women-politicians-in-kenya

"The women of Kenya have made Kenya proud through our athletes, the late Wangari Maathai, and the rest. I am so overjoyed because the women have done it."

"Although women are the backbone of the economy, we are shy about insisting on our right to more than handouts"

"Wanjiru urged particularly women and others to take responsibility for their lives by become leaders and to live their lives in the centre-fold of humanity, not its margins and she did this by example through practicing what she preached, but also training others and advocating for others."

"She was a leader, activist for democracy, freedom, human rights, equality and justice and always stood on the side of the oppressed, particularly women and the poor. She worked tirelessly and with courage, using her razor-sharp intellect to focus thousands, of the task at hand in creative ways which brought her knowledge and everyday life together in very practical ways."

"A problem concerning a child is dealt with in the context of its family, never just on its own."

"In many ways Kenya is a model example of community social welfare. It's a community keyed to the extended family, in which each generation helps the other."

"You just do not jump into a position because it has been created. You must ensure you did not leave unfinished business behind. Leadership is doing at least 99 percent service to your people, not 50 percent and then you abandon them."

"Before we leap, let us first have a clear sight of the direction we are taking. We need to evaluate the pros and cons in order that we do not isolate our community from the rest of Kenya."

"As a graduate, we are commissioning you to go back to your ministries and give back. Go back and give back. Kenya and Africa are hungry for souls on fire to serve and to serve sincerely and to lead change. You are the change that is well informed about public service."

"The syndicate targets graduates who are known to be in dire need of job opportunities in government. The majority of the people who have fallen victim to the conman-ship are those seeking employment with the Teachers Service Commission (TSC) and Public Service Commission (PSC)."

"My office is committed to ensuring that girls acquire education to enable them to achieve their dreams in life."

"I tell residents to be careful with people asking them to pay to get job opportunities. Reject anybody who demands money in exchange of a job for you."

"Sanitary pads programme enables our girls to remain in school and focus on their academics. We want them to work hard and report sex pests in their midst for appropriate action."

"I appeal to detectives to expedite the probe to stop our people from continuous loss of money."

"Probe syndicate using my name to swindle Homa Bay job seekers."

"Virgin Atlantic is an airline we have actively pursued for the past few years to begin flights to Kenya and we are overjoyed with their decision to add Nairobi to their route schedule. Virgin Atlantic”s quality, high standards and distinction as one of the world”s premier airlines is what we have been pursuing and we know that they will build not only the visitor travel to Kenya but also the business travel sector from the UK and North America."

"I'm qualified. My father did not sell his cows to take a cow to school. None of my competitors can match my academic qualifications."

"The legislator is more concerned with his electorate’s burning needs."

"There is discrimination in Kenya, contrary to the United Nations convention for the elimination of discrimination against women, which Kenya ratified in 1984."

"I can relate to where he came from. Mumias, the area he represents, are cane farmers and their issues have more to do with the management of institutions rather than the climate effect on their crop. On the other hand, unemployment is a big issue for most of our youth, and when they are dealing with that, they are not able to relate unemployment to climate change."

"I have warned my teenage son to never shame a girl for having her period."

"That’s a whole pack that you’ve wasted because of the fear of staining your clothes."

"The first thing that we have been taught is that periods are dirty and shouldn’t be seen."

"We need to normalize periods."

"I have never understood why menstruation is spoken of like a secret. She recalled being excited as a teenager to finally have her first period after being the last among her peers to get the mark of womanhood."

"My attitude toward menstruation since then has been open."

"Girls had a very difficult life, especially those who chose to go to school. I recall some of her schoolmates dropping out just because the boys ordered them to do so. In my twilight years, I expressed disappointment that female liberation veterans were never accorded the same recognition as their male counterparts."

"I accused historians of blacking out the fact that women were arrested alongside the famous Kapenguria Six – Jomo Kenyatta, Achieng’ Oneko, Bildad Kaggia, Fred Kubai, Kung’u Karumba and Paul Ngei. I said there were two women besides the six men, that is, Mama Nyoroka and Sarah Sarai, yet no one knows if such people ever existed. Women were not passive observers in the freedom movement, but played an active role alongside the men."

