Gender and Electoral Politics in Kenya

This study examines the nature and extent of women’s participation in Kenya’s multiparty electoral politics of the 1990s. It specifically analyzes the impacts of the multiparty political dispensation on women on the basis of their electoral participation. The data for this study is derived from a case study of selected and politically active Gusii women, who were individually interviewed on issues related to their personal political careers and electoral experiences. Utilizing the qualitative research techniques, the study established that the marginalization of Kenyan women in electoral politics is a result of a combination of factors, including colonial legacy, socialization, poverty, political violence, and lack of political careerism and staying power. The research findings show a paucity of women holding electoral positions, reflecting the existence of unfavorable political environment for women’s political engagement. Most importantly, the study affirms that the democratization process that ushered Kenya into a multiparty political dispensation in 1991 did not, necessarily, engender increased participation of women in electoral politics.