By Okong’o Oduya
Busia, Kenya: Lack of support from men and the community at large has been cited as one of the major reasons a lot of women are not in leadership in Kenya.
Addressing women village elders at a sensitization program in Busia Rosemary Juma, the programs manager at Kenya Women in Parliament Association (KEWOPA) pointed out the need for the community to drum up support for women in leadership to achieve a third-gender rule in leadership.
“We are here at the invitation of Teso South member of National Parliament Mary Emase and Busia woman representative Catherine Omanyo to discuss issues related to leadership in the country. We realized that the third gender principle is a matter that is not well understood not just at the county level but also at the national level and that is why we thought we talk to village elders about why it is important to pass this bill tabled by senator Beth Siengo,” said Juma.
According to her, there are only 102 women leaders in both national and senate assemblies in Kenya, a number which she says is not enough.
“We need to increase women leaders in the country. Currently, we only have 102 women leaders at both the national and the senate levels, which makes it hard in addressing third-gender rule. We feel like even as we wait for the bill to be tabled , we sensitize the community so they are aware of what it contains,” she said.
She further noted that most women in leadership are disadvantaged because of a lack of resources to fund their campaigns.
“We have learned that financial resources are one of the biggest barriers women face when seeking elective positions. Most of them lack financial muscles to campaigns,” she said.
She added, “Political parties’ support for women is also important in helping them ascend to power. If we get support from various political parties at the grassroots level we will have more women in leadership.”
She said that there is a need for males to take part in supporting women to climb to leadership, adding that as an association they will move with men to realize their goal.
“We will be engaging the community on civic education forums where male champions at the village are involved and we know with males on board we will get more women in leadership,” she noted.
Jackline Ng’ang’a from Kewopa, concurred with her, saying that they are focussing on the community to embrace women’s leadership.
“We are focussing on the community to work with women to make sure that the society and community at large embraces women leadership,” she said.
She dismissed the narrative that women are their own enemy adding that women have realized the importance of voting for their fellow women in various capacities in the community.
“These women are here in support of their fellow women in leadership. Women are always holding each other various positions in churches, in Parliament as well at Nyumba kumi level,” she noted.
Christine Nabwire, a village elder from Lwanya in the Matayos sub-county noted that there is a need for women to venture into political leadership.
“Women won’t remain behind forever. There are other positions as women we can venture into but without support from the community we may not get there,” she said.
Lambert Ogochi , representing the office of Busia woman representative, admitted that women’s leadership is clear without a lot of dents.
“It is clear that women’s Leadership is straight toward and that is the reason I am appealing men to support women to take this country far,” he said.
