Gendered Politics in Post-Independence Kenya: The Case of Lower Eastern Region

Abstract

Women make up a significant proportion of the population, accounting for over half of the global population. Despite this, their participation in politics has always been lower than that of men. In Kenya, women constitute more than half of the entire population and form a sizable part of the electorate, yet they still face political exclusion. Political participation of women in politics is of great significance. This is because it is within the political realm that resource allocation and conflict resolution takes place. People join politics to individually or collectively pursue their interests and if women as a category are not equitably represented, it would mean that key policy and decisions are made without considering their aspirations. The objective of the study was to examine patterns of women's political mobilization in Kenya between 1963-2022. The study was guided by Social Relations Gender Approach. This theory is underpinned by the following assumptions:

• Human well-being is the primary goal of development,


• Social relations determine people's roles, rights as well as their power over others and


• Societal institutions play an integral role in perpetuating social inequality.

The research employed an exploratory research design. It is held here that the Jomo Kenyatta regime perpetuated the colonial patriarchal ideology anchored on gender bias. The independence regime conceptualized the role of women’s organizations as mainly useful to improve the nation’s economy but deliberately muzzled their political aspirations. The Moi regime opened political space for women and it is the Kibaki administration through the promulgation of the 2010 Constituion that gave women the requisite platform towards achieving gender equity in politics.