Deputy President William Ruto on Friday dangled a basket of goodies to the womenfolk in an escalated effort to counter the wave created by Martha Karua.
Ruto signed a Kenya Kwanza Women Charter which highlighted seven areas his administration will streamline in order to uplift women.
The Deputy President pledged economic empowerment, inclusion of women in leadership, education, protection against sexual and gender-based violence, quality healthcare, use of environment friendly fuel and enforcement of property ownership rights.
“Kenya Kwanza is the place for women of Kenya. There are already clear signs showing most of the elected women in Parliament will be from Kenya Kwanza. We will also produce the most elected women governors,” he told women leaders at Nyayo Stadium.
He pledged to ensure women play roles in mainstream politics, governance, leadership and entrepreneurship.
While Ruto picked Mathira MP Rigathi Gachagua as his running mate, Azimio la Umoja-One Kenya flagbearer Raila Odinga settled on Karua.
Karua has been meeting women leaders from various regions to drum up support for Azimio since her nomination as Raila’s running mate.
In her rallies, Karua has been portraying Raila as the presidential candidate with the interest of women at heart.
On Friday, Ruto said women will become equal partners in his administration and will occupy positions in decision making organs.
“It is not a favour but the right thing to do. Women in their millions have the right to be represented at the table making the decisions,” he added.
The Deputy President further said the “face of the forthcoming election has been defined by Mama Mboga”.
Mary Wanjiku from Ruaka market in Kiambu said women have had difficulties getting loans from the Women Enterprise Fund and therefore unable to grow economically.
“I lead a group of mama mbogas at the market. We have applied so many times for loans from the fund but nothing has been forthcoming. We usually go to shylocks who charge an interest of 10 per cent per day,” she said.
Charity Sukumel from Kajiado regretted that men can still sell family land without the consent of their wives and children.
On economic empowerment of women, Ruto said half of his Sh50 billion Hustlers Fund will be loaned to small and micro enterprises owned by women.
He also pledged to ensure women owned businesses are awarded government contracts.
On leadership, Ruto committed to actualise the two-thirds gender rule.
“We will put in place mechanisms within the first three months and ensure the gender principal is actualised soonest,” he said.
Ruto also said he will allocate 50 per cent of Cabinet positions to women.
“I will ensure recruitment in all government ministries, agencies and parastatals strictly observes the two-thirds gender rule,” he said.
He further promised to ensure a comprehensive return to school policy for teenage mothers.
The DP said money allocated to school feeding programmes will be doubled to cater for four million pupils.
“We will transfer the said resources and require counties to match our contribution so that eight million children can have a hot meal in school every day,” he added.
He said his administration will further provide free sanitary pads for all school going children.
On protection of women against sexual and gender-based violence, Ruto promised to establish a women rights agency under the Office of the President.
The agency, he said, would deal with early marriages, female genital mutilation and abuse of domestic workers locally and abroad.
On well-being, Ruto said he will establish a cost-sharing framework with counties in the payment of community health volunteers and provide diapers for new mothers for the first three months.
Ruto also promised to ensure women embrace clean, safe and environmental friendly fuel. “We want to eliminate the use of firewood for cooking.”
He further pledged to enforce spousal consent in all land and property transaction to cushion women and children from dispossession of assets. He said spousal consent is important in the disposition of matrimonial property as it gives the transaction validity.
Present at the launch were ANC party leader Musalia Mudavadi and his Ford Kenya counterpart Moses Wetang’ula, Speaker of the National Assembly Justin Muturi and his Senate counterpart Kenneth Lusaka, Garissa Township Aden Duale, Turkana Governor Josephat Nanok and former Kiambu Governor William Kabogo.
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