Badili Africa #FeminizingPoliticalSpaces

Pan-African women's rights org, redefining leadership and political participation by centering the voices and agency of grassroots women & young women

[Badili Africa #FeminizingPoliticalSpaces @Badili_A]

https://t.co/xf8EgWHCp8

[Badili Africa #FeminizingPoliticalSpaces @Badili_A]

What happens when students learn not just how to recognize GBV, but where survivors can turn for help?

At Kabarak University, law students came together for a Training of Trainers on recognizing systemic GBV and responding in the community.

Together, we unpacked how power, gender norms, and everyday narratives shape the way communities understand and respond to GBV, from the beliefs we inherit to the language we casually use to normalize violence.

They also explored survivor-centered response, referral pathways, and POLICARE, building their confidence to connect survivors to appropriate support and services.

But perhaps the most powerful part was the conversation itself. Participants questioned long-held assumptions, shared experiences and reflected on how change can begin in the spaces they already occupy.

#FemiRise #BadiliAfricaInitiative #TestimonialTuesday

[Badili Africa #FeminizingPoliticalSpaces @Badili_A]

Kenyan women drive over KSh 300B in the chama economy and make critical decisions for families daily. We aren't just here to organize for others; we hold the power to decide the issues, choose our leaders, and shape the future.

#badiliafricainitiative #safetolead #womeninpolitics

[Badili Africa #FeminizingPoliticalSpaces @Badili_A]

A voice can be a safe space. A voice can change lives. In her powerful keynote reflection, after watching our documentary, Rev. Harriet Nyamu reminded us that creating change does not always require a title, a position or a piece of paper. Sometimes, it begins with choosing to speak, listen, show compassion, and act. Her message was a reminder that the everyday spaces we occupy and the people we meet in them can become spaces of safety, support and transformation. Be willing to ask for help. Know where to direct those who need support. Be the person others feel safe speaking to. And most importantly, break the silence, because silence enables the perpetrators. We are grateful to Rev. Harriet for reminding us that our voices carry power and that we may never know how many lives can be changed simply because we chose to use ours. #transformativegossip #badiliafricainitiative #GBV

[Badili Africa #FeminizingPoliticalSpaces @Badili_A]

How much power does an influencer have?

Every day, digital influencers shape the conversations people have, what they buy, the issues they pay attention to, and the questions they ask.

What we talk about online can influence what becomes a public concern, what gets debated, and ultimately, what leaders choose to address and prioritize.

In this reflection, Bina Maseno challenges digital influencers to look beyond their reach and recognize the power that comes with it. What if your platform could help shape not just the conversation, but the agenda?

Because the issues we keep talking about become harder to ignore and the conversations we choose to amplify can help shape the kind of leadership and politics we see.
#FromMarginsToPower #Leadership #badiliafricainitiative

[Jeremiah Kyambi @Devlins_Jeremih]

If your politics needs intimidation, violence and paid crowds to survive, you don’t have a political movement ,you have a militia with a campaign poster.

#ZimaGoon #SerabilaVita

[Badili Africa #FeminizingPoliticalSpaces @Badili_A]

So we brought grassroots women and students into the conversation. We wanted to understand what GBV looks like from their perspective what makes it harder to prevent, report and respond to, and what needs to change. Their voices will help shape the GBV response guidelines we are developing through #FemiRise. #EndFemicideke

[Badili Africa #FeminizingPoliticalSpaces @Badili_A]

We often talk about breaking the silence around GBV.
But behind the silence can be fear, stigma, not knowing where to go, or not trusting that anything will happen if you speak.
#FemiRise. #EndFemicideke

[Badili Africa #FeminizingPoliticalSpaces @Badili_A]

For many people, the salon or barbershop is still one of those places. And the people behind those spaces often know their communities in ways you can't capture in a survey. They know who has stopped coming in. They hear what people are worried about. They notice when something is not right. That kind of trust matters. Through Transformative Gossip, we spent time with salonists, barbers, and beauticians thinking about what they can do with that trust, from creating safer spaces to knowing when to listen, when to speak, and where to point someone when they need help.

[Badili Africa #FeminizingPoliticalSpaces @Badili_A]

We need places where we can just be.

A place to sit, talk, laugh, complain, ask questions, hear what’s happening, and sometimes say things we wouldn't say anywhere else.

But those spaces are disappearing. The places where people naturally meet and build relationships are becoming harder to find.
#transformativegossip #badiliafricainitiative

[Badili Africa #FeminizingPoliticalSpaces @Badili_A]

Young people are shaping the present and future of democracy. But meaningful participation in elections goes beyond showing up to vote. Young people need the knowledge, confidence and space to understand electoral processes, engage in them and hold institutions accountable.

The Badili Africa team is honored to be part of a three-day capacity-strengthening workshop on youth engagement and participation in elections, organized by the Elections Observation Group KENYA @elogkenya and the European Platform for Democratic Elections @EPDE.

