- Omosa further challenged women to ensure they don’t bring their fellow women down, but rather be on the forefront of uplifting them.
- Ghelani said a number of women are engaged in courses and activities that are shaping the society but lack motivation and inspiration.
Image: ONYANGO OCHIENG
Kenyan women have been challenged to take an active role in the political sphere as the country struggles to attain the two-third gender parity.
The Association of Women Accountants of Kenya (AWAK) vice chairperson CPA Robina Omosa said most women take part in voting, but many don’t vie or take up active roles in political parties.
“We as women need to get ourselves into these political spaces because that is where decisions which affect us and the country at large are made,” Omosa said.
Omosa was speaking during the 8th Annual Ladies Leadership and Accountability Conference (LLC) 2023 in Mombasa organised by AWAK.
The five-day conference which begun on Monday, brought together hundreds of women in the accounting profession from various sectors, under the theme "Delivering transforming change: redefining leadership for a sustainable and equitable future".
Her sentiments came as the country joined the rest of the world to commemorate the International Women’s Day on Wednesday.
“We adopted the theme with the aim to interrogate the dynamism of the new norm and explore the challenges and opportunities available that women can tap to influence, drive and deliver transformative change,” Omosa said.
She reiterated that it is the tendency of any government to pick those who they saw were actively involved in their campaigns for government positions, and as such, women should take an active role in politics.
Omosa further challenged women to ensure they don’t bring their fellow women down, but rather be on the forefront of uplifting them.
“The question every woman should ask herself is, what have you done to uplift other women?”
Since 2011, both the National Assembly and Senate have failed nine times to pass the bill that will see the two-third gender rule implemented in Parliament.
Omosa said one of the objectives of the conference was to encourage and stir women leadership and participation in governance and accountability efforts towards revitalised corporations and societal good.
Media personality and public speaker Pinky Ghelani, who was one of the key speakers on Wednesday, challenged the government to be more intentional in looking for women doing transformational things in the country.
Ghelani said a number of women are engaged in courses and activities that are shaping the society but lack motivation and inspiration.
“It is very unfortunate that in most cases when a woman stands for something, they are labeled negatively. Some get called names like ‘Kichwa ngumu’ or noisemakers,” Ghelani said.
She challenged women to be bold enough and take actions on matters affecting them and the society.
"For years, we have been factorised to be submissive which has in the long run turned us into bystanders. We need to be bold to take action,” she said.
On the issue of women pulling each other down, she said women need to face their demons and heal first before they start supporting others.
She said many are facing a lot and end up taking their frustrations out on anyone around them, thus the need for self-healing to find closure.
Ghelani noted that women move with emotions and challenged them to start being strategic.
“Being emotional is not a bad thing but we need to move with strategies when making decisions affecting us and our families,” she said.
She further challenged the media to highlight women trailblazers shaping the future of this country so that children and the youth can have role models they can easily relate to.
-Edited by SKanyara