Editor's Review

“I know fellow party leaders will agree with us." 

President William Ruto has announced that the United Democratic Party (UDA) will field a female running mate in the future.

Speaking on Thursday, March 7 during the Women Governors' Caucus G7 Strategy Summit in Nairobi, the President said he would sit down with Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua and agree that when if the party fronts a male presidential candidate, the running mate must be a woman.

Ruto urged UDA Chairperson Cecily Mbarire to make the new changes in the party rules for them to be implemented in future polls.

“We must as a party lead from the front, and we must make it in the rules that when Rigathi Gachagua and myself when we discuss our future politics, we must also agree that going forward if a man is a candidate for President in our party the woman must be the running mate and if a woman is a candidate, then a man can be a running mate” said Ruto.

File image of President William Ruto with Anne Waiguru and Kawira Mwangaza. 

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The Head of State noted that the party changes would also cascade down to gubernatorial seats.

“We must also cascade it down to the governors. And we must be deliberate and intestinal about it otherwise it will never happen,” Ruto remarked.

He emphasized that the move was not meant to be against men but to balance gender equality in the ruling party.

“I know fellow party leaders will agree with us. I am sure the party leader in Wiper supported Wavinya Ndeti, the party leader in ODM supported Gladys Wanga and all the other party leaders supported their women candidates,” President Ruto added.

The G7 is a strategy caucus bringing together seven elected female governors in Kenya and aimed at revolutionizing women’s political participation in leadership.