Women making positive strides towards equality at highest levels

Nakuru Governor Susan Kihika. [Kipsang Joseph, Standard]

"For me, a better democracy is a democracy where women do not only have the right to vote and to elect but to be elected."- Michelle Bachelet, head of UN Women, former president and defense minister of Chile

Pre-colonial through colonial to post-colonial periods in Kenya have seen significant increases in the presence of women and their political participation in leadership and governance. One such example is the country's first female chief, Wangu wa Makeri (1901-1909), who rose to prominence despite patriarchal cultural and traditional structures.