Kenya’s Leadership Crisis: Why Political Parties Must Be Open to Women in Politics

Are women in politics locked out before the political race even begins?

Imagine a woman in her 30s. She’s not famous. She’s not rich. But she’s trusted. She’s led community savings groups, mobilized disaster relief, taught hundreds of children, and knows her county’s struggles inside and out.

When she walks into her political party office to seek nomination, she finds silence. Closed doors. Or worse dismissive laughter.

This is no isolated story.

Political parties in Kenya are the official gateways to leadership. Yet for many women, that gateway is guarded by silence, power, and exclusion. Despite constitutional promises, the path to political office remains blocked long before election day.

The Gender Audit by CRAWN Trust confirms what many already know but rarely say out loud: party structures are built to preserve power not share it. Women are routinely locked out not by lack of ambition, but by design.

Until political parties intentionally open their doors and support women from the ground up, Kenya’s democracy remains incomplete.

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Gender Audit Report on Women’s Representation and Participation in Legislative, Oversight Bodies and Political Parties in Kenya.

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Women’s Political Participation Must Begin: Inside Party Nomination Systems

We often think of elections as the start of the democratic process. But are they? If history serves us right in, the real decisions especially the ones that matter most happen long before ballots are printed.

They happen inside party primaries and examples include:

• Who gets nominated
• Who gets funded
• Who is protected from smear campaigns and political violence

These decisions aren’t made in public. Instead, they’re made in backrooms and unfortunately, by men, for men. Kenya’s nomination processes are opaque, chaotic, and deeply political. Loyalty to male, dominated power blocs often trumps merit.

Meanwhile, violence, intimidation, and coercion go unchecked. The results are young women, especially those without wealthy sponsors or elite networks, are told to wait. Told to step aside. Or told nothing at all.

In Kisumu, a young woman recounted how her name was quietly removed from the party list. No reason. No explanation. No support. Just silence.

“Young female politicians like me are usually rigged out when you start off without the support and mentorship of the political big wigs… you must be nominated by the dominant party, if not you automatically lose.” A young female aspirant from Kisumu County

What many voters don’t realize is the general election is the tail end of democracy, not the beginning. If women are excluded at the nomination level, they’re already out of the game.

Sadly, it’s the reality and Kenya is poorer for it.

Why Women Are Excluded from Party Power Structures

What exactly keeps women out of political parties? It’s tempting to think it’s just about access to the ballot, but the problem runs much deeper. At its core, it’s about who holds the power and how that power is protected.

Inside most political parties, decision-making is dominated by small, male-dominated networks. They control the lifeblood of politics: money, messaging, strategy, and nominations. Even women with strong public support, proven leadership, and community trust are too often relegated to symbolic roles placed in “women’s leagues,” “gender seats,” or simply asked to support from the sidelines.

Two hidden forces reinforce this exclusion, money and stereotypes. Together, they build a wall around political leadership that women must climb alone.

The Money Barrier for Women in Politics

Campaign financing remains one of the most decisive and least discussed barriers to women’s political participation.

While Kenya has passed legislation on regulating political finance, meaningful implementation has stalled. Some laws intended to regulate political finance and promote transparency include:

• The Election Campaign Financing Act of 2013 empowers the IEBC to set spending limits and monitor contributions.
• The Political Parties Act of 2011 requires political parties to maintain financial accountability and promote gender inclusion.
• The Political Parties (Funding) Regulations, 2019 and the Election Campaign Financing Regulations, 2016 (Complementary regulations) define how funds should be reported, capped, and publicly disclosed.

However, enforcement remains weak. Parliament has delayed the implementation of key provisions, while regulatory bodies like the Office of the Registrar of Political Parties (ORPP) and Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC) often lack the will or capacity to demand compliance.

This legal vacuum allows political parties to avoid scrutiny, leaving women aspirants without the financial support or safeguards they need to compete fairly. As noted by watchdogs, the public funding of political parties in Kenya lacks real scrutiny, further widening the gender gap in political participation.

Without access to those financial networks, many women are seen as “non-viable” candidates regardless of their qualifications. The reality is stark and without money, even the most promising female leader cannot sustain a competitive campaign.

And yet, few parties have internal policies to support or subsidize women aspirants. They are often left to fundraise alone, in silence, or abandon their campaigns entirely.

Political Gendered Narratives that Silence Women in Politics

Even when money is not the issue, harmful social narratives remain a persistent force of exclusion. Women in politics are still judged by a different standard. They are called “too emotional,” “too soft,” or even “too distracted by family life.”

