Homa Bay County, located in western Kenya, emerged from the country’s 2022 elections as a democratic outlier. It produced the only female county governor in the region, and women won 40 per cent of the parliamentary seats in the devolved unit.
The county’s 45-year-old governor, Gladys Wanga, is one of Kenya’s rising political stars. She is the chairwoman of the country’s largest opposition party, the Orange Democratic Movement (ODM), and is often mentioned in the media as a potential running mate for President William Ruto in the 2027 elections.
