The Influence of Gender Quotas on Women’s Participation in Legislative Processes in the National Assembly of the 11th Parliament of Kenya (2013 - 2017)
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Date
2020
Authors
Anumo, Felogene Gor
Okemwa, Pacificah Florence
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
IJCAB Publishing Group
Abstract
This study sought to explore whether indeed the increase in number of women occasioned by
Affirmative Action principles in the 2010 Constitution of Kenya has enhanced women’s political
participation in the National Assembly. The specific objectives were: to analyze the levels of
women parliamentarians’ participation on agenda setting and policy output in the National
Assembly; to assess the effectiveness of gender quotas as a political tool for ensuring pursuance
of the gender agenda in the National Assembly and to discuss constraints faced by women
parliamentarians as they seek to influence policy output and enact laws. The March 4, 2013
General Elections which ushered in the 11th Parliament were considered landmark owing to the
fact this it was the first General Election to incorporate affirmative action seats. As the term of
the 11th Parliament came to a close, it was highly important to find out how effective gender
quotas have been in achieving meaningful change for women representatives. The study was
guided by Hanna Pitkin’s (1967) framework that she employed in her work “Conception of
Women’s Political Representation”. The study was additionally informed by Dahlerup (1988)
“Critical Mass theory”. The study made use of cross-sectional descriptive study design. The
study was done with members of KEWOPA from the National Assembly of the Parliament of
Kenya. The membership of the association consists of all the women Members of Parliament
from all the political parties both elected and nominated. The target population of the study were
the 68 KEWOPA members from the National Assembly with a sample size of 40 respondents
calculated using the Yamane model. Questionnaires were used as the main data collection tool
alongside key informant interviews and in-depth interviews. Validity and reliability of the
instruments were measured to ensure accuracy and consistency. The study data was analysed
thematically. A descriptive approach was involved where direct quotes and selected comments
from informants have been used to explain the trends. Triangulation of data was done by looking
into complementary and divergent opinions across the key informant interviews and in-depth
interviews. The findings of the study suggest that there is still need to create and expand
opportunities for women parliamentarians to enable them become more active and effective
participants in the legislative processes of the National Assembly. The findings raises the
question on what current efforts are being put in place by political parties and the Registrar of
Political parties to ensure that the Affirmative Action. The findings are useful to assess the gains
of women political representation and inform the lessons; experiences and can be harnessed to
strengthen effective women’s political participation in legislature and policy making. They will
contribute to informed public debate and critique on the effectiveness of women’s affirmative
action for increased participation and visibility on political platforms. Finally, legislators in
parliament and policy makers in government will benefit from insights into what it takes to effectively support women’s participation in legislative processes and how to leverage their
numbers in parliament to the country’s advantage. Women aspirants need to be made aware of
the challenges they expect to face at the National Assembly. It is also critical to raise awareness
among women aspiring politicians and other members of the community to create awareness and
address the stereotypes that have continued to ensure only a handful of women succeed in the
legislative space. As women and women’s organisations continue to agitate for an increase in
number of women legislators, they should equally work to transform the ideology of patriarchy
and retrogressive institutional culture in Parliament.
Description
An Article Published in International Journal of Current Aspects
Keywords
Citation
Anumo, F., & Pacificah, F. (2019). The Influence of Gender Quotas on Women’s Participation in Legislative Processes in the National Assembly of the 11th Parliament of Kenya (2013 - 2017). International Journal of Current Aspects, 3(II), 260-279. http://journals.ijcab.org/journals/index.php/ijcab/article/view/22