WOMEN DIVIDED

A section of Kenya’s women leaders Friday accused their colleagues of misinterpreting the land provisions in the proposed Constitution.

Speaking at a land reform and decentralisation forum in Nairobi, the leaders, including two MPs, said some women leaders were pursuing political interests in their opposition to the provisions.

Last Wednesday, the Women Empowerment Society, a women rights group, launched its 'No' campaign on the proposed constitution in Nairobi.

The new law, argued Executive Director Rebecca Kitana, had ignored many issues dear to women, while Eldoret South MP Peris Simam dismissed the document saying it did not represent women interests.

However, Nominated MP Rachel Shebesh questioned their motive, during the breakfast meeting under the G10 coalition of women lobby groups at the Stanley Hotel, and said she was saddened by their utterances.

“Whose agenda are they driving?

“I am calling on these women to come and tell us where they got that information from, including my colleagues who spoke that day,” she said.

She accused the group of spreading “myths and lies” due to “political expediency”, arguing that it will be shameful for land matters to be used to reject the new law “when women are the people perpetuating these lies".

Gichugu MP Martha Karua said some politicians were posing as experts on the constitution and spreading falsehoods.

“I am seeing colleague politicians posing as experts on the constitution,” she said.

The former Justice minister said the same people had land cases in court where they hired professionals to help them.

“I haven’t seen them arguing those cases as experts. Let us respect professionalism.”

The women lobbies hailed the proposed Constitution as having benefited women in matters touching on land and property ownership and representation.

Specifically, they said the chapter on land would eliminate gender discrimination, recognise matrimonial property rights in marriage and protect dependants of deceased persons holding interests in any land.

They added that the proposed devolved government will enforce equitable sharing of national resources and ensure that no gender holds more than one third of seats in the county assemblies.

Maendeleo ya Wanawake chairperson Rukia Subow said the proposed set of laws were good for women and the women organisations that spoke against it did so for political interests and not for the women.

The leaders accused some women organisations and leaders of betraying the role women played in the quest for land reforms, just when the country was on the verge of achieving the reforms.