We’re looking forward to learning, sharing experiences and exploring what meaningful youth participation can look like as Kenya heads towards 2027. #YouthParticipation #Elections #Democracy #BadiliAfricaInitiative

[Badili Africa #FeminizingPoliticalSpaces @Badili_A]

“I didn’t know I had this much power.”

That was a reflection that came out of our Transformative Gossip sessions with salonists, barbers, and beauticians in Nairobi.

They already have something many formal civic spaces struggle to build: trust. People sit with them every week, share what is happening in their lives and talk about what is happening in their communities. But many had never thought of these everyday interactions as a form of influence or of themselves as people who could shape civic conversations.

It is a reminder that the most important office is the office of the citizen.

You don't need a big title to have influence. Sometimes, you just need to recognize the power you already hold to change things. #TransformativeGossip #BadiliAfricaInitiative #TransformativeGossip #BadiliAfricaInitiative

[Badili Africa #FeminizingPoliticalSpaces @Badili_A]

Everyone likes to look good; it does not matter your class, age, or gender. Every month, for a few minutes or hours, we book a session with a trusted salonist, beautician, or barber.
Think about who sits in these chairs every day. A CEO, teacher, bartender, student, mother, and boda rider. People from different walks of life, all bringing their stories and experiences into the same space.
They might know about a predator targeting young girls in the neighborhood before it ever makes the news. They might hear that people are losing money to an investment scam. They might know which issues keep coming up in conversations, what people are worried about and what they are hoping for.

In a way, they hold a lot of raw information about what is happening in their communities.
Yet we rarely think of salons and barbershops as civic spaces. What if we did?

That is what we are exploring through Transformative Gossip. We’re working with salonists, barbers and beauticians across Nairobi to see what happens when the people who already hear the community’s gossip every day also have the tools to turn some of those conversations into civic knowledge, action and support.@deborahouko
#Badiliafricainitiative #TransformativeGossip

[Badili Africa #FeminizingPoliticalSpaces @Badili_A]

Women already gather in salons to talk about life, work, relationships, politics and everything in between.

So, what happens when we make those conversations a little more intentional?We’re working with 25 salon and beauty services owners across Kwangware, Mathare and Kayole to turn everyday conversations into opportunities to learn about civic rights, women’s leadership, GBV, political participation and accountability.
Through our Transformative Gossip approach, they are learning how to turn everyday conversations into opportunities to share useful information, identify issues affecting women and young people, and connect people to the right support and referral pathways when they need help.

And this is just the beginning. They’ll take these conversations back to their spaces, where they can share information, connect people to available support, and create a ripple effect of women who know where to turn and what action they can take.
#BadiliAfricaInitiative #TransformativeGossip

[Badili Africa #FeminizingPoliticalSpaces @Badili_A]

President William Ruto led the launch of the “Beyond Vision 2030” National Conversation at the KICC in Nairobi to imagine the country’s long-term development.

Kenya’s development story is often told through what we can see: roads, buildings, technology and infrastructure.

But there is another side of development that is often left out: whether women feel safe moving through those spaces, whether young people can find meaningful work, whether children can learn without going hungry, and whether people can live with dignity.

As we speak about the future of Kenya, we need a more holistic definition of progress.

We should also ask: What does development look like from the everyday lives of the people it is meant to serve?

#Endfemicideke #WomenInleadership #fromarginstopower

[Youth Serving Organization @YouthserveKe]

Young people are ready to lead. ✊🏾🇰🇪
We want:
🗳️ NYC elections on 9 Oct 2026
📢 An independentNYC
🤝 Meaningful youth participation
📚 Accessible civic information
🚫 No goonism or political violence

NOTHING FOR US WITHOUT US.
#IYD2026 #YSO2026

[Badili Africa #FeminizingPoliticalSpaces @Badili_A]

Women and youth don't lack ambition for political leadership, they lack access to it.

In this Sauti Sessions episode, Badili Africa CEO Bina Maseno unpacks what it actually takes for women and youth to vie for political seats and the strategies they need to get there.

Watch the full episode on the Sauti Sessions YouTube channel.
#kenyaelections #womeninleadership

[Badili Africa #FeminizingPoliticalSpaces @Badili_A]

For women in political spaces, the cost is often even higher: intimidation, threats, physical violence, and forced withdrawal from public life.

Democracy cannot thrive where violence decides who is seen and who is silenced.

#ElectoralGBV #SilencingisPolitical #badiliafricainitiative

[Badili Africa #FeminizingPoliticalSpaces @Badili_A]

Poverty is being weaponized, and young people are being pulled into a dangerous political economy of fear, loyalty, and violence.

#ElectoralGBV #SilencingisPolitical #badiliafricainitiative

[Badili Africa #FeminizingPoliticalSpaces @Badili_A]

As Kenya edges closer to 2027, the rise of goon culture is not just a security issue; it is a democratic threat that narrows who gets to participate, who gets to speak, and who gets to lead.

#ElectoralGBV #SilencingisPolitical #badiliafricainitiative