First Lady Margaret Kenyatta. [Photo/PSCU]
First Lady Margaret Kenyatta won the hearts of many women in West Pokot when she made a surprise visit to a rural village in Kapenguria where she freely mingled with excited mothers before she rolled out a mosquito-net distribution exercise.
She also surprised the women from Katumok village in Mnagei Ward when she joined them in a physical exercise of shelling maize -an activity she participated in with relish as the women inundated her with praise songs for her noble works of helping mothers and children countrywide.
The mothers and their babies, gathered at the homestead of their host, Joseph Machario and his wife Angelina Machario , described the First Lady as a wonderful down-to-earth mother.
“Huyu ni mama wa ajabu. Asante Kwa Mungu (This is a wonderful woman. Thanks to God for her”, said Mrs Machario in supplication to God for giving the country a humble First Lady.
The First Lady then ventured into the house of Machario’s son Abraham Ngetuka and his 20-year old wife Naomi Cheptum, a mother of two, where she installed a mosquito-net to protect the mother and her children as the unbelieving mothers danced with joy outside the immaculate hut.
Her experience inside the mud-grass thatched hut brought out the First Lady’s best personality to reinforce her concerns for mothers and children when she committed herself to put up two improved iron-sheet roofed houses for the family.
The installation of the net at Ngetuka’s home marked the beginning of mosquito nets distribution exercise in the region which continued at the Kishaunet ASK showground, Kapenguria, where the First Lady latter addressed hundreds of women from West Pokot, Baringo, Uasin Gishu, Trans-Nzoia , Elgeyo Marakwet , Nandi and Turkana.
After the meeting at the showground, the First Lady made another surprise move at Makutano trading centre where she stopped her motorcade to acknowledge greetings from excited residents whom she requested to vote for President Kenyatta during the repeat presidential polls on October 17.
“I ask you to come out in large numbers and elect my husband as President on October 17”, pleaded the First Lady.
During the meeting at the Showground that was organized by Maendeleo Ya Wanawake Organization (MYWO) ,all the women leaders from the seven counties pledged to mobilize all their colleagues to vote as a block for President Kenyatta during the October 17 repeat elections.
Women from the host county of West Pokot promised to surpass theAugust 8 voter turn-out of 85.96 by returning the upwards of 90 per cent turn-out.
The First Lady was in a return visit to West Pokot to meet with the mothers and women leaders in the region to share their concerns and exchange ideas over their empowerment-a promise she had made when she delivered the Beyond Zero Mobile Clinic in June, 2015.
Addressing the meeting, the First Lady asked the residents of the seven counties to come out in even larger numbers to re-confirm President Kenyatta as their choice during the coming repeat polls.
“So today I plead with you to come out in large numbers on October 17. We must reconfirm our choice – Uhuru Kenyatta as our President.
“For a win to happen, we must work even harder, we must consolidate all the votes we did not get and we must cast no doubt that your choice is Uhuru Kenyatta for President”, said the First Lady
During the August 8 polls, President Kenyatta garnered a total of 97,677 votes in West Pokot. A total of 148,000 registered voters from the County participated in the elections that has 180,000 people who are eligible to vote. Over 30,000 residents did not participate in the elections.
The First Lady said victory for President Uhuru Kenyatta will allow her and the Head of State to continue with the work of transforming Kenya and also improve the welfare of women which she said is at the heart of the current presidency.
“My appeal to you is from my heart, because it will allow me, it will allow us, to continue our work together to change the lives of women and children of Kenya’, she said
The First Lady re-assured the women that President Kenyatta takes the welfare of women very seriously to ensure that vulnerable groups, widows, orphans and disabled persons are and will continue to be protected.
She however said more work still needs to be done to uplift women so that they can be empowered financially through table-banking and saccos, as the key pillars of both their families and the society.
She said more work also remains to be done to support women get leadership positions through direct nominations.
She congratulated all the women who succeeded in leadership positions including the West Pokot Women Representative Ms Lillian Tomitom of Jubilee.
West Pokot voters also elected three Jubilee MPs in Kapenguria, Sigor and South Pokot.
Governor , Prof. John Lonyang’apuo who joined the First Lady during her visit in Katumok village and at Kishaunet grounds was elected on a Kanu ticket alongside Senator Samuel Poghisio. Kanu is an affiliate of Jubilee.
Governor Lonyang’apuo, Ms Tomitom, Maendeleo Ya Wanawake National Chairperson Rahab Mwikali and her National Secretary, Mrs Elizabeth Mayieka, Ahadi Kenya CEO Dr. Stanley Kamau and MYWO leaders from the seven counties also spoke at the function.
By PSCU