What you need to know:
-
Despite claims that gender plays no role in political outcomes, local attitudes reveal persistent biases that affect how women candidates are perceived and evaluated.
-
From parliamentary sexism to online harassment, women face multi-faceted barriers to political participation across all levels of government.
-
Cultural attitudes and institutional practices continue to limit women's leadership opportunities, even as research shows women-led countries perform effectively in crisis management.
In the lush, fertile slopes of Mount Kenya sits Meru County, a place of striking natural beauty—and now, a symbolic battlefield in Kenya's ongoing struggle for gender equality in politics.
As Women's History Month unfolded in March—a celebration imported from the United States but resonant globally—an ironic drama played out in this region where women outnumber men by 10,277 (777,975 women compared to 767,698 men).
Kawira Mwangaza, who in 2022 made history as the first woman to govern Meru County, was unceremoniously removed from office following her third impeachment attempt. The High Court's March ruling upheld her removal, ending a tumultuous chapter that raises profound questions about gender and power in Kenyan politics.
Read here the full article published by The Nation on 4 April 2025.
Image by The Nation
