Saturday, June 15, 2013

Is Kisumu County the model of gender equity in leadership and governance?

Posted by: The People in Political  0 119 Views

Kisumu County is exemplary in the manner in which women have been recognised as leaders. Women clinched four senior county positions. From the Deputy Governors’ position held by Ruth Odinga to the County Assembly Speaker Ann Atieno Adul, the Deputy Speaker Pamela Omino and Kisumu County Women Representative Rose Nyamonga; Kisumu is poised to be a model of women empowerment in the devolved governance structure in Kenya. At the County Assembly, a total of 17 women are represented as bonafide members with seven of them having been directly elected during the General Election and 10 nominated in line with the constitutional threshold Article 81(b) of the Constitution, which stipulates that at least a third of those in public offices must be from either gender. The total number of wards in Kisumu County stands at 35. When it came to the appointment of County Executives who are equivalent to the cabinet secretaries at the national Government, Kisumu County balanced men and women endorsing the Governors nominees of five women and six men. But this did not come easy. Women activists and those working for women inclusion and gender equity in the region attest to a myriad of challenges including the entrenched cultural beliefs that belittle women. Traditionally, Luo women are not allowed to inherit property especially land. Nor are they allowed to lead but due to continued awareness creation, these attitudes and perceptions are wearing off with more and more women playing leadership roles in governance. Gender based violence is still rampant in the larger Nyanza region due to political, economic and cultural issues. It is, however, important to note that quite an impressive number of woman were elected/appointed in Kisumu County setting the pace not just for the remaining five counties in Nyanza region but the entire 47 counties to follow suit. Devolution of government s was a cornerstone of the 2010 Constitution. Many Kenyans believe devolution will bring about faster and more inclusive development. If unity can be fostered through a kind of inclusive nation-building process, then accountability and public participation in the political process will simultaneously be strengthened. The chances of achieving these ends are highly reliant on the first county leadership and representatives to the National Government under whose charge the structures of county governance will be established. At the national level, out of the total of 18 Cabinet secretaries, President Uhuru Kenya lead from the front for the first time in the history of Kenya by appointing a third of his Jubilee Government Cabinet as women. An act of regional balancing saw one woman representative from every region of Kenya. Gender equity can only be realised by promoting women’s full participation in the leadership and management of the country To achieve national development; economic empowerment, care and protection of women and the girl child is a key facet in governance. Women must be part of the decision-making processes by being afforded equal access to employment and decent work at all level of governance. – harryndeta@ / @thepeople_news

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