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Kenya Country Office Power in Progress EnhancingFemale Leadership in GovernanceProcesses in Kenya An analysis of structural, institutional and cultural barriers for femaleparti-cipationin leadership positions, as well as the strategic importance forstrengthening it. The analysis will draw on examples from Nairobi and KituiCounty. Chiara Altmann The participation of women in leadership positionsingovernance processes in Kenya hasgrown significantly over the last two decades. In 2024, the number offemale MPs increasedby30%-yet women remainsignificantlyunderrepresented across all political and adminis-trative levels.1The Kenyan constitution of 2010 marked a legal milestone with the introductionof the so-calledTwo-ThirdsGenderRule: nogender should make up more than two-thirds ofthe members of a public body.2However, despite this constitutional obligation, the proportionof women in leadership positions is stagnating at an alarmingly low level.3InJuly 2025, womenheld only 23.3% of seats in the National Assembly, while constituting over 50% of Kenya’s pop-ulation.4Beyond numerical underrepresentation, the pathways to leadership are fraught withobstacles: gender-based violence, limited access toeducational,financial and political re-sources, patriarchal party structures and cultural norms that constrain women’s public partic-ipation.5Moreover, women are often channelled into symbolic or “soft” leadership roles withlimited real power.6The underrepresentation of women has far-reaching social, political andeconomicconsequences. The diversity in leadership positions increases the innovativestrength, crisis resilience and social coherence.Female leadership gains strategic importance:womenoften lead in a moreinclusive, dialogue-oriented and sustainable way.7 Barriersto Female Political Leadership in Kenya Women in Kenya face numerous and interlinked barriers to political leadership. These barrierscan be broadly grouped into structural, institutionaland culturalbarriersthat limit women'saccess, participationand influence withinto leadership in governance processes. Structural Barriers Structural inequalities rooted in Kenya’s social and economic systems continue to hinderwomen's political participation.One of the key challenges to women’s empowerment in Kenyais the disparity in educational attainment. According to national statistics,only 8.17% ofwomen in Kenya achieve a higher level of education than primary education (51.31%) andsecondary education (32.25%).8Thisimpacts their eligibility and competitiveness in politicalcontests, where higher qualifications are often valued.In addition, the costs of engaging inpolitics have increased significantly. Women are disproportionately affected, as they generallyhave lower access to financial resources and economic networks. This includes the high costs of campaign financing, safety measuresand mediaoutreach–areas where male candidates often benefit from entrenched patronage systems and businesssupport. Political participation also depends heavily on access to networks, most of which are male-dominated and exclusionary. Women need to navigate alternative social and profes-sional networks to gain political visibility and support, but these are often underdeveloped orfragmented.9 Institutional and Political Party Barriers Kenya’s political institutions and party structures pose some of the most persistent barriersto women's political leadership.Most political parties are controlled by male elites, who largelydetermine candidate selection and electoral support.Because informal networks play a deci-sive role in candidate selection and campaign support, and these networks are overwhelm-ingly male-dominated, women are often excluded from the spaces where real political deci-sions are made.As a result, women are often restricted to low-profile or symbolic positions,such as County Women Representative, while being discouraged or directly barred from con-testing for other competitive positions like governor or MP.10Thisreflects a structural sym-bolic bias and reinforces gendered hierarchies in political institutions.11Moreover, inclusionmechanisms such as gender quotasare increasingly delegitimisedthrough propagandaandareportrayed as undeserved favouritism, undermining both the credibility of female politi-cians and public trust in gender-based reforms.On top of that, many women in politics alsoexperience limited access to political information, particularly regarding nomination pro-cesses, campaign strategiesand legislative procedures. This information asymmetry putsthem at a strategic disadvantage compared to their male counterparts.12 Cultural and Gender-Based Barriers in Rural Areas Cultural norms and gender roles continue to restrict women's public and political engage-ment, especially in conservative and rural parts of Kenya.As described in the Social Role The-ory by Alice Eagly, such cultural models assign women primarilycaregiving and subordinatefunctions, thereby h