Negotiated Democracy and Women’s Political Involvement in Wajir County, Kenya

Abstract

The main purpose of this study was to establish the effect of negotiated democracy on women’s political involvement in Wajir County, Kenya. Specifically, the study explored the extent to which negotiated democracy locked women out of elective politics in Wajir County; find out how the council of elders affect women’s participation in elective politics through negotiated democracy in Wajir County; determine how women, perceive negotiated democracy as a method of political participation in Wajir County; establish the strategies used by women against negotiated democracy as a method of political participation in Wajir County. This study used the fundamental radical feminist philosophy to highlight the issue of women's underrepresentation in leadership. The current study embraced a qualitative approach where an interview schedule and secondary sources of data were used to gather the data. The study targeted all women who have vied for political positions and those elected to other public forums including school and development committees. The IDIS interviewed 28 women and Key Informants Interviews among the five (5) leaders of the Council of Elders. The secondary sources of data were extracted from internet sources, existing literature, journal articles, and textbooks. Data analysis was conducted using content analysis. The study findings revealed that negotiated democracy provides for limited representation, which hindered women’s ability to participate fully in politics and leadership positions; that the respective council of elders played a critical role specifically in the process of endorsement and supporting leaders for the elective political positions where the endorsement carried weight in the respective community, which heavily influenced the electoral outcome of the selected candidate. It was also revealed that the majority of the women participants conceived that the approach of negotiated democracy demonstrated the highest level of frustration where most of them felt that despite their participation in the electoral process, their influence and matters of decision making power remained limited, and that substantive change was slow to materialize and that their decision making power was curtailed. They perceived that their opinions and perspectives were not given equal weight and they felt sidelined in favor of dominant interests of males or established power structures. The various strategies to be used by women to counter the approach of negotiated democracy include mobilization and collective action among the women vying for political seats, advocacy and lobbying, legal and policy, alliances and coalitions and by embracing media platforms. In conclusion, while negotiated democracy can be a positive approach to establishing stable governance, it is essential to ensure that women are not locked out of elective politics. By addressing the factors that contribute to their exclusion and implementing proactive measures to promote gender equality and representation, negotiated democracies can become more inclusive and reflect the diverse voices of the population they govern.