Women have been challenged to abandon the retrogressive beliefs about having women in leadership and decision making positions by electing a high number of fellow women in the forthcoming August General Elections.
Valentine Anyango, who is vying for the Woman Representative seat in Kisumu County has revealed that she has enjoyed much support from men, and called on the women folk to come out in large numbers to put more of their own in elective positions.
Anyango, 22, during an exclusive interview with KNA, said that although mobilizing campaign resources has been a challenge, she has been able to gunner support from various politicians by using their platforms to woo votes without necessarily spending huge amounts of money.
She urged officials from the major political parties in the lake region to offer full support to the young female politicians like her, considering that they are a vulnerable group that lacks resources, and security.
Anyango said that she underwent a difficult upbringing having lost her parents at a young age, an experience that makes her fully aware of what the common mwananchi goes through.
“I have passed through difficult moments and experienced poverty. Having witnessed how the common mwananchi is hardest hit by the current state of the economy, I feel I’m in a better position to fight for them,” said the youthful aspirant.
While commending the recent National Government's move to intervene in the prices of maize flour, she proposed that President Uhuru Kenyatta’s Administration should do a little more in lowering the prices of fuel and other basic commodities.
When asked about her experience and exposure with regard to her competitors, Anyango exuded confidence and advocated for young people to be given opportunities, to get the requisite experience.
“I believe that I’m very ready, I’m not going to wait. The youth also deserve a seat at the table,” she said.
She confided that although she is vying for a Movement of Democracy and Growth (MDG) party in an area which is predominantly ODM, she has received immense support from the residents which have given her the motivation to keep campaigning and hopefully clinch the woman representative of Kisumu County.
Giving a little insight into her manifesto the candidate stated that she intends to introduce a Market Prosperity Fund for small scale traders in the area, and introduce coolers and refrigerators to the fisher folk along the beaches of Lake Victoria, so that they can be able to preserve fish and other perishable items.
Consequently, she promised to establish a holistic environment for sports and promised to take back young girls who could not finish their studies back to school and create jobs for others who wanted to venture elsewhere.
She pleaded with the youth, women and the elderly to help rid society of the handout mentality, pointing out that in every campaign forum people believe that every politician bribes their way into offices.
Youth opportunities being her main agenda she recognized the need to give the youth space to showcase their abilities and for adequate funding to be offered to them in order to start businesses and grow.
Anyango who is a graduate of the University of Nairobi with a bachelor’s degree in Education, has been in vast leadership positions while at the University.
Apart from her, the seat has also attracted three other candidates including the former Kisumu County Deputy Governor, Ruth Odinga on the ODM party ticket, Rose Kisia as an independent candidate and Philgona Ayugi on the UDA ticket.
President Ruto meets Ambassador Mo Farah at State House