Kisumu County Deputy governor Ruth Odinga has slammed harassment of women in leadership positions. Ruth said the vise has discouraged women from going for elective positions.
She was reacting to last Saturday’s heckling of Cabinet Secretaries Rachel Omamo (Defense) and Charity Ngilu (Lands) during Fidel Odinga’s burial service at Jaramogi Oginga Odinga University in Bondo.
She condemned the incident and apologised to the two leaders on behalf of the hecklers.
“It was so unfortunate that the heckling was massively directed at the two women leaders. I condemn the act and do apologise to both Omamo and Ngilu over the ugly incident,” said Odinga.
She called on members of the public from the region to exhibit high sense of tolerance to women leaders and to other leaders as well.
“We must learn to be tolerant especially to women so that we do not discourage them from leadership positions,” said Odinga adding that the fact that Omamo and Ngilu work for Jubilee Coalition government which most people from the area were opposed to did not justify that the two be heckled.
Youthful mourners threw empty bottles at Omamo who was reading President Uhuru Kenyatta’s speech during the burial. Ngilu also received a backlash from the group.
Cord leader Raila Odinga and his wife Idah Odinga also joined in condemning the incident and apologised to the leaders who were caught up in the melee.