Julie Nyanchama: The only woman challenging Simba Arati, but political ground is too hostile
Julie Nyanchama, a senior research scientist at the Kenya Medical Research Institute, during an interview at Nation Centre, Nairobi, on May 22, 2026.
What you need to know:
- A video circulating online shows Julie standing alongside another woman politician as the master of ceremonies asks them to sit down.
- The woman dressed in pink complies, while Julie remains standing, determined to speak.
Julie Nyanchama, the only woman so far challenging Simba Arati for the Kisii gubernatorial seat in the 2027 General Election, cannot imagine just how hostile the political ground could become as campaigns gather momentum.
Last Tuesday during the Mashujaa Day celebrations at Igonga Grounds in Bomariba Ward, Bonchari Constituency, Julie’s struggle for political space played out once again in full public view.
The venue, Julie said, is just a few metres from her childhood home.
As a local leader and a woman eyeing the county's top seat, she had gone to join other leaders, including Arati and Deputy Governor Julius Obebo. Several Members of the County Assembly and aspirants seeking various elective positions in the upcoming election were also in attendance.
Bring the chair
For a woman seeking the county's highest office, the large gathering presented an opportunity to sell her bid. And, as women in politics often say, “When they don't welcome you to the table, you bring a chair and squeeze yourself into whatever space is available and make sure you are heard.”
Multiple studies by organisations including the International Institute for Democracy and Electoral Assistance and UN Women have consistently highlighted the challenges women face in accessing political platforms, building visibility and seeking votes.
Julie is a global health leader and renowned maternal and newborn health specialist and researcher.
She previously worked as a senior research scientist at the Kenya Medical Research Institute, Centre for Global Health Research, in collaboration with the Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine, based in the United Kingdom.
Here, she led a multi-country study on the Maternal Immunisation Readiness Network in Africa and Asia.
She said she understands what it takes to be heard, and this was one of those opportunities.
Ground not ready
But the ground was not ready.
A video circulating online shows Julie standing alongside another woman politician as the master of ceremonies asks them to sit down. The woman dressed in pink complies, while Julie remains standing, determined to speak.
In attempting to get her to sit, the master of ceremonies turned to her and said: "Huyu anasema ati anataka kupinga Simba Arati. Inawezekana? Aketi asiketi, akwende asikwende, keti chini hakuna kitu kama hiyo."
Translated, it means, "This one says she wants to challenge Simba Arati. Is that even possible? Should she sit down or not? Should she go or not? Sit down. There's no such thing.”
The crowd cheered.
He then turned to hand the microphone to a male politician. Meanwhile, three men, one of whom appeared to be a gubernatorial aide, nudged her off the stage.
It took Deputy Governor Obebo rising from his seat and asking the master of ceremonies to allow her to speak before she was finally given an opportunity.
Yet, once again, the master of ceremonies appeared to poison the atmosphere before handing over the microphone.
He said: “Yaani Abanchari moogotetaba nga mopinge Simba? Oyio bono tiga moee amopinge."
Loosely translated, it means, "Do you mean you, Abanchari, want to challenge Simba? Fine, here we go. I give her the chance to challenge him.”
Julie only managed to say "Bonchari yaito" ("Our Bonchari") before a woman snatched the microphone from her hand.
She said it was a short chorus she wanted to sing to calm the crowd before addressing them.
Instead, the woman who grabbed the microphone can be seen pushing her from the podium.
The video also shows two other women, one in a green dress and another in a blue skirt suit, rushing towards the podium and appearing to push her down.
Helina Kemunto
The woman who took away the microphone was Helina Kemunto, a former Chief Officer for Youth, Sports, Culture, Arts and Social Services in the county.
Helina was dismissed following allegations of misconduct related to her role as the department's accounting officer.
She was accused of improperly authorising an imprest of Sh7.3 million for per diems during the Kenya Inter-County Sports and Cultural Association Games and certifying payment of Sh358,000 for allegedly defective computer equipment supplied to the department.
She was issued with a show-cause letter in August 2023, suspended in December that year and dismissed in April 2024 following a disciplinary hearing which she later described as a sham after being denied representation.
However, in a judgment delivered on 9 December 2025, the Employment and Labour Relations Court in Kisii ruled that the County Public Service Board had failed to follow its own disciplinary procedures and violated her right to a fair hearing before terminating her employment.
Justice Nzioki wa Makau subsequently awarded her Sh2,416,040 in compensation but declined her request for reinstatement.
In charge of logistics
Helina said she was in charge of logistics for the Mashujaa Day celebrations.
She alleged that on the previous night, Julie had objected to the putting up of tents at the venue, saying they represented the “Tutam” camp. Helina claimed that Julie argued the area was “Wantam” and was subsequently chased away. However, she did not provide evidence to support the claim.
She further alleged that Julie's mother called her early on the morning of Mashujaa Day and informed her that her daughter was “a psycho” and had bipolar disorder.
According to Helina, Julie’s mother said she had warned her against attending the function and attempting to speak, but that she had ignored the advice.
“We didn't know she was going to come, and we had informed the master of ceremonies that she should not speak because we did not know what she was going to say,” she said.