Those who dare to lead with confidence are quickly branded as “aggressive,” “unfeminine,” or “disrespectful.” These judgments don’t just exist in public opinion they seep into party leadership decisions.

Such stereotypes don’t only damage women’s chances. They reinforce the status quo, allowing male-dominated leadership to justify exclusion under the guise of “electability” or “party unity.”

Through its Women’s Steering Committee, CRAWN Trust is pushing back by training women, fostering solidarity, and building the kind of political capital that demand inclusion and redefines leadership itself.

Because if women can’t lead within political parties, they will continue to be shut out of the country’s most powerful decisions. And a democracy that silences half its citizens cannot call itself whole.

How Political Parties Evade Gender Laws in Kenya

Kenya’s legal framework for gender inclusion is one of the most progressive in Africa on paper which include:

• Article 27(6) and (8) mandate affirmative action to redress past discrimination.
• Article 81(b) says that no more than two, thirds of any elected or appointed body can be of the same gender.
• The Political Parties Act (2022) requires that political parties include women in decision, making structures.

But laws without accountability are just paper promises.

Many political parties comply just enough to avoid deregistration. They appoint women to decorative roles or submit vague gender policies without action. The Office of the Registrar of Political Parties (ORPP) lacks the will to enforce compliance.

Reforms like the National Dialogue Committee (NADCO) and Multi-Sectoral Working Group (MSWG) proposals aim to introduce gender top, ups by 2027, but they risk becoming performative unless matched by internal party reforms.

CRAWN Trust is pushing for new laws while demanding that existing ones be honored. That political parties stop finding loopholes and start honoring their constitutional duty.

Women in Politics Who Broke Through. But at What Cost?

Yes, there are women who’ve succeeded in politics. But most of them did it despite their political parties not because of them.

Think of Martha Karua, a fierce advocate for justice and constitutionalism. Or Charity Ngilu, who weathered decades of political turbulence. Or Shakilla Abdalla, who transitioned from activism to public office.

Their stories are inspiring but they’re also the exception, not the rule.

That’s the problem.

Kenya doesn’t need more exceptional women who manage to survive toxic political systems. We need inclusive systems that make women’s success common, replicable, and sustainable. Because, resilience shouldn’t be a requirement for representation.

What Political Parties Must Change for Inclusive Leadership

So, how do we move from exclusion to inclusion?

It starts with bold, tangible reforms inside political parties:

• Internal Gender Quotas: Enforce inclusion in party leadership and policy bodies—not just nomination lists.
• Transparent Nomination Processes: Publicize criteria, timelines, and decisions.
• Fundraising Platforms: Level the playing field with women, led finance networks and crowdfunding tools.
• Mentorship Pipelines: Train, support, and prepare women from grassroots to county and national leadership.
• Gender Compliance Scorecards: Publicly track party performance using tools like CRAWN’s Gender Audit.

The Office of the Registrar of Political Parties must file reports and enforce change, while voters must hold parties accountable, including individual candidates.

CRAWN Trust continues to convene dialogue forums, support women aspirants, and build pressure for deep systemic reform.

Citizens, Voters, and Allies: Your Role in Reforming Political Parties

Democracy is not the job of politicians alone, but the work of everyone and especially those who’ve never been invited to the table.

Here’s what you can do if you are a:

• Party member: Demand gender, inclusive structures and fair primaries.
• Voter: Ask tough questions. Who does your party fund? Who gets supported early?
• Civil society or the media: Track commitments. Publish scorecards. Keep receipts.
• Male leader: Don’t compete, mentor. Open doors. Step aside when needed.
• Woman dreaming of leadership: You are not alone. Others have walked this road and the movement is growing.

Through public campaigns, civic education, and grassroots coalition, building, CRAWN Trust is working to ensure that citizens shape their parties—not the other way around.

Include Women in Politics or We Fail Democracy

Let’s ask the hard question:

Can we call Kenya a democracy if half the population is locked out of political leadership?

The answer is no.

Political parties are more than vehicles for elections. They are the gateways to power, and unless those gateways are reformed, women will remain on the margins regardless of how many laws we pass.

The Gender Audit by CRAWN Trust reveals a broken system but offers a roadmap for fixing it. But laws and data won’t change the system. People will.

People like you.

Build the Future For Women in Politics with Us

If you’re a:

• Party member, demand internal reform.
• Policymaker, enforce the law.
• Voter, ask where your party truly stands.
• Woman dreaming of leadership know this, you don’t stand alone.

Partner with CRAWN Trust
Join the Women’s Steering Committee

Let’s build political parties that work—for all of us.

Explore www.crawntrust.org to learn more and join the movement.