The Kibra by-elections have been marred with male egos going head to head in heated campaigns in the region since the seat was declared vacant after the death of area Member of Parliament Kenneth Okoth on June 28, 2019.
However, there are two women among the 24 candidates who are vying for the seat in the November 7 mini-poll; Malassen Hamadi of the United Green Movement (UGM) and Editar Ochieng of Ukweli Party.
The two women have been behind the scenes with their campaigns attracting barely any media attention as compared to what is being given to Jubilee Party's McDonald Mariga and ODM's Imran Okoth.
Malassen Hamadi, a Bachelor of Education graduate from the University of Nairobi is not a new name among the Kibra people as she has been a popular figure in the area.
Her Mazingira Women Initiative that was started in February 2018 helped clean up the heaps of garbage in her neighborhood in Makina area.
She stated that her political ambitions are not new to most people living in Kibra.
"It is not my first time vying for the Kibra seat as I did it on a Jubilee ticket in 2017," Hamadi tod Kenyans.co.ke.
She also explained how different her strategy for the current by-election was from her competition.
"My team is doing door-to-door campaigns and I can attest it is way effective than what the popular parties are doing," Hamadi disclosed.
Hamadi stated that her aspirations were fueled by her desire to solve youth unemployment, social justice, environment conservation and community based economy.
Editar Ochieng, on the other hand, was born and raised in Kibra according to the profile on her manifesto. The mother of three is a feminist and believes in equality, justice and an end to all forms of violence, discrimination and oppression.
She is a graduate of Moi University with a Diploma in social work which has been the motivation behind her volunteer work in various organizations such as Young Health Program.
The Ukweli Party candidate is also the founder of Kibera Young Women Network, a social movement aiming to incubate feminist leadership in Kibra.
It is Ochieng's first time throwing herself into the ring of politics as she has not had any previous political ambitions.
Her agenda focuses on quality education, organized sustainable economic empowerment, legislative representation and deepening partnerships for development.
