• The women said they will stand solidly behind any woman who will vie for the presidency.
• They said the movement that has started in the grassroots will not stop until a woman is elected as the president.
Image: Alice Wathera
A group of women in Murang’a have said they will mobilise support for presidential hopefuls who will choose women as their running mates in the next general election.
The women, who congregated at Mumbi grounds in Murang’a town on Tuesday to mark International Women's Day, said they have mentored women at the grassroots to understand their power in society.
The women said they will stand solidly behind any woman who will vie for the presidency or those who would pick one as their running mate.
They said the time has come for society to acknowledge women prowess in leadership, adding that most organisations led by women excel.
Gachambi Njuki, a member of Groots Kenya, an organisation that empowers women nationally, said women are no longer comfortable being relegated to the kitchen and want to have a stake in the leadership of the country.
She said attempts by men to use colonial chief Wangu Wa Makeri’s story to discourage women will no longer work. Legend has it that the chief who ruled in Koimbi area, Murang’a, from 1902 to 1909 sat on men while addressing gatherings.
The myth has however been debunked, with the museum department clarifying that Wangu sat on one man who was drunk and unruly during one of her meetings. The action led to her resignation as it caused uproar among men who were not for her leadership.
Gachambi said society has for a long time been suppressing women so their voice remains unheard.
“Even the constitution now requires each gender to be represented in the leadership of the country. We will no longer be cowed,” she said.
Gachambi cited the examples of former environmental and political activist Wangari Maathai, Narc Kenya leader Martha Karua and Kitui Governor Charity Ngilu as women who have left legacies and demonstrated that they can lead.
“We want to make it clear that we don’t want to rule, we want to lead because women are natural-born leaders and where we lead, we excel,” she said.
Gachambi praised Murang’a residents for voting in three women MPs and appealed that many more be voted in this year.
She underscored the need for women to support women aspirants and any other leader who embraces them.
Alice Wamuyu said there is a movement that has started to ensure women are included in leadership and it will not stop until a woman is elected president.
“We have stirred the womenfolk and we will continue to do so until women rise up to leadership,” she said.
This, she said, is the reason Groots Kenya invited women vying for political positions from Murang’a county to sell their vision to its members.
Image: Alice Waithera
Wamuyu who is the firm’s coordinator in Kigumo subcounty said they realised women are most involved in their children's education and health, yet had little influence in the sectors concerned.
The firm, she said, embarked on mentorship programmes that empowered women with the skills to engage in public participation forums and has helped recover several grabbed public properties in the county.
Naomi Wanjiku, Groots Kenya county coordinator, said the organisation works with grassroots women's groups and has been in existence for 26 years.
In Murang’a, the firm set base in 2015, and embarked on rural women economic empowerment programme.
Through the programme, over 500 women in Kigumo, Kandara and Maragua were able to engage in commercial banana farming that has helped them improve their earnings.
The women learnt value-addition and started making banana flour but have been experiencing the challenge of marketing their products.
Currently, they have two buyers who purchase their flour and dried bananas.
“The firm’s programmes are geared towards ensuring women are self-dependent and this is why we organised this forum so women aspirant can tell us what vision they have because we are tired of being used to vote blindly for people,” she said.
The firm has an ongoing programme that is training more than 1,000 women on the budget-making process to equip them with the skills of participating during the public participation process.
This is after discovering that many women keep off because they have no knowledge of the process and that they just sign papers without understanding the complex terms used.
“We are glad that the position of a woman is going up in the society and now we are saying we will support women who vie for positions,” she said
Edited by A.N
Image: Alice Waithera