Women in politics in Kenya: an analysis of participation and barriers

Abstract

Women constitute more than half of the world’s population but their representation in the political arena has consistently been lower compared to men. Since representation is important in the allocation of resources, laws have been passed to guarantee gender parity in decision-making. In Kenya, the 2010 Constitution introduced a two-third gender rule to enhance parity in legislative bodies at both lower and national legislative bodies. From a sociological perspective, this paper assessed the extent of participation of women in the political development of Kenya. The qualitative study used interviews to analyse the contribution of women in politics. In all, 30 key informants, made up of 11 males and 19 females, were purposively recruited for the study. The study found that there were hindrances to women’s effective political participation which included; political environment characterized by violence propaganda, discrimination based on gender and lack of support from fellow women. The study and its implication for policymaking has been discussed extensively.