This handbook is for any woman who wants to run for a parliamentary or civic seat. It can also be used by friends who want to help a candidate in her election bid as managers or members of various committees.
Parliamentary and council campaigns differ in some respects, but all election campaigns thrive on organisation and planning. If you have little or no political experience, this handbook has been written with you in mind. It alerts you, it guides you, it teaches you and it opens your mind to new ways of thinking, planning and organising your campaign. It is a combination of a guide and a management tool.
In Kenya’s highly patriarchal environment, women have constantly faced numerous electoral crises when seeking political office. They range from gender biases in party nominations to negative socio-cultural attitudes from the electorate even to electoral violence instigated against women. Nonetheless, women are increasingly taking the plunge into electoral politics. Some have organised themselves into coalitions or caucuses and have played catalytic roles in encouraging more women to compete in political elections. Women’s rights organisations such as CREAW and AMWIK have become Gender Development Centres and are disseminating gender-sensitive information geared towards improving women’s political, social, economic and health status — factors that are essential for the achievement of sustainable development. These women’s rights activist centres continue to advocate government action to eliminate inequalities between men and women in order to advance their equal participation in all areas.
In an attempt to influence change in the leadership through equal participation and representation, CREAW in partnership with AMWIK, and with the support of Heinrich Böll Foundation, embarked on various consultations which culminated in this booklet. It will prove an invaluable tool for any woman candidate seeking political office in Kenya. It provides a political scan of the Kenyan electorate and provides political insights geared towards helping women candidates to gather the votes. They believe that it is by the empowerment of women and their participation in political decision-making processes that the voices of Kenyan women will be heard. And this handbook is one of the major steps towards achieving this.
You can download this handbook for free here.
