Why Kenyans are warming up to a woman president

For decades, the idea of a Kenya woman leader, whether in politics or corporate spaces, was unlikely. From the early days of multiparty politics to the promulgation of the 2010 Constitution, women who stepped forward for top positions often faced resistance shaped by culture, tradition and beliefs about who is best suited to lead.

But new data shows the ground may be shifting. A survey by the Reykjavík Index for Leadership 2025 shows three in four Kenyans are comfortable with a woman president. Even more, 88 per cent say they would be comfortable with a woman as chief executive officer of a major company.

The findings point to growing public acceptance of women in positions of authority, even as the country struggles to achieve full gender parity in leadership.

The Reykjavík Index, an international measure of perceptions of suitability for leadership, gave Kenya a score of 56 out of 100 in 2025, up from 52 in 2024, a sign of gradual progress.

According to the report, “Public comfort with female leadership is high: 75 per cent are comfortable with a woman as head of government, and 88 per cent with a woman as CEO. Figures that have remained steady over the past year.”

Isabel Wangwe, Head of Commercial for East and Southern Africa at Swissport, said the numbers reflect the impact of women who have already walked these paths and proven themselves. “It is inspiring,” she says.

“A lot more organisations know that if you put a woman at the top, it will not go down. In the social space, there is growing acceptance of women speaking up, and men are listening, so people are mimicking it. Before, it was one per cent of women who felt they had what it takes and went for it; now it is about 30 per cent.”

Kenya’s political history has seen only a handful of women attempt to break the highest glass ceiling. Charity Ngilu became one of the first women to run for presidency in 1997, challenging long-standing perceptions about women and executive power.

Years later, Martha Karua made her own bid for the presidency in 2013, campaigning on reform and accountability. In 2022,  she came closer to the top seat when she backed the late Raila Odinga as his running mate.

The appointment of Martha Koome as Chief Justice in 2021 marked another milestone, placing a woman at the head of the country’s third arm of government for the first time.

In the corporate world, women have increasingly taken board and executive positions, though still in smaller numbers compared to men.

Data cited in the Reykjavík report shows that women held 23 per cent of seats in the National Assembly in 2025, despite the Constitution requiring that no more than two-thirds of elected bodies be of the same gender. In business, women accounted for 36 per cent of board members in 2021, up from 21 per cent in 2018, and stood at 35 per cent in 2024, with women holding 32 per cent of CEO or managing director roles and 21 per cent of board chairperson positions.

According to Naivasha MP Jayne Kihara, converting these numbers into electoral success remains the biggest challenge for women. “Politics in Kenya is highly commercialised. Voters judge individuals on their own merit, not just because they are women. Women candidates are hampered by a lack of financial resources to mobilise. This is the greatest handicap; it boils down to the bottom line.”

In the corporate space, Kenya Editors Guild CEO Linda Bach notes that self-doubt remains a major hurdle. “Achieving 100 per cent equality is still a challenge. A woman may fear being judged harshly and not supported. Sometimes, people think a woman is given a job because she is a woman rather than her skills. And when women in leadership perform poorly, it makes it harder for others to trust women as leaders.”

However, the survey confirms that bias still exists, as a perfect score of 100 would indicate men and women are viewed as equally suited to lead across all sectors. Despite these challenges, the shift in attitudes toward women in leadership is being driven largely by women themselves.

“Women are driving Kenya’s progress on leadership equality; men’s attitudes remain largely unchanged,” the report notes, adding that education is the strongest influence on positive views about women in leadership.

Attitudes toward women leaders, however, vary widely depending on the sector. Education, medical research, and banking are seen as some of the most gender-equal fields, while defence, automotive manufacturing, and gaming remain areas where women are still viewed as less suited to lead.

The report notes that sectors dominated by either men or women tend to have the lowest scores, showing how stereotypes continue to shape opinions. Even so, several fields, including natural sciences, government and politics, and economics, recorded strong improvements compared to the previous year, suggesting perceptions can change over time.