According to John Maxwell’s Five Levels of Leadership, “Leadership by Position” sits at Level Three. In 2022, I put this into practice by running for the position of Senator, Nairobi County, while simultaneously mentoring women candidates—both experienced and first-time aspirants—vying for elective positions in the Kenyan elections.
This was not my first campaign. I had previously contested for Member of Parliament, Greater Embakasi Constituency, coming in fourth. Women remain significantly underrepresented in Kenyan politics, despite the constitutional two-thirds gender rule. My motivation was clear: I wanted to challenge the culture of insult-driven, violent, male-dominated politics—particularly in the Senate—and drive meaningful change.
Although I had a party platform, unforeseen circumstances forced me to switch parties quickly. A major setback occurred when my new party leader publicly endorsed a male candidate from another party and falsely implied I had withdrawn from the race. I responded firmly through a press statement, calling out male chauvinism and breach of party trust. This action led to my removal from party communication channels, effectively leaving me to run as an independent voice.
Fortunately, the women candidates’ network I had founded became my backbone. Through this platform, I mentored and encouraged women facing political violence, resource constraints, male chauvinism, and cultural barriers—helping them transition from aspirants to official candidates registered by the IEBC. By election day, our network had over 300 women candidates contesting for positions ranging from Governors to Members of the County Assembly, alongside two female candidates for Deputy President.
An unexpected moment of leadership came when the IEBC county returning officer formed a WhatsApp group for all county candidates. Fellow contenders for Senate and Women Representative seats asked me—despite being a candidate myself—to organize their televised debates. I accepted, arranging successful debates for these categories. This experience reinforced my belief that true leadership is not threatened by the success of others, and that everything rises and falls on leadership.
Although I did not win the Nairobi Senate seat, I failed forward, gaining invaluable lessons I will pass on to aspiring leaders ahead of the 2027 elections. Many women from our group went on to win seats as Members of Parliament and County Assembly, and our network continues to grow as we work toward achieving the two-thirds gender rule in representation.
For me, leadership means embracing struggle and growth, holding fast to the vision, and becoming a catalyst for transformation—until equality in political representation is not a goal, but a reality.
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