Will women leadership be a change in leadership?

Will women leadership be a change in leadership?

The rise of women leadership

By: Calvin Obat.

For many years now, the leadership status in our country Kenya has been dominated by the male. It has even reached a point that people have labeled it a male field. However, in recent years the shift has been recognizable as more women are now breaking barriers to take up key leadership roles in politics, businesses and even civil societies will stop these changes have signaled a new era of inclusion and mostly progress in our country’s governance and economic landscape. Well, as the people will say; Whatever a man can do, a woman can do better.

 Women’s political presentation in the country

I would like to say that one of the most significant ways of realizing that women are making progress as he has come and go is mainly through the political game. In the 2010 constitution, changes were made that enabled gender equality in leadership through the 2/3 gender rule. This law that was passed in parliament that no more than 2/3 of any elected or appointed body should not consist of only one gender.

 Even though women who choose to participate in this field face challenges, there are a few women whom have fought their way up to mark their governance. For example, in 2022, Martha Karua made a historical move that encouraged a lot of women in the country as the first woman to be appointed as a presidential running mate by a major political coalition. This bold decision by Martha Karua showed that women have all it takes to hold high seats in the land.

Even beyond the political Rd. very many women have in making big moves in businesses and corporate areas. It may surprise many to hear that most of the big companies in the country are being run by a woman. Despite these amazing achievements, women still face many challenges like the gender biases, cultural beliefs and practices and mainly there are intended systematic barriers that continue to disrupt the equality of gender in leadership. Political harassment, bankruptcy and limited support network as not so many people especially in rural areas have really come to the agreement that a woman is also capable of being a good leader even better than men.

 It might surprise many to hear that in some communities in Kenya, you may find out that they still practice the outdated cultural roles of women like; a woman is not allowed to take any leadership roles, a woman is not allowed to go to school and many other practices that are demeaning to women. This has mostly hindered the growth and voice of women, but till now we are all happy with how women have dealt with this type of challenges by supporting each other, spreading awareness and even taking legal action to communities that diminish women’s progress. At least, there is something to smile about.

There are also organizations that have been founded to try and put efforts to breed these gap. Organizations such as the Kenya women parliamentary association (KEWOPA) and not leaving behind various NGO’s That are working tirelessly to empower women through training them on leadership skills and mentorship programs.

In conclusion, as the days go by,women in leadership positions in Kenya have enabled many to see a transformation that is full of promise and also a more inclusive and equitable society. The young generation of girls and women, they now have at least some one to look up to, someone that is able to prove to them that leadership cannot be defined by gender alone but by the capabilities that that somebody has to be a good leader for the betterment of our country Kenya.In my honest opinion, the future of leadership in our country Kenya looks more brighter with women taking their rightful positions at the top decision making table. Whatever a man can do, are you certainly believe that a woman can even do much better if given the right opportunity to do so.