Maasai Leaders Champion Gender Equality and Women’s Leadership in Arusha

In Muriet ward, Arusha Region, long-held gender norms are being challenged as women increasingly step into leadership roles, and male allies emerge to support them. Among them is Salon Langei, a respected Maasai clan leader who is helping shift community attitudes through his advocacy for women’s rights.

“Traditionally, women were not part of decision-making processes,” Langei says. “But our perceptions are changing and this year, we refused to hold our Boma’s annual meeting until women could attend and vote.”

Langei is one of the participants who attended a training workshop under the UN Women ongoing five-year project on Women’s Leadership and Economic Rights at Local Levels (WLER), supported by the Government of Finland. Implemented across six regions and 18 districts, the initiative promotes women’s participation in leadership and strengthens their economic rights through gender-responsive governance, community dialogues, and engagement with traditional leaders.

By early 2025, more than 900 community members, including traditional and religious leaders, were trained to advocate for women’s leadership. In Langei’s 170-member community – commonly referred to as a Boma – four women now sit on the leadership committee, a significant shift from previous all-male structures. 

“We’re very happy with the progress,” he says. “Women now speak up, propose solutions, and lead.”

Shifts in discriminatory attitudes toward women’s leadership were also evident across Arusha. The Marya Council passed a resolution to include women in its leadership, electing four women to its secretariat. In Karatu ward, women’s representation in local government rose by 44%, and gender-responsive budgeting was introduced, improving services such as maternity care.

The WLER project also made progress in advancing women’s land rights, with 40 Maasai women in Muriet receiving Certificates of Customary Rights of Occupancy (CCROs) in 2024, securing their land ownership and enabling them to access credit. WLER project implementation in Mtwara region also facilitated the issuance of more than 600 CCROs to women.

These outcomes reflect a broader cultural shift. “It’s become clear that society is better off when women and men lead together,” says Langei. “Women just needed the opportunity.”

As Maasai leaders like Langei continue to share knowledge and encourage peer support, the momentum for gender equality is growing, community by community.

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