Muge, Omanyo lead women reps’ performance rankings as survey warns of poll losses

NAIROBI, Kenya, Nov 6 – Nandi Woman Representative Cynthia Muge, Busia’s Catherine Omanyo and Meru’s Elizabeth Kailemia have emerged among Kenya’s top-performing women representatives in a new survey assessing performance women lawmakers serving in the affirmative action seats over the past four years. The Timely Kenya Women Representatives Performance Rating 2026 places Muge first overall with a score of 59.9 per cent, followed by Omanyo at 59.1 per cent and Kirinyaga Woman Representative Njeri Maina at 55 per cent.

Kailemia, who represents Meru County, ranked fifth with 55.3 per cent, while Kisii Woman Representative Dorice Donya came fourth at 55.5 per cent. However, the findings point to a potentially difficult re-election season for many incumbents, with 61 per cent of respondents saying women representatives seeking to defend their seats are unlikely to be re-elected.

“Only four in ten respondents said they had seen their Woman Representative since the 2022 General Election, while 64 per cent said they did not understand the role of the office,” the poll published on Friday noted. The Timely Kenya Women Representatives Performance Rating 2026 places Muge first overall with a score of 59.9 per cent, followed by Omanyo at 59.1 per cent and Kirinyaga Woman Representative Njeri Maina at 55 per cent/CFM The survey also raises questions about the visibility and understanding of the office, with only four in 10 respondents saying they had seen their woman representative since the 2022 General Election.

Timely Kenya further found that 64 per cent of respondents did not understand the roles of women representatives, highlighting a gap in public awareness of the constituency-based parliamentary office. The assessment combined public perception of representatives’ work on the ground with their parliamentary performance, assigning each category an equal 50 per cent weighting.

Ground performance was assessed through the use of the National Government Affirmative Action Fund (NGAAF) and humanitarian activities, while parliamentary performance considered bills sponsored, motions, petitions, statements and committee participation. On parliamentary performance, Muge emerged top among the best debaters, followed by Maina and Nairobi Woman Representative Esther Passaris.

Maina also led the ranking of representatives with the highest number of bills, motions, petitions and questions, followed by Machakos Woman Representative Joyce Kamene and Muge. The report identified Kailemia as the strongest performer across the ground-work rankings, appearing in all three categories assessing visibility, humanitarian work and utilisation of NGAAF funds.

Omanyo also featured prominently, appearing in five of the six performance rankings, while Muge topped the overall list and the best debaters category. On legislative activity, the survey found that only 26 of the 47 women representatives had been captured as having drafted bills, motions, petitions and questions over the four-year period. The findings also point to demand for increased funding for the women representatives’ kitty.

Among respondents who understood the office’s role, the majority wanted the allocation increased. The survey was based on 1,818 respondents drawn from all 47 counties, with data collected through Computer-Assisted Telephone Interviews between October 18 and November 3, 2026. Timely Kenya reported a margin of error of plus or minus 1.05. The assessment comes as lawmakers approach the final stretch of their current parliamentary term, with the findings highlighting both their public visibility and legislative contribution as key factors likely to shape their political prospects ahead of the 2027 General Election.