Yesterday, Endorois Indigenous Welfare Empowerment Network (EIWEN) launched a report on participation of Indigenous women and people with disability in politics.
The report titled “The Unheard Voices and Uncounted Numbers in Electoral Processes in Kenya” documents some of the barriers facing indigenous women with disability in active participation in political processes.
The report focuses on Sengwer of Embobut, Ogiek of Mau and Endorois of Baringo counties.
Below is a list of some of the barriers which they face:
- High illiteracy levels
- Infrastructural accessibility barriers
- Information accessibility barriers
- Dysfunction of institutions and agencies mandated to safeguard the political rights of IPs, women and PwD;
- Failure to ratify and non-implementation of global, regional, national and local legislations and policies toward the realization of women’s political rights
- The harmful cultural norms and practices among indigenous peoples continue subjugating women and PwDs;
- Political violence targeting female and PwD candidates
- Lack of support from political parties
- Inter-tribal conflicts and politically instigated violence and evictions affected the three communities;
- Lack of tribal and census codes to form a foundation for the prominence and recognition of the statistics of IPs in Kenya;
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