Orwoba's endless woes and the pain of female leaders in Kenya

Former Nominated Senator Gloria Orwoba when the Senate Committee on Labour and Social Welfare summoned Labour CS Alfred Mutua over foreign jobs, at Mini Chambers, County Hall, Nairobi. May 6, 2025. [Elvis Ogina, Standard

In the past couple of weeks, Senator Gloria Orwoba’s political career has been in a state of upheaval, with her political party withdrawing her nomination to the Senate, the Speaker of the Senate officially declaring her position vacant, and the High Court putting a stay on this ouster as the matter is resolved.

Ms Orwoba’s time in the Senate has been nothing short of colourful. In 2023, she was dismissed from the House for her public display of 'menstrual blood' on her clothes. This move did not augur well with the Senate as well as with large swathes of the public. Several senators, both male and female, raised objection to her appearance, stating that it was shameful and against the House’s rules on dress code. Eventually, the senator was sent out of the House.

That same year, Orwoba alleged on social media that a parliamentary official had been harassing her after she refused his sexual advances, and that many in the Senate were exchanging sex for per diems. Her statements prompted the Senate to investigate, not the allegations that there might be rampant sexual depravity within the House, but the senator for possible breach of privilege.

Ultimately, the investigation led to her 79-day suspension in February 2025, with the senator expected to return to the House on May 1. On May 19, she was ousted from UDA, her political party, and consequently lost her seat at the Senate.

The reason given for her expulsion from the party was disloyalty, owing to her welcoming of former CS Fred Matiang’i back into the country. The High Court has for the time being suspended this expulsion as the matter is adjudicated.

Orwoba’s career trajectory is reminiscent of that of many other women in politics, most recently that of former Governor Kawira Mwangaza.There has been a belief in the societal that women are not fit for leadership. The Constitution worked to redress this through the two-thirds gender rule. Unfortunately, the rule has never been properly implemented in the 15 years of the Constitution’s existence.

Women who beat the odds and make it into positions of leadership, like Orwoba and Mwangaza, must contend with living their lives under a microscope, and having every move they make challenged. Should they make a single misstep, even as their male counterparts make dozens of mistakes with nary an eyelid batted, it becomes a foregone conclusion that they never deserved the seat anyway, and that this confirms that they simply cannot lead.

Already, there is constant clamour around the need to remove the seat of Woman Representative from the Constitution. Even at the Judiciary, where gender equality is fairing much better than in other government agencies, Chief Justice Martha Koome receives constant backlash for any decision that she makes.

Toni Morrison once said that the very purpose of racism is distraction as so much time is taken up by the victim in the work of justifying and explaining one’s existence, positionality and worthiness to be in a space. This argument should be extended to sexism too as the political lives of these women show. There is hardly time to get work done when one is constantly busy fighting against expulsions and censures, or in the case of Mwangaza, persistent and perennial challenges to one’s position as governor. This is the double-edged sword of  patriarchy as the political upheavals paint one as a wrongdoer and therefore unfit for office, whilst the lack of performance due to fighting battles paints one as incompetent.

How we treat our women leaders can only inspire horror and fear in the young women aspiring for various positions. If we are to truly support women’s advancement, we must also fight the constant criticism against few women who have made it to the top.

Ms Gitahi is an international lawyer