Prioritise women candidates with history of human rights

Martha Karua who has been nominated as Azimio la Umoja One Kenya Presidential running mate.

From a gender equality lens, with few exceptions, the primaries were largely disappointing. The announcement of Martha Karua as the running mate for Azimio’s Raila Odinga may have changed everything for the representation of women in politics. Can we normalise women leadership now?

The arc towards gender justice in politics has slowly been swinging towards equality. A few women led by Wangari Maathai, Charity Ngilu, and Martha Karua have previously run presidential races in 1997 and 2013. In 2017, six women governors and senators were elected, an improvement on the 2013 polls. In 2018, the Jubilee administration appointed six out of 21 Cabinet Secretaries, just short of the two-thirds constitutional standard. However, at seven per cent and nine per cent, female senators and MPs remain fewer than the combined African average of 24 per cent.