Kenya

Women leaders in Bungoma have denied reports that they are backing the nomination to Parliament of Ms. Beatrice Wasike by the Party of National Unity. If nominated, Ms Wasike will become the first woman MP from the greater Bungoma District.
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Women leaders from Coast Province are crying foul over the recent civic nominations, saying they were unfairly treated by political parties. The Coast Women Movement Tuesday issued a statement accusing political parties of marginalising them in the nomination.
To read the full article, please visit the Nation Media's Website.

Thoroughly dissatisfied with the persistent failure of Kenya's leadership to rise above its petty squabbles for the country's greater interest, a coalition of women's groups known as the G10 is calling for a one-week sex strike. In a bid to oblige President Mwai Kibaki and Prime Minister Raila Odinga to settle their differences once and for all and begin to effectively serve the nation they represent, the G10 will be delivering performance contracts to Kenya's leaders at the end of the week-long strike.

Women leaders yesterday raised concerns over the lack of a policy on the implementation of affirmative action in government. They said there is lack of consistency in the affirmative action measures, opening opportunities for subjective decision making "We call upon the President, the PM and the Commission for Implementation of the Constitution and other relevant commissions to adopt proactive measures to ensure the implementation of the one third principle as enshrined in the new constitution," Peninah Ogada of the University of Nairobi said in a statement.

Prof. Wangari Mathai passed away on the 25th of September, in Kenya, after a prolonged battle with cancer. The first woman in Africa to win a Nobel Prize, Wangari steadfastly and courageously lobbied and advocated for the rights of women, the environment and for justice and democratic leadership.We owe the beautiful Uhuru Park in Nairobi to her courage and resilience against property developers, who had already demarcated part of the park for construction.Wangari mobilised fellow women and went on a hunger strike at the site.

Women are being left out of key decisions on distribution of wealth and resources because they are not active in political parties, a new survey has revealed.

According to the study by the University of Nairobi’s Institute for Development Studies (IDS) only 52 per cent of women are affiliated to political parties; the rest are staying out of active politics. The youth also performed poorly in terms of affiliation to political parties, handing dominance to men above the age of 55. Political parties are critical in accessing power but men have dominated for decades.

NAIROBI, Feb 23  -- Kenyan political parties have been urged to push for gender parity in order to meet the one-third women representation principle as required in the country's new Constitution ahead of the next general election.

Addressing a forum on affirmative action here Tuesday, Minister of Gender, Children and Social Development Dr. Naomi Shabaan said the recent audit of some political parties indicated that most parties were not meeting the one-third principles as stipulated in the Bill of Rights.