Women’s Participation in Constitution-Making Process in Kenya (S.3, Part 2)

Abstract

This 2hours 17minutes 48seconds-long video was recorded in 2018. Hon. Julia Ojiambo was born in Samia to an Anglican Missionary father. Her mother was a social worker. Both parents were educationists. Upon completing primary school, Hon. Ojiambo proceeded to the newly formed African Girls High School, which later became the Alliance Girls High School. Of note, there were no secondary schools for girls at the time. She was among the eight (8) pioneer girls of Alliance Girls High School; the first girls' high school in Kenya. Her interest to specialize in sciences and technology was halted because they were not available for girls in post-secondary education. She went to Royal Technical College where she studied nutrition instead and subsequently taught it in different institutions. After completing her university studies, she taught at the University of Nairobi becoming the first woman lecturer at the institution. Later, Hon. Ojiambo became the first doctorate holder from the School of Medicine in the same institution. Women’s determination during the struggle for independence and survival motivated her. She joined MYWO, and together with other women, pushed for women’s empowerment including playing a leading role in the East African Women’s Conference during the struggle for independence. The MYWO gave women a voice, including going to Kapenguria, Lodwar, to present the women’s agenda to Mzee Kenyatta just before Kenya’s independence. As a young lady, she used her skills to support the women’s movement when organizing the Limuru Conference on “the Kenya we want”. She was elected to parliament in 1974 and appointed the first female assistant minister and served in the portfolio of women in 1975. She was instrumental in organizing women for the Copenhagen Conference where they presented the agenda for women from the developing world. She was also actively involved in the Nairobi Conference and the Beijing Conference in 1995. The international engagements had positive implications on women’s agenda back home. For example, she attended the first global conference on population and development and upon returning home, she brought a motion to parliament on population and development even though topics on population were a taboo at the time. The adoption of the motion led to the formation of a population council in Kenya. Using information from research, she was able to convince policymakers on areas such as water and education. In 1998 she founded the Labour Party of Kenya to promote gender parity in politics. As a politician, she experienced immense political violence including a physical attack on her husband, by her opponent, which claimed his life. Hon. Julia Ojiambo notes that a strong women’s movement spearheaded by Dr. Wanjiku Kabira, Hon. Charity Ngilu, herself, among others, was able to influence the constitution-making process including reaching out to key personalities to jumpstart the process after it had stalled and safeguarding women’s agenda in the constitution. This includes the global critical mass of a minimum representation of at least a third of the membership. Hon Ojiambo notes that women should never be content in a comfort zone but despite their ethnic, political, and space diversity, they must continue together to address the issues that affect them. And women leaders must emerge and be selected by women from the respective regions rather than wait to be handpicked.