The Feminist Shift: Women Leaders Are Rewriting Kenya’s Media Narrative

By Brenda Holo - Before I could fully embrace women’s leadership, I had to unlearn what I thought I knew about power. Years of internalized patriarchy melted away, replaced by a deep respect for the matriarchal spirit, a force that leads with clarity, compassion, and resilience. This transformation wasn’t instant. It grew, slowly and deliberately, just like the movement now unfolding in Kenya’s media space.

On June 28, 2025, at the Meridian Hotel in Nairobi, the Association of Media Women in Kenya (AMWIK) elected a new Board of Directors and Board of Trustees to lead the organization through the 2025–2027 term. 

Names were announced. Speeches delivered. But beneath the formalities, something more powerful emerged: a collective affirmation that when women lead, systems shift.

At the helm is Robi Koki Ochieng, a media scholar, gender advocate, and Chair of the Department of Media & Communication at USIU-Africa. Alongside her is a diverse and accomplished team of media professionals:

Elizabeth Limagu, conflict reporting expert – Vice Chairperson and Joyce Mburu, development communication specialist, Treasurer.

Mary Mwendwa of Talk Africa, Lynn Nzambi, communications strategist, Clara Mucheni, public relations expert and Nancy Agutu, senior journalist at The Star.

The newly appointed Board of Trustees includes:

Anne Anjao Eboi, media academic, Mercy Wairimu Maina, communications professional and Victoria Musimbi Masaya, health and environment reporter.

This isn’t just about representation. It’s about influence. For years, the Kenyan media has faced sharp criticism for underrepresenting women in decision-making spaces, both on screen and behind the scenes. AMWIK’s new board turns that narrative on its head. 

These are not ceremonial appointments. These are women who are setting the agenda, influencing policy, and reshaping how the media covers gender, governance, and society.

What’s most refreshing about this leadership transition is its tone: servant leadership rooted in feminist values, not power for its own sake, but power that creates space for others to rise.

“Our role is not to dictate, but to create an enabling space,” said Chairperson Koki during her inaugural address.

This is a bold departure from traditional leadership models that often mimic patriarchal dominance. Instead, AMWIK’s new leadership embraces collaboration, empathy, and justice.

Let’s also give credit where it’s due. Outgoing Chair Dr. Jane Thuo spoke openly about inheriting a financially unstable organization in 2021. Under her tenure, AMWIK didn’t just survive, it flourished. 

Funding increased by 260%. Governance structures were reformed. The organization reclaimed its relevance. This is the story rarely told: women don’t just lead, they transform.

This leadership shift couldn’t come at a more critical time.

Kenyan women journalists are under siege, facing online harassment, threats, and violence. Femicide is rising. Sexual harassment in newsrooms remains widespread. AMWIK’s 2024 report revealed that 6 in 10 women journalists have experienced sexual abuse in their line of duty.

These are not just statistics, they are calls to action. In such a context, leadership is not symbolic. It’s a matter of safety, survival, and dignity.

The new team’s focus on digital innovation, advocacy, and member welfare shows they understand what empowerment must look like in 2025: tech-savvy, politically conscious, and unshakably united.

While this may appear as a local milestone, it fits within a larger global wave, a feminist awakening where women are no longer waiting for permission to lead. They’re building new tables entirely, in newsrooms, boardrooms, parliaments, and community halls.

This isn’t tokenism. It's a strategy. It’s legacy-building.

What happened at the Meridian Hotel wasn’t just about electing a board. It was about inspiring a generation. Young journalists, students, community reporters, they now see in this leadership a reflection of what’s possible.

And as someone who has journeyed from skepticism to full belief, I can now say it with clarity: I support women, fully, unapologetically, and intentionally. Because when women lead, voices rise, systems shift, and society benefits.

AMWIK’s transition is more than an organizational milestone, it’s a mirror reflecting the evolution of our society. Let’s not just celebrate these women, let’s support them, fund them, learn from them, and walk beside them.

This is what real empowerment looks like: not a slogan, but a lived experience, made real by women who dare to lead, organize, and dream.