The road to women empowerment requires extra effort by devolved units to achieve its target, chairlady of a Bahati women group has said.
Jane Njeri of Bahati Revolutionary Women Group said that women empowerment is yet to achieve its desired targets due to slow implementation of its policies.
“One of the pillars of devolved units is to empower women through provision of funds like Uwezo Fund but women in the grassroots are yet to feel the benefits of financial assistance due to poor implementation of policies that lock them out,” said Njeri.
Speaking on Monday at Wendo Shopping Centre, Kabatini Ward during the formation of the group, Njeri said that grassroots women need civic education to know their rights in the distribution of devolved resources.
“Grassroots women have no idea pertaining their rights in accessing devolved resource,” said Njeri.
Njeri said that they would register the group to champion the rights of rural women who have been locked out by their elite counterparts in decision making.
“With registration of the group, we will be able to push for the rights of grass root women and let them be part of decision making body,” said Njeri.
She said that one of the mandate of the group is to educate the women on the discipline of financial management.
“Some women are financially illiterate, a situation that makes it difficult for them to manage loans which they take from Uwezo Fund,” said Njeri.
She also claimed that rural women are given a raw deal when it comes to tendering process.
Njeri further urged the Nakuru County government to implement the rule that requires 30 per cent of tenders to go to women and youth to enable them to compete in the lucrative tenders.