The world marks 25 years since the Fourth World Conference on Women held in Beijing in 1995, at a time Kenya parliament is under immense pressure to honour the promise for gender equity as provided for in the constitution.

Kenya’s National Assembly is male dominated and still steeped in the age-old patriarchal attitudes that continued to hold back enactment of key laws to deliver constitutional promises on g ender equity.

Repeated attempts to table the Two Thirds Gender Bill before parliament have failed as male MPs always denied it the numbers to become law by absenteeing themselves, and fiercely fighting it outside parliament.
According to the new modernist Constitution (2010), the National Assembly must consciously embrace gender equity and “there shall be no discrimination, including in social and political spheres”.

Kenya women have made greate strides since early post-independence years when few sisters ventured into competitive politics.

The first woman to be elected MP was Dr Julia Ojiambo in the 1974 General Election.

Nearly 50 years later, the numbers have increased but at a slow rate.

The road has not been friendly to women, and much ground remains to be covered despite milestones achieved by way of gender-equality-affirming legal and policy instruments.

Kenya has experienced cultural evolution on many fronts, including wide acceptance of selective discrimination by way of reserving special nomination slots for women to achieve equity where competitive elections fell short.

The new consitution (2010) provided for 47 County Women Representatives to sit in the National Assembly elected from each of the 47 counties, and for which men are not eligible.

Women however can vie for all other elective positions from governorship, senator, MP and Member of County Assembly (MCA).

The National Assembly has representatives from 290 constituencies.

However, many invisible and lethal barriers still stand in the women’s pathway towards ensuring full and meaningful participation in the political sphere.

For one, parliament has failed to comply with the constitution and make sure that the National Assembly is an environment that embraces both men and women on an equal footing.

In the ongoing 2022 presidential succession debate, indications are that competition will be instense and fierce as ever, and women vote will be the decisive factor.

Martha Karua, a presidential candidate in 2013 General Election, has been in active political leadership since she was first elected to parliament 1992.

She says her experience as an MP (1992-2012), Cabinet Minister ( 2003-2009) and Narc-Kenya Party Leader (from 2007 to date), and presidential candidate (2013 General Election) gave her special insights and unique perspectives on progress women have made and bumps still sticking out in their path.

“Why is it that 25 years since Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action the world is still largely 90 percent patriarchal?” She posed speaking at a forum organised by FEMNET that also included female members of the Pan-African Parliament.

Patriarchy by the roots

Karua said patriarchy could only be uprooted by the roots, from the family level:

“If we are to raise a generation free from patriarchy, then we must begin to re-socialise the entire community to promote gender equality and mutual respect for both men and women. We must realise that violence against women and girls begins at home through the language used. Then it escalates to physical violence. This is why we must begin changing the society right from the roots.”

Karua noted Kenya’s National Assembly has diplayed negative connotations towards the stalled Two Thirds Gender Bill aimed at ensuring a barely minimum number of women hold public offices.
She called on women to act and demand for their constitutional right.
“As women, we should demand what is rightfully provided for in the Constitution. It is sad that today because of patriarchal sabotage, we are silenced when we push for the assent of the Two Thirds Gender Bill,” she said.

Political equality, Karua said, will not be achieved if women do not demand for what is rightfully theirs.
This calls for accountability at all institutional, policy and progressive action levels until gender parity is attained in Kenya’s National Assembly.

Fourth World Conference on Women held in Beijing,China, in 1995, made the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action (BDPfA) setting out several points to guide governments towards achievement of gender equality .

Top amonmg these it called for level playing ground to enable women take up political positions.

The BPfA calls on governments to unlearn patriarchal norms and eliminate anything that discriminates against women and girls.

In March 2020, the world will mark 25 years since the Beijing Platform for Action, to take stock of achievements made, grounds covered and obstacles still to overcome.

Africa Beijing + 25 Secretariat

In this regard, the African Development and Communications Network FEMNET-the cordinating secretatiat for Beijing +25 preparatory activities in Africa- has made a clarion call :

“Gender equality and total emancipation of Africa’s women and girls will not be complete unless society focuses on re-socialising itself from the claws of patriarchy.”

This speaks to the Kenyan political class and all cadres of leadership to pay special attention to the values and actions of those who are currently members of Parliament and those aspiring to ascend to political leadership.

On the African continent, Kenya boasts unique cultural heritage of trail bLazing women who have over the years taken the plunge into the highly competitive Presidential and Parliamentary elections

They include presidential candidates Martha Karua, Charity Ngilu, and late Nobel Laureate, Prof Wangari Maathai.
Their clarion call has been women must keep demanding their constitutional rights without fear or intimidation.

Beijing +25 (2020) events

The Global Community is gearing for an international conference in New York in March 2020 to mark 25th anniversary The Fourth World Conference on Women held in Beijing, China, in 1995.

The Conference Adopted the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action (BPfA), 1995.

The Anniversary Conference in New York is expected to launch development blueprint towards accelerated realisation of gender equality,and empowerment of all women as envisioned in Sustainable Development Goals (2030) Agenda.

On the African Continent, civil society, community and government delegations are expected to converge at African Union Head Quarters in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, to prepare Africa review report of 25 years of implementation of the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action (BDPfA).

The Addis conclave is scheduled to take place between October 27-28,2019, in readiness for the 2020 conference in New York.