.

Corruption thrives

So what does this portend for women? In truth, we need to go beyond waiting for political favours. In my astute thinking, the chaotic primaries were a deliberate strategy on the part of the party leaders to ensure most, if not all, of their favourites get nominated for their desired positions. Remember, corruption thrives in chaos and not in order. Order makes it difficult for individuals who have no respect of the law to thrive. A good example would be Somalia.

Therefore, following the underhand dealings and machinations that characterised the primaries that generally worked against women, it is time those interested in politics woke up and smelt the coffee.

To be successful in politics, women can no longer afford to continue attending capacity building workshops and seminars, unless they are directly under the tutelage of prominent politicians. The best way to learn is from their actions, because politicians have the habit of saying one thing and doing the opposite.

Yes, women politicians may cry over the injustice of it all, and they would be justified to do so, but there is no room for giving up. After the grieving, women must radically shift their focus and their strategies and embrace the concept of getting down and dirty if they are to finally realise the vision of becoming leaders and transforming lives for better.

The era of thinking that politics can and should be sanitised is over – at least for now. That should be chalked down as a future goal. The present danger is the marginalisation of the female politician and this is what all women (and men who love women) should fight. It’s time to bring out the big guns and come a-blazing with massive firepower to clear all the obstacles standing in the way.

Composition

I doubt at this time there is much that the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission and the Registrar of Political Parties can do. The die is more or less cast.  In other words, the 2013-2016 political dispensation may be a foregone conclusion in terms of the gender composition. But the 2017 dispensation is not.

In order to effect change then, women leaders and personalities (political, corporate, community and social) must start work now. The first task should be to map out all the women candidates who successfully won their party tickets for their chosen elective posts then rally massive support behind them.

Second, to map out the male candidates with party tickets who have, in their political careers, demonstrated their support for women with their words and action, and give them support too.

With these two tasks, women can be assured of increasing their numbers in decision-making positions.

Third, and most important, is to start work now. Women leaders must find ways of stamping their authority and possessing their space by making themselves more visible, particularly with their actions.

Even as the media continues to ignore them as many claim, the women leaders must appreciate that it is not the media that elects them come D-day, but the electorate. It is these people they must convince that with them at the helm, lives will change for the better. The woiyee mentality must be cleansed, totally, by the end of this week and the now famous ‘Yes We Can’ bravado adopted forthwith. And you can count me in.

 

Women must step up or shrivel

By Njoki Karuoya

The primaries are finally over and the one thing clear is that women have lost once again.

Just when we thought we had made great strides in getting Kenyans to appreciate the participation of women in leadership, the reality is that that is an ideological expectation. The truth is that those aspiring to become leaders (and not necessarily for the good of the people but for the perks that come with the job) will do anything to get to the top. They will also do anything to get their buddies up there with them.

There is no point in blaming men for shoving women aside to secure their aspirations to be leaders. It’s not common to see people set aside their ambitions for the sake of another. It is not even advised by all those career experts who counsel people to focus on their goals and to always keep their eyes on the ball. Thus it would be unfair to expect all those hundreds of men to swallow their egos for the sake of gender parity.

Corruption thrives

So what does this portend for women? In truth, we need to go beyond waiting for political favours. In my astute thinking, the chaotic primaries were a deliberate strategy on the part of the party leaders to ensure most, if not all, of their favourites get nominated for their desired positions. Remember, corruption thrives in chaos and not in order. Order makes it difficult for individuals who have no respect of the law to thrive. A good example would be Somalia.

Therefore, following the underhand dealings and machinations that characterised the primaries that generally worked against women, it is time those interested in politics woke up and smelt the coffee.

To be successful in politics, women can no longer afford to continue attending capacity building workshops and seminars, unless they are directly under the tutelage of prominent politicians. The best way to learn is from their actions, because politicians have the habit of saying one thing and doing the opposite.

Yes, women politicians may cry over the injustice of it all, and they would be justified to do so, but there is no room for giving up. After the grieving, women must radically shift their focus and their strategies and embrace the concept of getting down and dirty if they are to finally realise the vision of becoming leaders and transforming lives for better.

The era of thinking that politics can and should be sanitised is over – at least for now. That should be chalked down as a future goal. The present danger is the marginalisation of the female politician and this is what all women (and men who love women) should fight. It’s time to bring out the big guns and come a-blazing with massive firepower to clear all the obstacles standing in the way.

Composition

I doubt at this time there is much that the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission and the Registrar of Political Parties can do. The die is more or less cast.  In other words, the 2013-2016 political dispensation may be a foregone conclusion in terms of the gender composition. But the 2017 dispensation is not.

In order to effect change then, women leaders and personalities (political, corporate, community and social) must start work now. The first task should be to map out all the women candidates who successfully won their party tickets for their chosen elective posts then rally massive support behind them.

Second, to map out the male candidates with party tickets who have, in their political careers, demonstrated their support for women with their words and action, and give them support too.

With these two tasks, women can be assured of increasing their numbers in decision-making positions.

Third, and most important, is to start work now. Women leaders must find ways of stamping their authority and possessing their space by making themselves more visible, particularly with their actions.

Even as the media continues to ignore them as many claim, the women leaders must appreciate that it is not the media that elects them come D-day, but the electorate. It is these people they must convince that with them at the helm, lives will change for the better. The woiyee mentality must be cleansed, totally, by the end of this week and the now famous ‘Yes We Can’ bravado adopted forthwith. And you can count me in.