• Team Embrace is after equality in policy making and running the affairs of the country
• Women are the biggest workforce in farms and can play a pivotal role if well assisted
Image: John Kamau
Team Embrace will push for 50-50 representation if there is a referendum.
The team, which supports President Uhuru Kenyatta and ODM leader Raila Odinga’s handshake, said women are fed up with forever pushing for the 30 per cent representation.
The more than 30 women leaders, led by Kirinyaga Governor Anne Waiguru, spoke at a forum at the Jomo Kenyatta University of Agriculture and Technology in Juja on Tuesday.
They said they have unsuccessfully tried all avenues provided by the law to have a 30 per cent women representation in leadership positions across the country.
“If the President is male, we expect the deputy president to be a woman and if the Prime Minister will be a woman we will expect a male to be the deputy,” Waiguru said.
The governor said women leaders are after equality in policy making and running of affairs of the country as well as working to develop the country for the benefit of Kenyans.
She said women constitute 50 per cent of the country’s population and called for their support during the referendum.
The pro-Uhuru women leaders said they have dropped politics to spearhead the implementation of the President’s Big Four agenda, especially food security.
“We are moving the conversation from political rallies to matters that are really affecting Kenyans. There’s no need for politicking every day because a time for politics will come. Kenyans are actually concerned with what leaders are doing to solve major problems they are facing and to better their lives,” Waiguru said.
She said Team Embrace is building partnerships with experts, the academia –professionals and researchers from Jkuat – for food security and nutrition. They intend to reach out to women across the country as drivers of food security and nutrition.
She noted that women are the biggest workforce in farms especially in the rural areas and, therefore, can play a pivotal role if well assisted to ensure that levels of food production improve.
“This is why we have reached out to Jkuat who have the knowledge and expertise in agriculture and value addition of agricultural products. We are partnering and collaborating with experts and researchers so that we can get the relevant knowledge and skills for our farmers who are mostly women to help them increase their production,” the governor said.
“We want to make farming sustainable in our rural areas.”
Murang’a Woman Representative Sabina Chege said Team Embrace will mobilise women in their respective regions to embark on extensive farming of organic foods as this will help address the increase of lifestyle diseases associated with eating habits.
“You find that most diseases nowadays including cancer cases are associated with food. The food is full of chemicals. We want to have a nation that is growing its food, organic food so that we can have a healthy nation,” Chege said.
Kabondo Kasipul MP Eve Obara said through the food security agenda, women will have enormous business opportunities through the sale of agricultural products.
“We will ensure women and youth get the requisite knowledge and skills for farming and value addition to generate enough food for their families and for sale,” she said.
Jkuat Vice Chancellor Victoria Ngumi said the institution is leveraging on academia and industry partnerships, and collaborations to offer quality training, research and entrepreneurial knowledge that can transform the lives of Kenyans.
“We will offer technical support and expertise in better farming practices, food production and value addition,” the VC said.
Edited by R.Wamochie