- Lesuuda said they were ready to collaborate with both national and county governments, alongside other stakeholders to offer necessary support.
- Urges the public to follow the safety guidelines issued by the relevant agencies to ensure there’s no more loss of lives.
Image: GEORGE OWITI
Women legislators have called for urgent and concerted interventions to mitigate the effects of El Nino rains, which have so far left over 90 people dead and hundreds of thousands displaced from their homes.
The Kenya Women Parliamentarians Association on Saturday urged President William Ruto to declare the El Nino rains a national disaster for better response.
“Kewopa calls for urgent concerted intervention to mitigate the effects of El Nino rains, and full realisation of two – thirds gender rule,” the association’s vice chairperson Beatrice Elachi said during a press conference in Machakos, where they held a two-day Women in Political Participation Thematic Dialogue workshop.
The workshop was organised by African Women’s Development & Communication Network in partnership with Mzalendo Trust and KEWOPA.
Elachi who is the Dagorreti North MP, said as Kenyan women parliamentarians, they had met to deliberate on their leadership journeys, the gains, opportunities and lessons learnt, one year of serving in the 13th Parliament.
“We acknowledge the need to keep interrogating deeply entrenched patriarchal norms and stereotypes that threaten the full and active participation of women in politics in Kenya. We shall persist pursuing our definitive role and aspirations as transformational political leaders,” Elachi said.
Samburu West MP Naisula Lesuuda said as KEWOPA, they convey their condolences to families that had lost their loved ones due to the El Nino rains.
“We empathise with those further affected by the rains, including displacements and loss of livelihoods. As a nation, this is the time to pull together and avoid blame games,” Lesuuda said.
“We call on the government to expedite interventions to ensure safety and well-being of the affected communities as well as declare the rains a national disaster,” she said.
Lesuuda said they were ready to collaborate with both national and county governments, alongside other stakeholders, to offer necessary support.
“We urge the public to follow the safety guidelines issued by the relevant agencies, to ensure there’s no more loss of lives,” Lesuuda said.
They said as the National Dialogue Committee concludes, KEWOPA takes cognizance that the two-thirds gender rule was on the agenda.
“Our expectation as women of Kenya is that our views in the last 13 years since the promulgation of the constitution, have been incorporated in the report and will finally end the debate, paving way for the full realisation of the two-thirds gender rule,” Elachi said.
Mandera Woman Representative Umulkheir Kassim said they had resolved to strengthen their political aspirations as women parliamentarians.
“We as KEWOPA, have resolved to strengthen our political aspirations as women parliamentarians progressively pursue the following; strengthening the collective KEWOPA team spirit beyond our political party diversities,” Kassim said.
She said the collective ambitions, mission and vision of KEWOPA are to be safe-guarded as the substantive platform for women in political leadership in Kenya.
“In this regard, the team-spirit of KEWOPA will be actively and intentionally pursued,” Kassim said.
She said KEWOPA’s guiding principle was to encompass all Kenyan women political leaders who have served in the past and current Parliament.
Kassim said the specific mobilisation of women in political leadership was to primarily strengthen the sisterhood solidarity among women parliamentarians for the transformation of the people of Kenya.
She said they will be proactive in generating and defending gender responsive bills and motions that impact directly on Kenyan lives.
“The core mandate of the women parliamentarians is to represent, oversight and safe-guard the legislative process for their constituents,” Kassim said.
They said women must lead.
“As we speak, the Northern part of Kenya is cut off and we call it Kenya B because there is no food supplies going in, no medical supplies as towns are submerged. We are at the verge of getting water borne diseases. We have lost lives, women give birth and lose their children in submerged areas,” Kassim said.
She described the situation as dire.