Female Leaders: A Kenyan Narrative

Something curious happened to the story of Wangu wa Makeri.  Growing up, her story was taught as a cautionary tale on the folly of women leadership. Our Standard 3 history book told of how once upon a time, women used to rule the Agikuyu. Led by Wangu wa Makeri, the women were the warriors of the tribe, and the men had domestic duties. However, at some point, the women let it go to their head, and they started ordering men about and generally throwing their weight around. The story culminates with Wangu literally sitting on a man’s back. This story was naturally told with the shock and repugnance it warranted. “Imagine! A woman sitting on a man’s back!”  Our forefathers, upset with being both literally and metaphorically sat on, conspired to impregnate the women. Thusly incapacitated, the men overthrew them, and took over the running of the Gikuyu nation. 

The story teaches some important lessons. It taught why control over female reproductive rights matter. It taught the gendered nature of domestic duties (How we laughed when we heard that men used to do domestic chores. "Imagine! Men washing the baby and fetching water!"). But mostly, it taught about the folly of female leadership.

But here’s the thing.  Wangu wa Makeri did exist. In the realm of living history. She was actually a colonial administrator at the turn of the century. Conversations with historians are divided on whether she actually sat on men’s backs on not. What’s more certain is that she was a ‘headman’ in 1901. What’s less certain is why an official Kenyan history book, sanctioned by the Kenya Institute of Education, would have conflated her leadership with that of the mythical amazons who ruled Kikuyu land, in a tale that sought to counsel women on the follies of reaching and aspiring too high.

Lessons taught young, unfortunately tend to stick. Female leadership is still not something that we promote in the country. The numbers certainly tell their own story. Female political leadership in Kenya stands at about 20%, a fact that was recently declared unconstitutional. It stands as an island of mediocrity in East Africa. Contrast with Rwanda that’s leading the pack at 64% female leadership, and with Uganda and Tanzania at above 35%. While there are many reasons behind the paucity of female leadership, it is certainly true that the violence threatened at female political leaders, and the meagre and biased media coverage for the few women who do dare enter this realm act as dis-inhibitors for women from wanting to vie for political leadership.

While the historical narrative on female political leadership hasn’t always been kind to Kenyan women, the story hasn't changed much even today. Mass media- both a mirror and also a creator of these images, both reinforces and retells the story of what it means to be female and a leader in Kenya. More often than not, the mass media takes away more than it gives. Female coverage stands at less than 20% of male coverage, and with this relatively meagre press being mainly subjective and non-positive. 

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There's a prevailing archetype found in male leadership. That of the heroic, enduring, solitary, brave leader. He is often seen posed and pensive, deep in the middle of profound state building thoughts. His index finger thoughtfully on chin, he collects many accolades. Bravest warrior. Father of the Nation. Cockerel that crows. Bull that stamps. But this male hero doesn’t quite have a corresponding female equivalent. Rather, we have stereotypes that more or less correspond to Rosabeth Moss Kanter’s four role traps for women leaders: the pet, the mother, the battle-axe and the seductress.  

Of the four role traps, mass media and public opinion is kindest to the mother figure. She maternally worries about Kenya and hugs the country to her metaphorical bosom. She’s instantly recognisable and reminds us of our mothers, and boarding school matrons. This mother figure is dignified, poised, understanding and forgiving. More often than not, younger female leaders are urged to emulate and aspire to that. It's certainly perhaps one of the more 'respectable' role traps to be assigned. 

A staple of popular culture and the tabloids, the seductress role trap is one that female leaders, especially if you're young and conventionally attractive, that many women are assigned, and in some instances self-assign. In the run up to the election this coming year, there’s been an active claiming of this with slogans like “Bae wa Nairobi” Msupu wa Nairobi” that speak to the beauty of the aspirants rather than, say, their experience or aptitude in leadership. It’s perhaps one of the peculiarities of Kenya, where despite a 60% female vote, the marketing and the packaging of the message is almost always directed towards the male gaze.

As a country, we are least kind to the loud, the brash and aggressive. The Wangari Maathai battle axes. The ungovernable Millie Odhiambos. For these, we reserve our harshest opprobrium. We are not very flattering of these women who ‘behave like men’. Who don’t voice their dissent in polite ways. Divorcees who dare contradict sitting heads of state.  We’re not too sure what they’re about, but what we do know is that they’re ‘unwomanly’.

It’s certainly telling that to some extent, the making of these ungovernable women is a function of our politics. Female leaders tell of how they had to “menstream” or under-go masculinisation once they got to parliament. They had to adopt the language, issues and thinking of the dominant patriarchal system they found there. It’s also not entirely surprising that one of the more expedient ways that their male counterparts deal with them is by reminding them that they are “mere women” first and last, using violence laden language and threats of sexual violence.  It's what is produced by a system of "flawed masculinity" as Rev Njoya calls it. 

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There’s a Youtube clip, an outtake really, of Jeff Koinange Live showing gubernatorial aspirant Miguna Miguna taunting fellow aspirant Esther Passaris.  In a sing-song tone, he chides her on her beauty and tells her she’s so beautiful everyone wants to rape her. This clip, in a staggering lack of judgment was subsequently aired after being shot, and the JKL show was removed from air.

Meanwhile, nothing- absolutely nothing has happened to Miguna Miguna.

More recently, Moses Kuria in response to Millie Odhiambo’s insults to the president posted that he would sexually assault her with a broken beer bottle.  We all know what he means. "Look at this woman, trying to be something other than a woman. We'll correct her delusions!” Corrective rape with a beer bottle.   

Meanwhile, nothing- absolutely nothing has happened to Moses Kuria.

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