CREAW, Author at CREAW KENYA

Follow up meeting with women leaders in Kitui County on leadership skills and an interaction with the County Government of Kitui on the available spaces for women.

Judge John Mativo found Parliament and the Senate guilty of failing to observe its constitutional mandate of ensuring that no gender shall more than two thirds of elective seats in both houses.
The judge gave directions to Parliament and Attorney General Githu Muigai to take steps to ensure the legislation is enacted within the next two months from the ruling and progress reported to Chief Justice David Maraga.

Parliament has now been given 60 days to enact legislations effecting the 2/3 gender rule or face dissolution. High court judge John Mutivo says parliament consisting of national assembly and the senate are guilty of failing to enact the legislations that will implement the constitution. The verdict was read this morning at the Milimani courts and here is a part of that ruling.

Less than five months to the next general election and different players are cementing their positions in the race. Some of those players are women, who make 51% of the electorate and who, through a movement dubbed ‘2017 Ni Mama’ intend to consolidate and push for greater representation of women in the political sphere. Gladys Gachanja was at the launch of the movement and now brings us the women’s political stand in this week’s Women and Power.

On Friday 10th March, 2017 CREAW working with partners( CRAWN TRUST, Kenya Human Rights Commission and the National Women Steering Committee) launched the Ni Mama movement. This was the largest convention of women political leaders ever held in Kenya. The convention brought together over 3,500 women leaders from all over Kenya and from different political parties to make a declaration on Women Leadership and to claim power. The women vowed to stand together and and vote for women regardless of party affiliations. The women presented a policy document that set part of their demands for the government. Key among this demands were the need to have 50-50 gender representation in all party positions. #Nimama2017

Centre for Rights Education and Awareness took part in the Githongo Law Courts Open day. The event attended by the presiding judge, Justice Alfred Mabea , Meru Deputy County Commissioner, the Registrar of Magistrates Mr. Peter Mulwa among other guests. The event was meant to sensitize the residents of Meru about court procedures and ways they could seek justice.

CREAW had an opportunity to introduce her programs and pledged to work closely with the Judiciary and other Court Users Committees in the county to realize Access to Justice for the people of Meru county.

We concerned Kenyans comprising heads of Women leagues of political parties, Women aspirants, women MCA’s, parliamentarians, Center for rights Education and Awareness and the Women’s Movement under the auspices of the National Women’s Steering Committee condemn in the strongest terms possible all forms of violence against women and particularly the increasing violence that is being witnessed during the ongoing campaign period for ahead of the forthcoming general elections.

Violence within Kenya’s electoral process is one of the sad hallmarks of our electoral process and one that has seen the country teeter on the brink of destruction. This violence has been one of the major deterrents to female aspirants and female voters. Violence against women has also been used as a tool of terror against women who dare to seek elective public office. The Constitution of Kenya 2010 has resolved this issue by providing for the guarantee of equality in the political sphere, the continued refusal by the ruling political class to put in place a mechanism means that at every turn, women continue to fight against the grain in a male dominated political system. The flip side of this argument is that when women fail to get elected in enough numbers because the entire system undermines their aspirations and candidature, they are then accused of not doing enough to “get themselves elected”.
We have witnessed attacks against women aspirants such as the brutal attack on Eunice Wambui commonly known as Nyasuguta, an aspirant for the Embakasi South constituency, intimidation against Senator Naisola Lesouda which forced her to cut short her appearance on a local radio station in Samburu County, the brutal attack on Elizabeth Manyala MCA Kayole Central ward, Rosemary Ogutu MCA Siaya County who experience the most brutal and shameful form of cyber-attack on her person and reputation; several threats and intimidation aimed at deterring the aspirations of women candidates
These attacks limit women’s political participation and discourage them from exercising their rights, including their right to vote. Continuous alienation of women from political processes, by use of violence, undermines the democratic process at large.
As concerned women we stand in solidarity with all survivors of electoral violence and call on Kenyans to join us in breaking the silence against all forms of violence particularly violence against women in the political arena.
We also call upon our youth who are used to perpetrate these heinous acts of violence against women and other opponents to refuse to be engaged in such acts.
In a democratic Kenya where the rights of citizens are respected there is no room or place for violence against women in politics and we now urge all Kenyans to join us in demanding for the following;

THAT the Inspector General of Police immediately launches serious and credible investigations into the assault of Eunice Wambui, Elizabeth Manyala and Rosemary Ogutu and every other incident of violence against women in politics.
THAT the office of the Director of Public Prosecutions prosecutes to the fullest extent of the law, everyone involved in these assaults.
THAT the government through the relevant office put in place special measures such as increasing security as the aspirants continue in their campaigns. We are also calling on the IEBC to ensure that they enforce the elections code of conduct in its fullness. We are also calling upon the Inspector General of Police to have a special unit in place to deal with crimes perpetrated during this electoral season and for proper investigations to be carried out and ask also that the Director of Public Prosecutions puts in place special prosecutors on electoral gender based violence cases to ensure expedient access to justice especially during this electoral season.
THAT the Chief Justice together with all relevant arms of the government of Kenya recognize that electoral violence is a blight on this nation and proceed to set up special courts to prosecute cases of electoral violence and in particular gender based electoral violence.
THAT the Independent Boundaries and Elections Commission (IEBC) addresses the issue of Violence against Women and ensures that known perpetrators are barred from running for election
THAT Political parties in Kenya sign a pledge that opposes all forms of violence and intimidation against women seeking political positions within their parties and bar aspirants that are known to be perpetrators of violence against women from party positions

We finally ask that all Kenyans continue to hold sacred the rights provided by our Constitution and speak out against electoral based gender based violence whenever and wherever it occurs. We must all assume responsibility to end all forms of violence in politics and especially violence against women and refuse to be used by crude politicians to carry out the vice. That we will come out to strongly condemn such acts whenever they arise.

This petition was filled following the nomination by the president and the subsequent approval by the National Assembly and appointment by the president of cabinet secretaries in December 2015. The petition was seeking, among others, a declaration that the cabinet as presently constituted violates the provisions of Article 27(8) of the constitution.

Tens of children across the country are still suffering horrific sexual abuse, but their attackers are roaming free because of hurdles placed on the road to justice.

Investigations by the Saturday Nation show that the children aged between two and 12 are more likely to be attacked by their next door neighbours, house helps, or in some cases, their own parents.

Delegation from Finland joins Kibera women and children in painting a mural depicting the support provided to survivors of Gender Based Violence.
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