Gender Affairs Principal Secretary Zeinab Hussein has challenged women to vie for elective political seats instead of depending on nominated ones in bid to achieve the two-third gender rule.
Zeinab spoke Monday during the National Anti-Corruption Campaign Steering Committee sensitisation workshop for Maendeleo Ya Wanawake Rift Valley region in Nakuru.
She moaned that, as the department, they failed in bid to lobby for the passage of the gender Bill in the National Assembly but all was not lost.
“As the Gender department, we are re-examining ourselves on what we did not do right to facilitate the passage of the Bill,” Zeinab said.
She pointed that, apart from legislative ways of attaining the gender rule, they are already working on a strategy to see how many women would be elected in the coming elections slated for next year.
“We are planning to see how women will use their strength to marshal votes and elect their own in bid to bridge the gap in attaining the required threshold and not necessary depending on nominations,” she said.
She also called upon women not to forget their role and mandate whenever they ascend to power.
Meanwhile, the PS called upon all women and other stakeholders to spread the message against female genital mutilation citing the vice still persists.
“FGM is prevalent mostly in the Rift Valley region and therefore we need to condemn and fight the vice that affects women,” she said.
Meanwhile, Maendeleo ya Wanawake National Chairlady Rahab Mwikali has urged women to be united and marshal support for women in bid to succeed.
She noted that women are best-placed to hold their leaders accountable, as they form a large percent of society. She also urged them to engage in public participation within their localities for improved and better service delivery.
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