“And you can see from the video she insisted on speaking. Everyone else was denied the chance to speak. As someone who was in charge, what was I supposed to do?” she asked.
No interest
Julie strongly denied the claims.
She said she never disrupted the setting up of the tents and questioned what interest she would have had in interfering with preparations for a national event.
She insisted that she was nowhere near Igonga Grounds on the eve of the celebrations.
“I'm surprised that suddenly I'm being branded a psycho and someone with bipolar disorder. I have been a global leader for more than 15 years. How did that pass me, surely?” Julie asked.
To verify Helina’s claims, we reached out to Julie's mother, Alice Nyamao, who expressed shock when informed that her name had been brought into the matter.
Alice said she had never called Helina and had no knowledge whatsoever of her daughter having bipolar disorder or any mental illness. She threatened legal action over the allegations.
Pattern of political frustrations
For Julie, however, this was not the first time that her efforts to sell her agenda had been frustrated.
She said it has become a recurring pattern at major funerals and church gatherings.
Julie pointed to an incident last July after attending a funeral of two girls who had reportedly been defiled and killed in Suneka in Bonchari Constituency.
She said she later visited a community-based organisation in the area and a woman she had previously seen leading chants against her at funerals confronted her.
“Some people at the scene threatened to beat me, so I had to flee,” she said.
She said organised groups are deployed at public gatherings to shout her down and deny her an opportunity to address residents.
“I can’t speak in church, I can’t speak at funerals, and I can’t speak anywhere,” she said.
She said even her strategy of arriving hours before senior politicians in the hope of securing speaking time has failed. Organisers, she said, ask her to wait until they arrive and, once they do, she is still locked out of the programme.
“I can only speak at smaller events where those politicians are not present, or in churches with smaller congregations,” she said.
She also recounted a recent incident at a funeral where she sensed growing hostility and decided to leave early. Then a group of men followed her, threatening to strip her. She said she stopped, confronted them and told them to go ahead and undress her completely. She said they were shocked and backed off.
She laid the blame for her campaign woes on Governor Arati, saying he was behind the frustrations she has encountered on the campaign trail.
“He is the main person frustrating my campaigns,” she said.
She said that he deploys organised groups to create the impression that she enjoys little public support.
“He has hired groups all over,” she claimed.
“You start speaking, and suddenly there are hundreds of people shouting at you. It makes it look like you are not popular, yet the people attending the
event are actually supporting you,” she added.
We sent messages to Arati’s known phone number, followed up with reminders and made multiple calls, but he did not respond to the allegations by the time of publication.
Responding to questions about allegations of organised groups harassing politicians such as Julie, Kisii County Commissioner James Kamau said in a WhatsApp response: “I have personally not received any complaint.”
Development vision
Nevertheless, Julie said she is not giving up on her bid and remained determined to offer voters an alternative vision for the county. She is yet to decide which political party she will use to contest the election.
Her campaign centres on maternal and newborn health, security, youth employment, agriculture and governance.
Drawing on years of advocacy in maternal health, she argued that reducing preventable maternal and newborn deaths should be a priority for the county government.
“I have always been at the forefront of maternal and newborn health issues," she said. “We must focus on preventing preventable maternal and newborn deaths.”
She has also raised concerns about insecurity, saying political violence has left families grieving and deprived children of parents.
“We have lost many young men because of politics,” she said. “We have widows, orphans and elderly parents who are left behind.”
On economic issues, Julie advocated supporting local farmers through county procurement programmes and creating sustainable employment opportunities for young people.
“The youth need jobs that are sustainable,” she said.
Before the curtain falls on the campaign, Julie hopes the political terrain will be fair to all candidates and that voters will be given the freedom to make informed choices.
“Let people be given information so they can make informed choices,” she said. “The choice is theirs.”
Already, 74 political parties, including ODM, UDA, Jubilee, and Wiper, have pledged to remove barriers that prevent women and other under-represented groups from participating fully in politics ahead of Kenya's 10 August 2027 General Election.
In their declaration, they pledged to prepare party lists that comply with constitutional requirements on gender and the representation of special interest groups.
They also committed to review nomination fees and procedures that create financial or practical barriers to participation.
Act against violence
“Act against violence, intimidation and harassment of candidates, including technology-facilitated abuse of women candidates, and hold our members and supporters to the Electoral Code of Conduct,” the parties said.
The parties also committed to developing nomination rules that guarantee the fair participation of women, youth, persons with disabilities, older members of society, and minority and marginalised communities within the timelines set for the 2027 General Election.
The declaration was signed on October 14 at a meeting in Nairobi convened by the National Gender and Equality Commission (NGEC) and the Office of the Registrar of Political Parties.
This was done in the presence of NGEC Chairperson Rehema Dida Jaldesa, Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC) Vice-Chairperson Fahima
Abdallah and Assistant Registrar of Political Parties Agatha Wahome.
The commitments come as political parties prepare for a key electoral milestone on 26 November 2026, when the IEBC is expected to issue compliance certificates to parties that meet the legal requirements for participation in the election.
