The Institute of Economic Affairs’ (IEA) latest report on the socio-economic status of women in Kenya says women have made minimal strides in their quest to bridge the inequality gap. However, this state of affairs is not blamed solely on women but on the prevailing political system.

The recent statement by the Minister for Lands, Hon. James Orengo that the National Land Policy is ready for cabinet deliberation and final approval is something that is overdue. 

But for the majority of Kenyan women who wallow in poverty and are destitute, the announcement has generated a lot of excitement as they have for a long time been culturally prohibited from inheriting this critical factor of production and source of wealth.

Kenya in an election year is never short of surprises. This is evident in the voter trends and in the numerous factors constantly at play that make it extremely difficult to hazard an early guess at the outcomes.
In 2007, nowhere is this more evident than in the Rift Valley, Kenya’s most expansive and populous province, divided up into 46 constituencies. The province is also responsible for producing the highest number of women nominees this time. 

For those who keep the company of Kenyan women political aspirants and their supporters, lately it is hard not to miss the recurrent conversation that revolves around real fears about violence that is specifically targeted at women, the perennial problems of financing their campaigns and the ever changing dynamics in the main political parties, that make it extremely difficult for women to participate meaningfully in competitive politics. 

The Kenya Domestic Observers Forum was launched at an event at KICC in Nairobi on Thursday. The co-chairs for the organization say they hope to have monitors at all of Kenya’s 35,000 polling stations on election day. The forum will also monitor the political process running up to the elections. 

Besides the battle to increase the number of women Members of Parliament through nomination, there is a groundswell of female interest in competitive politics.

Nowhere is this more evident than in Kenya’s most expansive and populous province, Rift Valley. So far, at least 60 women have declared their candidature for parliamentary seats. A similar number is seeking election of civic leadership positions.

Already, a number of reputed organizations – Oxfam and Institute of Economic Affairs, among others- have been identified to be members of the committee that will provide technical expertise in scrutinizing the debt register.

The massive campaign, which has been going for one year now, want the government to refuse paying the debts because a huge percent of them did not benefit Kenyans.