Dorothy Ruto
16 August 2007
Nairobi — The women's quest for increased representation in Parliament has received the financial backing of an international donor.
The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) said it would offer financial support for women running for parliamentary and civic seats in the General Election.
The UN agency would, however, not say how much it would donate under the Gender and Governance Programme.
At a rally in Nairobi on Wednesday, UNDP country co-ordinator, Ms Elizabeth Lwanga, said women representation in Parliament should increase to 50 per cent.
"Kenya is among the leading nations in Africa, but it still lags behind on issues of equality. The United Nations believes in affirmative action to strike a balance in society," said Lwanga.
The United Nations Development Fund for Women (Unifem) is implementing the programme, a joint initiative pushing for civil and political rights for women.
Unifem is seeking the entrenchment of gender equality in the Constitution. Lwanga said women could compete favourably for leadership positions if the field was leveled.
The women collected over one million signatures from Kenyans who support affirmative action. They marched along the city streets and pitched camp outside Parliament Buildings to push for the passage of a Bill that would hand them nominations to Parliament.
They asked the Electoral Commission of Kenya to ensure that the December polls were peaceful and transparent.
The League of Kenya Women Voters chairperson, Mrs Ida Odinga, said violence against women deterred them from running for political seats.
She added: "We will make sure that we take into account all sectors women with disabilities and those from marginalised areas are represented in the 50 special seats".
Also present were former Maendeleo ya Wanawake chairperson, Mrs Zipporah Kittony, former Karachuonyo MP, Ms Phoebe Asiyo, and educationist Dr Eddah Gachukia.
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