Political mobiliser calls for more women in decision-making
By George Kebaso, September 24, 2024Caroline Awuor, a grassroots political mobilizer from Embakasi Central in Nairobi, popular as ‘Mama Yao’ symbolizes what thousands of other ordinary women involved in elections go through every polling season.
They mobilize votes for political leaders, and while at it they experience sexual gender violence, discrimination, stigma and even threats to their lives, yet at the end of the elections, they are forgotten. Those they campaigned for continue to enjoy the fruits of these women’s sweat.
A documentary film; The King Makers: Unseen Faces, Unheard Voices by Badili Africa, a civil society organization based in Nairobi in which Awuor and several other women are featured shows how these women are forgotten and left to continue struggling with their poverty.
She believes that it is time politicians instituted the change necessary to improve women’s political participation in the grassroots by recognizing and giving due respect to women political mobilizers in the country.
“As kingmakers on the ground, we help to redefine political leadership and public representation in this country.
Inclusive politics
“We want change where the politicians and leaders in power today don’t just come to us to benefit from our influence in the grassroots, but also advocate for equal participation and resource for us and all,” she said at Westgate Mall Cinema auditorium after the two-hour film.
Awuor emphasized that it is crucial that these women are recognised if Kenya is to achieve inclusive political participation and strengthen the position of women mobilizers in the country’s democratic processes.
Two women legislators have weighed in on this matter and called on political parties to review their internal programmes in order to establish a platform that addresses the place of women grassroots mobilisers.
This is especially after elections, with revelations showing that most of them are pushed to the backroom.
Kirinyaga Woman Representative, Njeri Maina and her Suba North counterpart, Millie Odhiambo admitted that women and youth are usually used and dumped once parties and their leaders win an election.
“It’s sad that after working so hard for political leaders, the grassroots women mobilisers are forgotten almost immediately when the persons they campaigned for get into office,” noted the Kirinyaga County lawmaker.
An array of grassroots women have starred in a documentary film; The King Makers: Unseen Faces, Unheard Voices by Badili Africa, a civil society organization based in Nairobi, where they testified how they are often forgotten.
They said, doors are often closed, and the people they campaigned for never even pick their calls yet after going through the rigorous campaign period, risking their lives and their place as women.
The documentary which was screened at the Westgate on Friday evening aims at shining a spotlight on the largely overlooked contributions of grassroots women leaders.
Maina however, advised the women mobilisers to continue fighting for their voice to be hard, and this she said should start even before they enter into any contract with politicians and the political parties they represent.
She urged the women to negotiate. “Badili is doing an amazing job, and I am appealing to any agency or entity that’s in a position of offering financial support to such an organisation, they really deserve it,” she said, explaining that there is a need to implement such initiatives so that grassroots women can be engaged to ensure that they are equipped, and have enough civic education to demand what’s rightly theirs.