Mystery source of cash splashed by rival women's groups

What is the source of funds being splashed around by two high-flying women's groups hard at work on succession politics?

The well-funded Inua Mama and Team Embrace movements have heightened political activities across the country but their source of funding remains a mystery.

While Inua Mama is coalescing around Deputy President William Ruto and is pushing for the 2013 'deal' between President Uhuru Kenyatta and Ruto to be honoured, the Embrace movement is marketing the handshake pact between Uhuru and ODM leader Raila Odinga.

The Interior Ministry has also been publicly accused by pro-Ruto forces of funding Team Embrace as part of the wider scheme to stop Ruto from succeeding his boss.

Inua Mama, on the other hand, is said to have roots in the office of the  DP Ruto and could be part of his  2022 machine to reach out to women and the youth.

In their tours across the country, Inua Mama has been raising funds for various women's groups, youths and persons living with disability.

In August when the Embrace Team toured Mombasa, the leaders visited Coast General Hospital where they gifted several new mothers with assorted goodies.

However, both women's groups in most cases use choppers to fly to their destinations.

The 48 -member Inua Mama whose members whose colours are maroon and yellow is under the stewardship of Kandara MP Alice Wahome and Nakuru Senator Susan Kihika.

On the technical committee are ODM rebel and now Ruto's strongest supporter and point person in Kilifi county, Malindi MP Aisha Jumwa; Uasin Gishu Woman Representative Gladys Shollei and her Kirinyaga counterpart Wangui Ngirici.

Wahome, an abrasive and vocal defender of the UhuRuto 2013 pact, said the movement “ is an opportunity for us to support more women at both at the national and county level and even in the next government”.

The second term legislator who is also the vice chairperson of the Justice and Legal Affairs committee in the National Assembly says they are visiting different parts of the country to advocate women, youth and children's issues.

Shollei said the movement is not only a platform to empower women but also will help them push for their agenda.

“People who are like-minded caucus to push for a certain agenda and that is noble. For the first time, women are coming together to take positions. They are visible now. Before, the positions that were being taken on some issues were mostly by men but now women are active in leadership. It ruffling feathers and  people are paying attention,” she said.

Nakuru Senator Susan Kihika, a prominent member of Inua Mama, told the Star that they pool resources as elected leaders to empower women.

The former Nakuru assembly speaker said so far they have been to Kilifi, West Pokot, Trans Nzoia, Garissa, Tana River, Meru, Laikipia, Kirinyaga, Nyeri, Kajiado, Nairobi, Nakuru and will be heading to Tharaka Nithi this weekend.

“Our goal is to reach out to all the women in all 47 counties and truly empower them. We are all sitting women MPs. We pool our resources together and by so doing we become more effective,” she said.

She added, “Our activities have ranged from area to area as we largely leave the choice of the activity to the host woman MP. We recognise the uniqueness of each area and we localise. We have empowered, women groups through funds for table banking, empowered widows, special needs kids, PWD, youths — you name it. It may say Inua Mama but everywhere we have been, we have included at least the youth and PWD for empowerment. We also empower individuals like the elderly.”

The handshake between Uhuru and Raila  took place on March 9, 2018, ending protracted political tensions between supporters of the two leaders.

The Embrace outfit, which is themed with colours white and pink, was launched in January with its core agenda being to popularise the handshake.

At the centre of the movement that was launched at the Serena Hotel, Nairobi, were Public Service, Youth and Gender Affairs Chief Administrative Secretary Rachel Shebesh,  Kirinyaga Governor Anne Waiguru, Woman Representatives Sabina Chege,(Murang’a), Gladys Wanga(Homa Bay) and Rosa Buyu (Kisumu) among others.

Initially, the movement that brought together elected women leaders from across the political divide was purely to promote peace and unity activities across the country but it soon found itself in succession politics.

The full Embrace family could not survive its first quarter before it was rocked by 2022 succession politics, with some jubilee legislators bolting.

Some of its founding members left on suspicion that the movement was campaigning for Raila to succeed Uhuru when his second and last term comes to an end in 2022.

Among those who bolted is nominated MP Cecily Mbarire.

The former Prime Minister is yet to declare whether he will make a fifth stab at the presidency.

Raila, who has vied for President for four times, has triggered divisions in the ruling party following the andshake and his subsequent growing influence in government.

Wanga said the movement had nothing to do with post-Uhuru government politics but everything to do with preaching peace.

“We have come together as women from across this country, women leaders from across all the political persuasions, women governors, women MPs, MCAs to add our voice to the very significant event that happened on March 9,” she said.

“We are going to stand with President Uhuru and Raila in the new path that they are taking this country in. We are for the path of peace , unity, inclusivity and embrace. Let us embrace each other . The handshake is not about Uhuru and Raila but Kenyans . The gap that the men have left, women are filling,” she added.

Murang’a Woman Representative Sabina Chege said the handshake was historic and ended politic tensions that were witnessed after the 2017 presidential poll.

“We have female MPs, governors and MCAs and what we want to tell Kenyans is that anytime there is disunity in this nation, the people who suffer most are the women. As women of this country, we are tired of seeing children being killed because of the political differences,” she said.

She added, “That is why we stand to say we embrace the handshake and the spirit of unity that Uhuru and Raila brought to this nation.”