Gender and Politics in Kenya’s August 2022 poll: A Media Monitoring Study

Kenya’s August 9, 2022 poll generated immense interest among aspirants, with intense campaigning taking place for legislative, gubernatorial, and presidential posts. Among these political candidates were large numbers of women seeking to serve as members of county or national assemblies, and senators.

Media Focus on Africa conducted the second season of the Ms. President during this period, alongside a media monitoring research project. The project sought to understand the nature of political news coverage in regards to gender, the decision-making behind the coverage, and the ways in which audiences perceived the coverage.

Data was collected through content analysis of select print, broadcast and online publications, as well as focus group discussions with audiences and journalists. This report presents and discusses those findings.