Karen Nyamu: I would rather be on the ballot and lose than seek nomination again

Nominated Senator Karen Nyamu has opened up about the intense competition and uncertainty surrounding political nominations, saying she would rather contest an election and lose than go through the nomination process again.

Speaking in the Senate, Nyamu said nomination should not be viewed as an easy route into Parliament, describing the competition for the limited slots available to political parties as “cutthroat”.

“I don't want anyone to think that getting nominated is easy or it is an easy road,” Nyamu said.

Nyamu spoke from personal experience, having entered Parliament through nomination, and said the process can be more difficult than many people imagine.

“I dare say that nominated members work twice as hard to get to this House or to nominated opportunities than even elected members,” she said.

She explained that candidates seeking nomination have to compete for a limited number of positions after an election, with parties required to allocate slots according to the number of seats they have won.

For women seeking nomination, she said the competition can be particularly intense because a party has to select only a small number of candidates from those who participated in the electoral process and supported the party.

“Out of all the women who participated in the elective process in that space to support a political party, the party has to come up with a very small number commensurate with the number of seats you got in an election,” she said.

Nyamu said the uncertainty does not end once a candidate appears on a party's nomination list, as positions can change during the selection process.

“If you have been in that list for nomination, you know how cutthroat it is,” she said.

She described how a candidate could move from one position on the list to another, leaving their prospects of securing a seat uncertain until the process is concluded.

“Because today you're there, tomorrow you're number four, tomorrow you're number six or number seven,” Nyamu said.

“I would rather be on the ballot and lose an election than to be in that list again,” she said.

Nyamu also raised the issue of regional balancing, saying geographical considerations can complicate the process further.

She cited her own experience in Nairobi.

Nyamu argued that Nairobi's political identity cannot simply be reduced to tribal considerations.

Nairobi is not about tribes. So those are some of the issues that need to be addressed,” she said.

She maintained that the system provides an important avenue for representation but maintained that the competition and uncertainty involved should not be underestimated.