Is 2016 the year of the goat for the Kenyan woman?

By Kirigo Nga’rua

For far too long, women were, and in some places are still, viewed as victims of discrimination and illiteracy, violence, and confined to deferential positions in society because of once-unbreakable cultural and religious traditions.

But the tide is changing. And 2016 looks like the year of the woman on all fronts. We are seeing the rise of women who are doing their part in bridging the gender gap.

When you look at the international political scene, women are on a roll. We have seen the rise of Theresa May, the second female British Prime Minister. Mrs May has been in active politics for close to 20 years. She is considered a political survivor and has been called the “ice maiden”.

The United States of America could see its first female President in November this year if Hillary Clinton is elected. Mrs Clinton has been in active politics for the last 16 years and she is a woman of many firsts as she was the first ever woman to become the New York Senator.

The United Nations Secretary General’s post is about to be vacant soon after Ban Ki Moon retires once his term comes to an end. Irina Bokova emerged from the first UN Security Council straw poll two months ago as the only woman in the shortlist of leading candidates.

According to insider reports, no other candidate is better placed to address the critical challenges facing the United Nations than her. She is fluent in four of the six official languages of the United Nations and twice elected Director General of UNESCO by the direct vote of member states.

When we come down to Africa, there are women who are leaving a mark in their respective fields. In March this year, 56-year-old Ameeenah Gurib Fakim was made first female President of Mauritius. A biologist by profession, she is keen on science and technology as well as environmental matters and points out that her appointment has a lot of symbolism when it comes to the rise of the woman in Africa.

Back home, we have Vivian Onano. She is a 24-year-old, one of the three youth advisors to the UN Women Civil Society Advisory Group. Her role is to advise the UN Women Executive Director on issues of youth and women empowerment.  Her work in activism began right after finishing high school. She cut her teeth doing HIV/AIDS outreach programmes in Migori County, particularly working with vulnerable women before joining the university.

These women have impressive resumes and have done much more than I have highlighted. What I picked from these women though, is the plight of the woman who is trying to break the glass ceiling in what is considered a man’s world.

As I write this, the Constitution of Kenya 2010 requires that any public office has at least one third representation of either gender. This formed the basis of the Gender Bill that sought to have more women in positions of leadership.

However, this law is yet to be actualized after Members of Parliament shot it down twice even as the deadline to enact it lapsed on August 27, 2016.

It has been argued that many felt that this was a way of “handing” out seats to women making them not as competitive in the market as they should be, and with that argument, it is now ‘everyman for himself and God for us all’. But we also need to remember that Kenya cannot progress on only one end.

During his visit to Kenya in July 2015, US President, Barrack Obama, reiterated the importance of having women included in management of public affairs showing that he too understands that women play a vital role in shaping a country’s destiny.

“Imagine if you have a team and you don’t let half of the team play. That’s stupid. That makes no sense. And the evidence shows that communities that give their daughters the same opportunities as their sons, they are more peaceful, they are more prosperous, they develop faster, they are more likely to succeed…,” Obama said.

That said, I do not think all is lost for the women. The Gender Bill, despite being shot down, started an important conversation. And that, to me, is one of the most important things; starting the conversation.

The writer is a journalist and a news anchor at Citizen TV Kenya