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

Abstract

This 1hour 21minutes 15seconds-long video was recorded in 2018. Ms Mbogo was born in Eldama Ravine where her father worked at a farm. She started schooling in Nyanza after her family moved there. In primary school, she was always number one and she was thoroughly punished by her father until he understood this meant she was the best in her class. After completing primary school, she joined Alliance Girls High School at the age of 18 years. At the time, girls only had three ‘job’ opportunities: teaching, nursing, or marriage. She did not like teaching, so tried nursing. However, she could not bear the sight of sick people and got married. She was among the first six councillors nominated by colonialists. She represented the interest of natives from Nairobi’s Eastlands. Later, in 1960, she got a scholarship from the League of Women Voters in the United States (US) to pursue her college studies. In the US, she was exposed to the political campaigns of John F. Kennedy. Back in Kenya, Mbogo became a first on many fronts in the struggle for women’s rights. Mbogo and six other women demanded that MYWO leadership be given to African women and it was rendered to them with Phoebe Asiyo as its President. The exploitation of women by colonialists during the emergency motivated her to start mobilizing women and sensitising them even after being arrested many times by the colonial government. In 1969, she vied for the Bahati seat but while she won, she was rigged out and the seat was given to Hon. Mwai Kibaki. Women’s painful experience in elective politics became the mobilizing factor which pushed them to establish Education Centre for Women in Democracy (ECWD) which Mbogo took up the leadership. It is on such platforms that she trained other women leaders on how to have a successful campaign and to support them technically, financially and socially. She, and other women, also advised women whose husbands beat them for attending women’s meetings. She was also a leader of 4Cs which was involved in the agitation for the constitutional review. She was also the secretary for FORD Kenya. She humorously remembers how Hon. Martin Shikuku at one point wanted to represent women from Western Kenya in FORD Kenya Party but he could not wear a skirt when he was requested to do so. She notes that women must be represented by women. She advises women to take up party leadership and plan properly. This could get women to the president’s position which she longs to see in her lifetime. She notes that women’s low economic status is one of the major challenges to women’s participation in political leadership. Women political leaders must also learn to come together and negotiate. Young women must also register as voters. She hopes that a time will come when women are able to identify women leaders and delegate them to represent them in Parliament. This is what will get rid of voter bribery and mark the emergence of true professional leaders to serve the people. Today, she is retired and enjoys mentoring women to enable them to set their lives goals and objectives.