Githunguri MP Gathoni Wamuchomba has firmly opposed the push to abolish the Woman Representative position, warning Kenyans to avoid voting for unqualified women who don’t serve the interests of the people.
Speaking on Sunday, June 8, Wamuchomba—who began her political journey as the Kiambu Woman Representative—expressed her frustration with how some women elected into the seat behave.
She said a number of them act more like “cake matrons” and “dance hall queens” who are more interested in showing off their fashion and dancing styles rather than working for the people who elected them.
“Let’s not remove the Woman Rep position. That role has helped many women, including those who are now successful MPs and governors like Gladys Wanga.
The real problem is electing women who are only good at throwing parties and showing off their kitenge designs. You don’t affirm fashion and dance moves—you affirm positive leadership qualities,” she said.
Wamuchomba emphasized that the Woman Rep seat is a stepping stone for many female leaders, herself included. She argued that it offers a platform for women to enter the political space, build their capacity, and eventually compete equally with men for other elective posts.
She gave the example of Homa Bay Governor Gladys Wanga, who also started out as a Woman Representative before rising to a top leadership position.
“I am one of those who benefitted from the Woman Rep seat in 2017. At the time, I didn’t have the political strength to compete directly with men.
But that position gave me a chance to grow, and by 2022, I had enough political influence and experience to contest and win as a regular constituency MP. And by the Grace of God, I succeeded,” she explained.
“I was elected fairly and beat male candidates. But that doesn’t turn me into a man—I’m still a woman, one who earned the trust of the voters,” she added.
Her comments come in the context of past efforts to remove the Woman Rep seat. In 2018, Uasin Gishu Woman Representative Gladys Shollei introduced a bill in Parliament aiming to scrap the position.
Instead of nomination slots, Shollei proposed pairing up constituencies to create special electoral areas where only women would run for office.
The goal was to ensure the two-thirds gender rule is met through elections rather than relying on party nominations.
Shollei argued that nomination lists had been misused by political party leaders, who often favored women they were personally close to. She believed that electing women directly would lead to more genuine representation in Parliament and County Assemblies.
“My bill aimed to increase the number of women in Parliament through elections, not nominations, which are often abused by party bosses who sometimes nominate their girlfriends,” Shollei said.
The proposed constitutional amendment, known as the Constitution of Kenya (Amendment) Bill, 2019, sought to create at least 179 elective positions for women across Parliament and the county governments, replacing the nomination model with actual voting to promote merit-based gender representation.
In summary, Wamuchomba stands strongly in favor of keeping the Woman Rep position but urges voters to choose capable and visionary women.
She believes that scrapping the seat would harm the progress of women in politics, while leaders like Shollei advocate for a system that elects more women through structured reforms.
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