Bakari, Lunga Lunga East Area Assistant Chief addresses women champions
Lunga Lunga sub-county is one of the four constituencies in Kwale County that extends to the border with Tanzania. In terms of development, the area has little to boast of, with high level of illiteracy, early marriages among the young girls.
The main economic activity is farming which does well in Dzombo sub-county, while the rest of County Assembly Wards do not do well. Politically, the leadership is male dominated with women being there to be directed. However, the women form bigger percentage of the population.
They in most cases believe that politics is not theirs, and as such had lost interests. Most of the women, however are used as campaign agents by politicians.
The Mijikenda tradition and beliefs, that women were to concentrate in kitchen, seemed to have done more damage to the women esteem in the region. This belief seem to be fading but that the effect is still strong.
As such, the male politicians have exploited women during campaigns but don’t empower them beyond that. Women have thus remained to believe that politics is a preserve of men.
Through the women empowerment initiative in the Lunga Lunga and Kinango sub-counties, NCCK is empowering women to build movements and platform that will advocate for women interests as well as entrenchment of inclusive and accountable devolved governance processes in Kwale county. NCCK has been working with both the National and County governments from the local levels. In one of the fora, the area Assistant Chief attended and praised the initiatives that to a large extent contributes to peace and security in the sub-county.
Mr. Bakari, Lunga Lunga East Area Assistant Chief, could not hide his joy, at the forum, during his address to the women champions. The administrator expressed gratitude to the NCCK and her partners for empowering the women to hold their leaders to account through the project dubbed “Amkeni waKenya”.
Women in the sub-county have never showed interests in public participation, civic education, but then again they have been used by politicians to campaign and shout down other aspirants. For a long time, the women have been made to believe that they are their own enemy, a narrative that had been coined by male politicians for their political gain.
NCCK in partnership with Amkeni waKenya, with the Support from UNDP is implementing women empowerment; Ugatuzi Na Haki, aimed at entrenching people-centred and accountable devolved governance processes in Kwale County.
Ugatuzi Na Haki, focuses on two sub-counties; Kinango and Lunga Lunga owing to their low level of development, compared to Matuga and Msambweni.
“Nafurahia sana na ningependa kusema kuwa nimependezwa na kazi yenu, naona mnawazungumzia maendeleo, na jinsi hawa akina mama wameapa kuendeleza mazungumzo haya Nyanja, nawahimiza wafanye hivyo. Natumai mara hii tutakuwa na kampeni na uchaguzi wa Amani na watoto wetu tuendelee kuwaongelesha wasije wakatumiwa na wanasiasa. Nafurahia akina mama mama wamesimama na kusema hawatishwa na leso, na madera, bali watataka kujua yale yatakayotekelezwa na wagombea, ambayo yatabadilisha maisha yetu sote,” says Bakari in Kiswahili.
