Women from Nyamira have been advised to venture into business to avoid overdependence on their male counterparts in the family.
Speaking during handing over of a mobile clinic on Wednesday at Nyamaiya, First Lady Margaret Kenyatta challenged women to be more involved in activities that help them generate income.
Kenyatta wondered why a number of women were dumping their careers upon marriage to be ‘just housewives’ yet they had the potential of giving useful input to the society’s development.
“As a woman, I know the challenges we undergo economically. However, that can change if we venture into business. Through businesses, we can be able to cater for our families without necessarily depending on our male counterparts. It is also saddening that some of us abandon brilliant careers to be just housewives. That is killing the spirit of Kenyan women,” she said.
She urged them to take advantage of the Women Enterprise Fund and other loans from micro-finance institutions to empower themselves.
“The government has provided opportunities and we should blame ourselves if we fail to take the chances. This is the opportune time that we borrowed the loans and set up businesses to improve our economic status,” she said.
Nyamira governor's wife, Naomi Nyagarama on her part slammed women who took loans without proper planning.
“It is true that through businesses, we can be able to empower ourselves. However, it’s also critical that you do thorough research on a business you want to do so that we don’t make mistakes,” she said.