Source: Business Daily
Women are being left out of key decisions on distribution of wealth and resources because they are not active in political parties, a new survey has revealed.

According to the study by the University of Nairobi's Institute for Development Studies (IDS) only 52 per cent of women are affiliated to political parties; the rest are staying out of active politics. The youth also performed poorly in terms of affiliation to political parties, handing dominance to men above the age of 55. Political parties are critical in accessing power but men have dominated for decades.

The Cabinet is grappling with how best to ensure better representation of women in key elective offices.

The Constitution provides that not more than two thirds of the members of elected or appointed officials of public institutions shall be of the same gender. Article 177 requires political parties to observe gender equality when nominating to Parliament and County assemblies.

Article 177(b) on the composition of County Assemblies, says parties shall provide "the number of special seat members necessary to ensure that no more than two thirds of the membership of the assembly are of the same gender."

Researchers behind the study said overall 42 per cent of country's voting population remained unattached to political parties, handing party officials an opportunity to grow their support base.

"A huge mass of Kenyans are still out there waiting to be courted," Adams Oloo, of University of Nairobi said during the launch of the findings.

Meanwhile most Kenyans are satisfied with the manner in which the government is handling security in the wake of threats by the Al-Shabaab, the survey showed. A majority 82 per cent of those polled either said the government was handling the Al-Shaabab threats fairly well or very well.

Kenya and the Transitional Federal Government of Somalia with the backing of the AU and Igad are in a cross-border operation to flush out Al-Shabaab who are blamed for a series of cross-border raids.

Their action has however drawn reprisal attacks by the militants both on Somali and Kenyan soil.Decades of lawlessness without a substantive government have seen Somalia slide into anarchy with insurgents such as the Al-Shabaab taking over the country.

• Kenya