Governor's wives 'barred from helping society by lack of funds'

Governors' wives want a kitty set aside to enable them to help the community. 

Speaking during the third National ECD stakeholders’ conference at the Mombasa Continental Resort on Tuesday and Wednesday, they said society expects a lot from them, yet they are incapacitated 'because they are not recognised by the government'.

“Being the wife of the governor, society expects you to have money and they bring you all their problems expecting you to solve all of them,” County First Ladies Association chair Nazi Kivutha said on Tuesday. 

Kivutha and her Siaya counterpart Rosella Rasanga said they want recognition 'because they do a lot of work that helps the community'.

“We go out of our way to look for funds for our projects, which is a daunting task because the counties do not give us funds contrary to popular belief,” Kivutha said. 

Rasanga said they run projects that make a difference in the lives of many Kenyans, especially girls. 

Kivutha said many county chiefs' wives run projects with funds from donors or their own money.

“We would like recognition from the national government or county governments,” the Makueni governor's wife said. 

Governors would rather initiate projects and give them to outsiders to run than let their wives due to the perceptions the move will generate, Kivutha said.

 “There is no money we get. Who will allow that? The governor himself will not even dare because it will land him in problems,” she said.

She said the only money they get from governors is money for food at home "like any other household".

Kivutha runs a programme dubbed 'Linda Watoto, Chanua MaYouth' (Protect the children, Sensitize the Youth) which seeks to protect youth and children from drugs and other social ills they are likely to be exposed to. 

But she says she gets curious looks "despite the fact that her projects are run by donor funds".

She said the challenge is in being in positions of influence yet they have no role or resources in county matters.

Edited by R.Wamochie