Kenya's parliament today has more women than its 50+ year history. However, at barely 20%, Kenya falls far short of all her contemporaries in East Africa. With an electoral system that espouses a 'winner takes all' mantra, women lose big at party primaries. The few female candidates that gain party nominations suffer further attrition when faced with a voter base that is informed by patriarchal interpretation of leadership. It is no surprise then that Constitutional affirmative action measures have been the fall back plan toward equitable representation.
This video is a short peek into the experiences of a handful of women who have tried their hand in elective politics. The video was developed in collaboration with GROOTS Kenya, a network of grassroots women championing women's political participation in Kenya.
