Kenya Elections: Unprecedented Times as Women Leaders Sweep Almost All Seats in Nakuru County
The election of Susan Kihika as the new governor of Nakuru solidified the rise of a new type of politics that is dominated by women.
Nakuru becomes the first county in which every level of leadership, from the governor down to the member of county assembly, has at least one female leader.
A female governor, a female senator, a female representative, four female members of parliament, and a number of county assembly members are included in the lineup.
After defeating the incumbent, Lee Kinyanjui, who was vying for a second term in office, Kihika was officially sworn in as governor-elect.
In her address, Kihika thanked her husband for supporting her and vowed to work hard to improve Nakuru county’s economy.
“I want to reassure both those who supported me and those who abstained that I will work for both of you. I’ll put in a lot of effort to boost our economy and make Nakuru prosper.
“I am aware that it is said that “behind every successful man is a woman,” but in this instance, I want to point out that “behind these successful women are men,” and he is one of them. He has truly helped me out,” she praised.
On the United Democratic Alliance (UDA) party’s ballot, Kihika received 440,707 votes and Kinyanjui received 225,623.
By receiving 442,864 votes to John Mututho’s 36,432 votes, Karanja outperformed her nearest rival.
Koigi Wamwere, Lawrence Karanja, Gachinga Mwai, and Githenya Mwangi were also participants in the event.
Four women won parliamentary seats and will now serve as representatives for four different constituencies in the National Assembly.
After receiving 44,882 votes, Jayne Kihara kept her Naivasha parliamentary seat, defeating John Kihagi, who received 24,891.
Irene Njoki, a recently elected MP, defeated Kimani Ngunjiri to win the Bahati parliamentary seat.
The IEBC Returning Officer revealed the results at the Bahati Tallying Centre, with Njoki receiving 34,308 votes and Ngunjiri coming in second with 26,809 votes.
On the other hand, Martha Wangari, who ran on behalf of the United Democratic Alliance (UDA), won the Gilgil Parliamentary seat.
She received 35,363 votes, beating Mathenge Nderitu, who was in second place with 19764 votes.
Additionally, Charity Kathambi was successful in keeping her Njoro Parliamentary seat. “God has accompanied us. Throughout my Njoro Constituency, I had support. I’m grateful to my fans for expressing their satisfaction with the progress I made “She spoke out.
Liza Chelule successfully defended the United Democratic Alliance (UDA) ticket she used to run for the Woman Representative position. Additionally, a number of female MCAs were elected to serve as Nakaru County Assembly