Kenya

Sometime in 1974, a woman in her mid thirties made history as Kenya’s first female assistant minister. She had just quit her position as an associate professor at the University of Nairobi to plunge into politics and clinched the Funyula Constituency seat. So impressed by her performance was then President Jomo Kenyatta, that he appointed Prof Julia Ojiambo, assistant minister for Education.

Kenyan member of parliament Alice Wahome spoke about the violent abuse, harassment and humiliation she has experienced as a female politician at the launch of a report about women's participation in the March 2013 elections.

Female candidates in Kenya face many barriers, including violent attacks, cultural and social stereotypes, lack of money and lack of political connections.

Wahome is one of 16 women who were elected as a constituency MP in 2013, compared to 274 men.

In March 2013, Sophia Abdi Noor was the only woman to stand for parliament in northern Kenya, a marginalised region where Islam has a lot of sway.

She spoke about the obstacles she has faced as a female politician at the launch of a report about women’s participation in the March 2013 elections. Female candidates in Kenya face many barriers, including violence, cultural and social stereotypes, lack of money and lack of political connections.

New laws designed to increase the number of elected women in Kenyan politics had no effect on the 2013 elections because those concerned failed to implement them, the Federation of Women Lawyers (FIDA) said.

“We have good laws that we are not using,” said Mariam Kamunyu, the lead author of ‘Key Gains and Challenges: A Gender Audit of Kenya’s 2013 Election Process’, a report on how women fared in the polls,

The number of female candidates is easily the highest in Kenya’s electoral history and the women are banking on voters to give them a chance to beef up their num

Ijara — As Kenyans go to the polls today, could Sophia Abdi Noor become the first ever Somali woman to be voted in to the Kenyan parliament?

(Read article at: allAfrica)

The testimonies filed to a Nairobi court last week are difficult to read. A woman is raped in front of her daughter, first by police and then by looters. A student is dragged into the bush and has his foreskin cut off. A terrified woman hides under her bed as attackers scale her roof but they find her, beat her, then three men rape her.