Episode 68: Women and the 2017 Elections

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In the August 2017 general election, we had 9 women running for Governor, 25 for Senate, 115 for Member of National Assembly (MNA), and 261 for Member of County Assembly (MCA). That was a total of 410 women aspirants, which was even lower than the number in the 2013 election, which was 449. To compare, the total number of candidates for these positions was: 210 for Governor, 1,893 for both MNA and Senate, 11,858 for MCA, and 8 men are running for president. Only 9% of the candidates were women.

Three women made history by becoming Kenya's first female governors, and three others became the first elected female senators (in 2013, all women in the Senate had been nominated). We're joined by Nanjala Nyabola, a writer, humanitarian advocate and political analyst, to talk about women and the 2017 elections, and where women are based on the findings of a book she co-edited: "Where Women Are: Gender & The 2017 Kenyan Elections". Press play!

Resources

Where Women Are: Gender & The 2017 Kenyan Elections

A Gender Analysis of the 2017 Kenya General Elections

Key Gains and Challenges: A Gender Audit of Kenya's 2013 Election Process

Flower Girls, Girlfriends and Sexist Discourse: The Politics of the Two-Thirds Gender Bill

Women Contributions in Parliament

Political Party Nominations

An Overview of the 2017 General Election

On Voting

The Election Boycott Of 2017

Women gear up for elections in Kenya

“They Were Men in Uniform”: Sexual Violence against Women and Girls in Kenya’s 2017 Elections

OUR UNLAWFUL LAWMAKERS: Parliament, the Supreme Court and the Gender Principle

Why we cannot change the Constitution without violating it

Episode 49: Women and Youth in Kenyan Politics

Image Credit: Her Story Wins