Mombasa,KENYA:Women aspirants in the Coast region have been encouraged not to give up in their quest to seek elective seats in the 2017 elections
Speaking at Frere Town Hall on Wednesday during a conference aimed at advocating and mobilizing the community to embrace more women in the forthcoming general election, Angela Ngoizi from FIDA Kenya, said though there is an improvement in the perception of women vying for political leadership, but still more need to be done.
The conference organized by the FIDA Kenya in collaboration with The Media Focus on Africa, brought together youths, community elders and women, discussing on how or what is to be done to see more women getting elected in August.
“We are trying to bring together community leaders, women groups and youths to discus and try to educate and push the community to elect women”
Ngoizi said in Mombasa the most hurdles in electing women into leadership in Mombasa mostly are on religious grounds.
He urged the community to make sure they vote more women to cut the gender inequality, through democratic representation that women’s interests can be represented and their voices heard.
He added that this will cut the cost for paying more women who will have to be appointed.
“We must make efforts to make sure women are elected in the MCA position, as it will save the tax payer sh. 200 million per year, paying those elected” added Ngoizi.
However she expressed hope that more women will be elected in the MCA sit, considering the number of women who have come out vying for political sits.
Sentiments seconded by Salama Ishmail, a political activist advocating for more women into leadership, who was also was in attendance, encouraged and congratulated the women from the different counties for coming out and compete in the political arena.
Salama however urged political parties to create conducive environment for women to contest in political positions.
“Our political parties should open up and give chances to women and not creating obstacles for them”, she said.
She also indicated that going by the political wave currently in the country we might have more women into high political positions come August.
The campaign is one of the many projects by The Media Focus in Africa and FIDA Kenya, going on in different counties Mombasa being one of them, trying to mobilize the community the value of electing women into leadership.
