Lamu women have called on investors to set up a females-only gym for them as part of corporate social responsibility.
Lamu is predominantly Muslim where the cultural and religious beliefs forbid women from socially interacting with men who aren’t their husbands.
Women are also required to dress appropriately and cover their bodies, while being in a gym requires a specific dress code suitable for workouts.
Speaking on Thursday, Lamu Woman Rep Ruweida Obbo asked investors seeking to set base in Lamu to establish a modern gym for women in the region as part of their CSR.
Obbo said the situation has made it hard for women to work out and keep fit and healthy like the men.
She said establishment of an all-female gym would go a long way in enabling women to work on their bodies and improve their health.
Obbo said the situation had put women at risk of lifestyle diseases like diabetes, hypertension, obesity and even cancer.
“Women need to work out so that they can keep some of these diseases away. Unfortunately, women here have no gym, which makes it impossible for them to keep fit and healthy. There are so many mega projects coming up in Lamu and we are asking investors to set up a female gym as part of their CSR,” said Obbo.
Sometimes, a few women will attempt to venture out to the beaches for exercise, but their privacy is never guaranteed as there are men in such places.
Women's activist Fatma Mohamed said out of every 10 women in Lamu Island, at least four are battling obesity and lifestyle diseases.
She said many women try to do exercises in the comfort of their homes, which is mostly not effective as the environment is not conducive.
“Women are overweight not because they like it, but because they are helpless on how to keep fit. The little they do in their houses is never enough. It’s a shame for people to suffer from such diseases when simple infrastructure like a gym would have prevented some cases," said Mohamed.
Muslim cleric Mohamed Abdulkadir said Islam does not prevent women from exercising and keeping fit.
“They, however, must ensure that whatever they do in the presence of men, their hair and bodies are respectfully covered," he said.
Edited by Henry Makori
