Can Reality TV Get More Women into Political Office?

This season, host Reena Ninan and reporters across Africa will meet courageous women holding leaders accountable in various sectors, including healthcare, startups, and government. Specifically, we are looking at promises made about gender equality – and seeing if they have been delivered. For example, the government of Kenya pledged to end gender-based violence by 2026. And the ministry of health in Uganda is trying to eradicate yellow fever. It is ambitious to make these kinds of pledges. But are these leaders really delivering on these promises for women and girls?  For this first episode, we decided to cover a surprising program: a reality TV show. On Ms President, women compete to become the next “president” of Kenya, where they get training to become politicians – leaders we can hold accountable. This wasn’t a typical reality TV production. In fact, a nonprofit called Media Focus in Africa launched the show with the support of the EU and the Canadian government. Reporter Eunice Maina interviews contestant Nereah Amondi Oketch to find out how she fared on the show and whether Ms President was successful at getting more women into elected office.  Finally, we are conducting a listener survey to better understand what you like about the podcast and what you’d like to hear in future episodes. All participants in the survey who provide their email will be placed in a raffle to win a $100 Amazon gift card. To participate, follow this survey link. Thank you very much for your time and feedback. https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/heropodcast Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices