Kenyans will usher the new political dispensation with the multi layered vote for new political leaders in March 2013.
The vote is unique as it will feature a drastic break from the past. The 2013 vote will feature an inter-generation battle as there will be no 1963 independence figures to rally around as they are either dead or retired from politics. It will also feature a gender war as large numbers of women are expected to challenge the male dominance of elected posts. It will also be a class war as the sons of the moneyed and the rich battle with the sons of the proletariat.
The battle for big tribe supremacy will continue amid the rise and march of the small tribes. And finally the pitched battle between the reformist versus the neo-conservative forces will be settled. Other side battles relating to clans, east vs. west, north vs. south, educated vs. the unlearned, highland vs. lowlands, big parties vs. small parties etc. will also continue and will manifest themselves on the campaign trail. Is it conceivable that amidst all these battles the significance of the vote to the women of Kenya will be lost? The 2013 vote is a milestone for all daughters of Kenya.
Finally, the 50 percent national women vote will be recognized and they will feature in critical numbers in the key decision making positions that distribute power and resources. More women will be in power in one year than the combined total of all the women who have been in power for the last 50 years. The constitution now guarantees women one-third of all elected or appointed posts in government. The vote will decentralize health budgets to counties meaning more women will deliver in hospitals and access family planning services in greater numbers than before.
The recognition of equal rights for women in areas of citizenship, property, social, economic, culture, land, inheritance is significant. The emphases on good governance, democracy, participation, human dignity, equity, social justice, inclusiveness, equality will, for the first time, result in a politically engendered process. All marriages including customary law marriages will be certified. Not so long ago, it was only the in-laws who attested to the existence of the union since they are the ones who oversaw the traditional ceremonies. Women feeling aggrieved on any right can now challenge the same in court and such cases will not be subject to the once prohibitive court fees.
But there are still many challenges to be overcome for the women to participate fully and enjoy the benefits of the new constitution. The lack of participation by young women need to be addressed by the Maendeleo ya Wanawake and other gender based NGOs. The young women need to think and strategize for change in the lives of the local communities and the society at large. They are the group that must urgently internalize the potentials and prepare all women including traders in the informal sectors of the coming benefits.
Large swathes of Kenyan women, especially in the rural areas, require information on what they stand to gain under the new constitutional dispensation and the 2013 vote. Women must vote in leaders who will not reverse the gains entrenched in the new constitution such as their right to pass on citizenship to their children regardless of whether or not they are married to Kenyans; the right to receive equal treatment and opportunities in political, economic, cultural and social spheres without discrimination irrespective of gender; their right to health including reproductive health; equality in marriage and parental responsibility regardless of marital status.
The women should vote in leaders who will commit themselves to eliminating gender discrimination in land and property; those who will protect their rights to matrimonial property with special interest on the matrimonial home during, and upon the termination of the marriage. They should ensure that only those leaders who will vigorously pursue and ensure that the one third requirement for either gender in elective bodies is strictly adhered. The women should also force their political parties to ensure there was gender parity and support only those parties that promoted gender equality and had specific policies and programmes to deal with this. As women represent more than 50 per cent of the electorate,they represent a formidable force if they single-mindedly and robustly campaigned on any or all of these issues.