Wajir women laud Jubilee for picking Gedi in party leadership

Women and the youth from Wajir have lauded Jubilee for picking one of their own in the new leadership that was announced on Saturday.

While addressing the party's National Delegates Conference, the National Executive Committee announced new party officials.

This is after the outgoing secretary general Raphael Tuju announced he was stepping down to take on other duties assigned to him by President Uhuru Kenyatta.

The new list has President Uhuru Kenyatta as the  party leader with his deputies as Jimi Angwenyi, Kinoti Gatobu; deputy party leader Outreach, Naomi Shaban and Peter Mositet as the deputy party leader programmes.

From Northeastern Fatuma Gedi was picked to be the chairperson National Women League, while Adan Keynan retained his position of Parliamentary group secretary, Mohammed Abdi-Deputy National Treasurer and Abubakar Haji-National organising secretary.

Speaking to the press in Wajir town led by Maendeleo ya Wanawake chairperson Fatuma Mohamed, the group said they remain grateful to the President for choosing one of their own in the party leadership structure.

“It's not everyday we get an opportunity to have our own daughter picked among the leaders in a such a big political party like Jubilee. We have other parties that have been in existence for long but which did not consider our own,” Mohamed said.

She added, “So we are not taking this for granted. We know Gedi will use that position to advance the party's interest in the region and make it more popular, we will support her to make sure that it happens.”

Amina Yussuf, a resident, urged leaders and elders from Northeastern to borrow a leaf from Jubilee and trust women in leadership positions when it comes to picking candidates to contest for various seats.

“The fact that Jubilee in their wisdom picked Gedi for that position, is a clear testimony that we too can be trusted with leadership positions. As we head to elections, I hope our elders will consider picking women for positions. It doesn’t have to be that the only seat we can be considered for is the Woman Rep one which is obviously ours,” she said.

Sharmake Ismail a youth from Wajir, challenged women and the youth to fully utilise the opportunities given to them in leadership when given a chance.

"Gedi is first a woman but also falls into the category of youth, this is a position she has fully earned because of her leadership skills that the President saw in her. She is a real inspiration to all of us,” Ismail said.

-Edited by SKanyara