"I had had a 10- year relationship with Thomas Joseph Mboya, popularly known as Tom Mboya or simply ‘TJ’. This was in the 1950s, before the flamboyant politician became Economic Planning and Development Minister in President Jomo Kenyatta’s administration after Kenya attained independence. I blamed the break-up of my relationship with TJ on his cheating on me with a white woman while I was under an 18-month colonial restriction order."

"I treasure my family, friends and fans alike. Never taking for granted your love. I treasure being comfortable in my skin and loving all of me."

"I selected the date of 17 August because it was the anniversary of her great-grandfather's detention."

"We have to understand that as an MP, the citizens who voted for him are more concerned with maybe housing, medical facilities, bursaries or jobs."

"Despite their ambitious approach, county governments face financial and technical constraints that prevent them from effectively addressing the threats of climate change. Policymakers must collaborate with county governments to make Kenya’s mitigation and adaptation goals a reality."

"When I first contested for the Narok Woman Representative seat, my rivals used the excuse that I was a young woman and not married who if elected might end up getting married elsewhere. Some people even created imaginary boyfriends for me mostly men from other communities saying that by electing me, I will not be useful to my community. In the beginning I almost quit but realised I would be doing exactly what my rivals wanted which was to keep me out of the race due to my growing popularity. I thank God since I got the support of the majority of women and youths who propelled me to the seat with a landslide win."

"I have done a lot of work in Narok during my 10 years tenure. I managed a scholarship programme for 90 needy children using the affirmative action fund and I am proud that almost all of them went to university. I also focused in the dairy sector where we bought milk coolers managed by women groups and I have seen their lives change through this initiative which has made a turnaround for women in various parts of the country."

"I was long affirmed by my dad when I was a child. He built my confidence by listening to me."

"Further work is needed under the Gender Action Plan in order to facilitate access to climate finance for vulnerable groups, including indigenous peoples and local communities."

"The healing process must begin through localized climate action. We will have more impact when we have the communities involved in the mitigation."

"My net worth largely comprises of immovables assets such as houses."

"I love to be part of positive change in a way that it impacts lives. When I am in a position where I have a say and have the space to do the right thing, I go on overdrive."

"At the moment I anticipate to get my gratuity from parliament after serving for two terms as well as pension."

"The Africa Climate Summit kicked off on Monday and runs until Wednesday. It is themed "Driving Green Growth and Climate Finance Solutions for Africa and the World.""

"Every leader relates to these citizens based on their needs, but the fact is that everything is interconnected with climate change. [Salasya] is a man connected with his constituents; he is who he is and they love and respect him. Eventually, he will realise how they are all connected and he will join the conversation."

"I noted a correlation between the issues Kenyans are grappling with and climate change. I said Kenyans should give Salasya time before he eventually understands the connection, terming him a man dedicated to his people."

"I have three homes, one in Nairobi, Narok and my village and vehicles. I have apartments in Narok and one in Nairobi. Two plots of land in Kitengela and also a dairy business."

"I long for the day when accidental period stains will be seen as normal, not shameful. Women and girls are using up valuable sanitary pads by wearing them as a precaution out of anxiety."

"Since I am always advocating against period shame, I thought I should go ahead and walk the talk."

"I instigated the conversation around period shame and period stigma with men and boys asserting further that, period shaming starts with the man and the boy, because they have been brought up to believe that if a woman happens to have a stain, it’s an appropriate response to laugh at, or castigate her – and then the woman has been taught that they need to go into hiding. That’s the unlearning that we need to do."

"or those who killed and buried Raila before his time, because we are Christians, we will forgive you but we will never forget. For those who stood with Raila, we shall never forget. I thank President William Ruto."

"When I asked him, ‘Baba, how are you?’ he told me jokingly, ‘Amilo, I’m fine, in the morning I walked around. I’m surprised there are people who have already killed and buried me in Kenya."