Participation of Women in Politics in Meru, C.1880-2013
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Date
2025-04
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Kenyatta University
Abstract
Women comprise more than half of the total population in many countries in the world, and they play major social and economic roles. Despite this, women are constrained in political participation., especially in Kenya. Against this background, the current study sought to examine the participation of women in politics in South Imenti in Kenya‟s Meru County, focusing on the period 1890-2013. The study sought to answer three questions. First, how did women engage in the political processes of the Ameru in the pre-colonial period? Second, how did the colonial order affect women‟s participation in politics among the Ameru? And third, what trends may be discerned in women‟s participation in the politics of South Imenti during the post colonial period? The study acknowledges that the Ameru society has been predominantly patriarchal since the pre-colonial period to the present, with little upward mobility of women in the public space. Further, despite the colonial system of administration generally marginalizing women from public spaces, women from South Imenti transcended these constraints and have played prominent political roles in post-independence Kenya. In spite of this, the women have performed dismally in elective politics. In seeking to understand this reality, this study was guided by the Social-Cultural Patriarchal Theory, complemented by a broad understanding of gender ideologies. These were used to explain the inability of women representatives to attain the 30 percent global threshold, something that derives from residual cultural barriers that militate against progressive socialization that assign specific tasks to particular genders. For instance, household tasks such as cooking, childcare and farming are assigned to women and girls, thus preconditioning them to domestic spaces. Regarding methodology, the study employed mixed methods that combined qualitative and quantitative approaches of collecting and analysing primary and secondary data. Primary data was collected through in-depth oral interviews, questionnaires, and archival material, while secondary data was collected from published journal articles, books and book chapters, newspapers, theses, internet resources, and periodicals. For fieldwork, the researcher used stratified sampling techniques to categorize wards in South Imenti Constituency where the research was based. There was also purposive sampling, particularly snowballing technique, in selecting respondents. Snowballing was appropriate because after each interview, respondents would recommend other potentially informative respondents. In total, 72 respondents participated in the study; six (6) from each of the six wards in South Imenti Constituency, three (3) focus group discussions, and twelve (12) Key Informant Interviewees. The data obtained was analysed qualitatively. The findings of this study reveal that women in South Imenti Constituency continue to suffer various challenges in their pursuit of political leadership. The challenges relate to economic, social and political impediments that women regularly encounter. Ultimately, the challenges contribute to the continued marginalization of women from political leadership, a reality that can be traced across the pre-colonial, colonial and post-colonial periods. This calls for urgent intervention strategies to enable women to achieve greater successes in their political aspirations.
Description
Thesis Submitted to the School of Humanities and Social Sciences in Partial Fulfilment of the Requirements for the Degree of Master of Arts of Kenyatta University, April 2024.
Supervisors
1. Edwin Gimode
2. Susan Waiyego Mwangi