Agnes Ramsay Shaw (; 1902–1978),http://www.eamemorials.co.uk/EAMemorials/KENYA/Karen,%20St%20Francis/StFrancis45.htm Accessed 6/2/2022 was an early European settler in Sotik in the West of Kenya. In 1951, she was selected as a European member on the Legislative Council of Kenya for the Nyanza seat and was the fourth woman to be appointed to that body and later became the last European woman to be elected to it. She sat for twelve years until Kenyan Independence in 1963, attending the Lancaster House Conferences (Kenya).
Biography Born in Glasgow, Shaw arrived in Kenya in 1927. She married Brian Shaw in 1928 and they had two children Ann and Michael. When she came to Kenya, she became interested in politics and was a founder member of the Electors’ Union.
In the 1952 Kenyan general election, Shaw defeated Noel Irwin by 632 votes to 317."Nominations for the General Election in Kenya", East Africa and Rhodesia, 20 August 1956, p1866
In the 1956–57 Kenyan general election, Shaw again defeated Irwin of the Independent Group (Kenya) by 468 votes to 314."Results of the General Election in Kenya", East Africa and Rhodesia, 4 October 1956, p150"General Election in Kenya: Comments in the Press", East Africa and Rhodesia, 11 October 1956, p186 In winning this election, Shaw became the last European woman to contest and win an election in Kenya.Sang, Godfrey, Women and the Parliament of Kenya: Historical Reflections (1917–1974) (July 23, 2021). Available at SSRN: https://ssrn.com/abstract=4134411 or http://dx.doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.4134411
Shaw joined the Lancashire House Conference, chaired by Iain Macleod, together with Michael Blundell as a representative of the multi-racial New Kenya Party. Together they faced considerable opposition from White Settlers opposed to majority rule Shaw writes that she had to caution her constituents that at that point, “to talk of armed resistance was crazy.” Old Africa, Volume 121 (2025). Available at https://oldafricamagazine.com/magazine/
In 1960, Shaw was appointed to the Order of the British Empire."Kenya Gazette, Nairobi 1960
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