President William Ruto reaffirms govt's commitment to women issues

Source: Capital FM Kenya
Author: Davis Ayega, Bruhan Makong, Irene Mwangi, Phidel Kizito

NAIROBI, Kenya, Mar 8 - President William Ruto has reaffirmed his government's commitment to women issues.

Speaking on Thursday at the launch of the G7 Strategy for the Women Governors Caucus, the President said women are the cornerstone of our nation's development.

"We can accelerate our progress to becoming an industrialised, high-income economy by radically enhancing the inclusion of women," he said.

The caucus brings together seven women governors: Ann Waiguru (Kirinyaga), Kawira Mwangaza (Meru), Gladys Wanga (Homabay), Wavinya Ndeti (Machakos), Cecily Mbarire (Embu) and Fatuma Achani (Kwale).

The group aims at pushing for greater inclusion of women in politics, with an eye on doubling the number of governors from the current seven to 16 in the 2027 General Election.

The Head of State directed National Assembly Majority Leader Kimani Ichung'wa to ensure that Parliament finds a way of actualising the two-third gender rule passed in the 2010 Constitution.

Towards achieving financial inclusion, the President noted that out of 21 million Kenyans who have borrowed money from the Hustler Fund, 10.1 million (48%) are women.

Governor Waiguru, who is also the chairperson of the Council of Governors (CoG), said the G7 aims to accelerate women participation in national politics through mentorship.

"It is our duty to encourage more women and girls to aspire to political office and public life, not just for their benefit, but for that of the entire nation," she said.

Governor Mbarire, who is also the chairperson of the United Democratic Alliance (UDA), the President's party, thanked the Head of State for ensuring free and fair nominations during the party primaries in 2022, resulting in the election of the party's four of the seven governors.

Governor Wanga thanked the President for supporting and nurturing women leaders across the political divide.

Women have sought the gubernatorial seats in increasing numbers since the position was created by the 2010 Constitution.

No woman was elected governor in the 2013 polls, the first under the 2010 Constitution.

However, during the 2017 General Election, three women governors were elected - Ms Waiguru, Mrs Charity Ngilu (Kitui) and Dr Joyce Laboso (Bomet). Dr Laboso passed away in 2019.

The launch of the caucus comes a day before the President leads the country in celebrating the International Women's Day in Embu County on Friday.

At the same time, the President decried the high teenage pregnancy rate in the country, saying tens of thousands of girls are prematurely abandoning their studies.

He called on the governors and other elected women leaders to be role models.

Present were several women principal secretaries, MPs and representatives from Oxfam and UN Women, the United Nations agency for women development.