In a moment as symbolic as it was unprecedented, former Meru Governor Kawira Mwangaza stood draped in traditional regalia, crowned leader of community before a crowd—an image that would have been unthinkable in Meru’s deeply patriarchal cultural order. For many across the larger Meru community, it was not merely a ceremony, but a striking rupture with history.
The crowning of Mwangaza at Githongo in Central Imenti on March 15, witnessed by cheering locals and a section of elders, has since been viewed as a watershed moment.
Traditionally, such ceremonies have been the preserve of men. The most recent comparable event was the installation of Kithure Kindiki as spokesman of the larger Meru community—a traditional rite conducted over a decade ago at the Kijege Hills Shrine.
Others previously ordained by the Njuri Ncheke Supreme Council of Ameru elders include former Governor Kiraitu Murungi, ex-Cabinet Secretary Mithika Linturi, and former Governor Peter Munya.
Yet Mwangaza’s coronation, staged before a vast crowd, has set tongues wagging. It was not only an act of defiance against entrenched patriarchal norms, but also a bold departure from a past in which women shied away from traditional recognition in leadership roles.
“Today the Meru patriarchal norms that a woman cannot be crowned as an elder or a community kingpin have been shattered at Githongo. These norms, since time immemorial have limited Meru women’s leadership potential, but this event marks a new beginning and a journey to overcoming discrimination and traditional expectations,” declared Mwangaza, affirming she intends to claim the place of women in leadership, despite a myriad of hurdles.
First female MP
Mwangaza, who has contested her impeachment at the Court of Appeal, remains hopeful she will be on the ballot next year in a bid to recapture the seat.
“This is history in Meru, where we are witnessing discrimination and cultural barriers being dismantled,” she said. Before her historic 2022 victory over Kiraitu Murungi and Mithika Linturi, Mwangaza had served as Woman Representative between 2017 and 2022. Her political journey echoes that of Anneritta Karimi Njeru, the first woman elected Member of Parliament in Meru in 1975.
Karimi had defeated five male political heavyweights in a fiercely patriarchal society. Yet her rise was soon met with resistance from powerful figures unsettled by her success.
In 1978, an audit of St Mary’s Girls School in South Imenti, where she had served as headmistress before she plunged in the murky world of politics was done and by the end of that year the Meru Resident Magistrate sentenced her to two years’ imprisonment on charges of theft amounting to Sh56,510.40.
She lost her appeals at both the High Court and the Court of Appeal, ultimately forfeiting her parliamentary seat. To this day, she maintains her innocence, blaming political adversaries for orchestrating her downfall.
Similarly, Mwangaza has accused a group of influential leaders, including MPs, of orchestrating the impeachment against her. She argues that she was a victim of gender bias and abuse of power, claiming her political opponents resorted to unconstitutional means to remove her from office.
The former governor claimed opponents who fear facing her on the ballot next year had developed cold feet and had to use all means, including an unfair impeachment process, to get rid of her.
Sisters convention
At Githongo, she was accompanied by Felicity Biriri, whose tenure as chairperson of the Warehouse Receipt System Council (WRSC) was recently revoked by President William Ruto. Biriri is now eyeing the Woman Representative seat on a DCP ticket.
Together with Carol Muriuki, who plans to vie for North Imenti MP, they are members of the Meru Political Sisters Convention, a lobby advocating for increased representation of women in elective positions.
Biriri says half of the population continues to be excluded from key decision-making positions due to electoral biases.
“As women, we are ready to support one another in mobilising the resources needed for campaigns. It is vital for our people to understand that women make capable leaders,” she said.
Muriuki, the patron of the convention, said the group is determined to reclaim women’s place in political leadership, particularly in the wake of Mwangaza’s ouster and the declining number of elected female MCAs in Meru.
