It’s an endless steeplechase for women political leaders

“There’s no such thing as a women’s block of voters,” cautioned a media colleague when I called him to celebrate the news that Martha Karua had been picked as the running mate of Azimio flag-bearer Raila Odinga.

As an evangelist for women in leadership, I had been elated with the news, but his words slapped me back to reality. To be honest, I would have preferred to spend a little more time in my fool’s paradise—just a little. His point also reminded me that to be a woman in political leadership is to be in a never-ending steeplechase.

As soon as you were done with one obstacle, another awaited. For eternity. I’m no prophet of doom, but there’s no evidence to suggest otherwise.

Let’s get it straight first, though. Martha and other women political leaders like Anne Waiguru (governor, Kirinyaga), Gladys Wanga (governor, Homa Bay) and Susan Kihika (governor, Nakuru) did not stand up and say: “I am a woman, vote for me!”, so any assumption or insinuation they were voted in because of their gender is insulting the women’s intelligence.

The other harmful assumption here is that the leaders used the gender card to gain mileage with the electorate.

Some of the vitriol on social media that followed the announcement of women as governors, senators and MPs did not come as a shock to me.

The barbs were a predictable product of centuries of patriarchy, social and cultural conditioning. If you are curious about what was said, then just think of all the negative things that have been said about women in leadership as long as humanity has existed, and there, you will have your answer.

The online violence mimics the physical violence civil rights groups warned against during the campaign period.

The International Federation for Human Rights (FIDH) and the Kenya Human Rights Commission (KHRC) said in a statement in early August that women candidates—three of whom were running as running mates for presidential candidates—have been “confronted with sexist and aggressive language, (...) gender stereotyping, online gender abuse and sexual harassment.

Much as these were pre-election findings, the post-election reality will be the same. A quick scan at historical evidence shows that the online and offline violence will hound female political leaders while serving their terms and maybe even after that.

To paraphrase country singer Dolly Parton, their mistakes will be labelled worse than men’s just because they are women.

One of the major reasons violence against women in politics thrives is that the perpetrators are never brought to book. Some hide behind keyboards. Some are their male colleagues. Some confront them at rallies. All of them can be traced but never pay the price and so the cycle continues.

I hope the medal at the end of the steeplechase that’s women’s political leadership, is a permanent solution to end violence against them.

Miss Oneya comments on social and gender topics. [email protected]; Twitter : @FaithOneya