The National Gender and Equality Commission (NGEC) and the Nyamira County administration agreed on Tuesday to coordinate action against intimidation, political violence and goonism ahead of the 2027 General Election.
The delegation was led by Commissioner Caroline Lentupuru with the Commission Secretary and Chief Executive Officer, Dr Purity Ngina, and held courtesy calls on Governor H.E. Hon. Amos Nyaribo and on County Commissioner Benson David Leparmorijo.
The Commission commended the Governor for his commitment to inclusive governance and for the county’s openness to engaging on the barriers to political participation, and said county leadership support is material to the conduct of grassroots dialogue.
The consultation forms part of a series of dialogues in Nyamira, Kisii and Meru examining the barriers limiting the participation of women, youth, persons with disabilities, older persons, minorities and marginalised communities in the 2027 electoral process.
THE COUNTY RECORD
In the 2022 General Election no woman was elected to any of the county’s 20 ward representative seats. None of Nyamira’s 26 non-reserved directly elected positions, comprising the Governor, the Senator, four constituency Members of Parliament and twenty ward representatives, was won by a woman.
Women continue to serve through reserved and nominated positions. The Commission said the absence of women from elected ward representation raises questions about political party nominations, campaign financing, voter attitudes, accessibility and the broader conditions under which candidates compete.
SECURITY COORDINATION
At the office of the County Commissioner, the Commission briefed Leparmorijo on the objectives of the consultation and on the national effort to identify county-specific measures ahead of the election.
The meeting examined collaboration on gender-based violence, technology-facilitated violence and other barriers to safe and inclusive political participation, particularly for women, youth, persons with disabilities and other Special Interest Groups.
Both parties affirmed the role of security agencies in safeguarding the right of citizens to participate freely and safely in political life, and agreed on closer coordination in addressing intimidation, political violence and goonism.
The Commission said the engagement reflects a whole-of-government approach to the barriers to full and equal participation in electoral processes. The Nyamira dialogues opened the following day with women, and continued with young people and with older persons, religious leaders and community elders.
