Young women in western Kenya have been urged to seek elective office and support one another to increase their representation in political leadership ahead of the 2027 general election.
Yvonne Ogola, from community-based organisation Dreams Redefined, said young women faced barriers including limited access to finance and political networks, intimidation and inadequate knowledge of their constitutional rights.
She was speaking about the organisation’s Strengthening Action and Women Agency (SAWA) project, which aims to equip 60 young women with skills to participate in political and decision-making processes.
The programme targets women interested in contesting seats ranging from Member of County Assembly (MCA) to MP, senator and governor.
Ogola said the initiative was prompted by the low number of young women in political leadership in the region.
“We really need to come together and support each other to really participate in these processes,” she said.
She called on men and women to support female candidates by helping them access financial resources, political parties and networks needed to run competitive campaigns.
“We need to see men supporting women to vie. We need to see women supporting young women to vie in these processes,” she said.
Ogola also called for greater implementation of Kenya’s constitutional two-thirds gender principle to improve women’s representation in elected positions.
She said technology-facilitated gender-based violence was another obstacle to women’s participation in politics.
Young women who express an interest in political leadership can face online bullying, harassment and intimidation, she said, with some withdrawing from political activities as a result.
“We also want to discourage TFGBV whereby young women who show interest in political leadership are really intimidated, they are really bullied, and some withdraw from participation because of that,” she said.
Participants in the SAWA project have received training in cybersecurity, constitutional rights, leadership, financial management, entrepreneurship, political parties and electoral participation.
The programme also seeks to challenge what Ogola described as tokenism, where women are encouraged to contest positions traditionally associated with women rather than compete for other elective seats.
“We are encouraging more young women to go for the competitive positions, not just the women rep positions,” she said.
The organisation has also linked participants with mentors to guide them as they prepare to take part in political processes.
Ogola said she hoped some of the 60 women trained through the programme would contest MCA, parliamentary, senatorial and gubernatorial seats in 2027.
She said creating a safer political environment would be important in encouraging more women to enter politics, particularly because women can face violence and intimidation during election campaigns.
“Our call is that it is possible to participate,” she said. Ogola also urged young women to join political parties of their choice and prepare for the elections.
Dreams Redefined said it hoped to see more young women participate peacefully in the 2027 elections and win elective positions across the region.
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