Preventing Violence Against Women and Girls (VAWG)
The Women Kingmakers is a documentary that follows a study conducted to uncover the challenges faced by women political mobilizers. The film, launched in September 2024, spotlights the hidden struggles of grassroots women political mobilizers who form the bulk of the electorate and are a crucial component in political campaigns.
The film speaks about these realities that remained unspoken, even as many politicians, both male and female, attribute their political successes to the role of women political mobilizers. The focus of the documentary is largely on the challenges of gender-based violence faced by these women, which often silences them and prevents them from actively participating in leadership and decision-making. Political betrayal and manipulation of these women also feature prominently in the film as a high price they pay for their active role as political mobilizers.
The documentary has been screened five times within local communities, creating spaces for grassroots women to see their experiences reflected and validated on screen. We showcased the film during the 2024 16 Days of Activism campaign, using it as a powerful tool to highlight the intersection of political participation and gender-based violence. The documentary was also featured during International Women’s Day 2025 celebrations.
Recognizing its continental relevance, the film was screened at the prestigious African Women in Dialogue (AfWID) Convening in Johannesburg, South Africa, bringing the voices of Kenyan grassroots women political mobilizers to pan-African feminist discourse and demonstrating the universal nature of challenges faced by women political organizers across the continent.