For
ages, women have been subjected to back seat when development issues are being
discussed. African culture and traditions have disadvantaged women who have
been left to perform demanding yet perceived insignificant chores at household
levels. Traditionally women were embedded to cook, take care of children,
collect firewood and remain submissive and indecisive to their know-all male
counterparts. Similarly, men were believed to be God chosen leaders who were
bestowed with sole mandate to make decision regarding property ownership,
chiefdom and kingdom selection, property acquaintance and disposal and marital
decisions such as number of children to be born, number of wives and wife
inheritance matters
The
trend seems to change in unprecedented rate as whole world stares at very
possibility of World Super power nation endorses female president Hillary
Clinton to join the league of Theresa Mary May the prime minister of Britain
and Angela Markel the Chancellor of Germany. Africa is not left behind as Ellen
Sirleaf Johnson is at the helm of Liberia, a leadership which has seen sanity
and rule of law back to the country. Catherine Samba Panza led Central Africa Republic
between 2014 and 2016 while Rose Francine Rangombe led Gabon between June and
October 2009. The list of women who have been presidents in Africa includes
likes of Agnes Monique Bellepeau from Mauritious, Joyce Hilda Banda who took
over from Bingu wa Mutharika in 2012 and Sylvie Kinigi who lead Burundi between
1993 to 1994. Confidence and respect for women in power and leadership position
in Africa was crowned by election of Nkosazana Dlamini Zuma as the chair of
Africa Union commission
In
Kenya women have made remarkable strides from dark past to limelight both in
private sector, public leadership and political position. The appointment of
Nyiva Mwendwa to cabinet position in 1995 took male chauvinists by surprise but
was the beginning of women presence in leadership positions which is now
entrenched in the 2010 constitution. Performance of women in leadership
position has proofed that they can do what men may find hard to actualize. News
of Appointment of Professor Olive Mugenda as the vice chancellor of Kenyatta
university in 2006 while I was a student at the institution were received by
university fraternity with doubt and contempt as male counterpart competitors
for the position looked more deserving. For the time Professor Mugenda was at
the helm, she out shadowed what Late professor Eshiwani and Prof Shitanda did
and transformed the university to world Class University. Mugenda is not alone
in venturing in male dominated fields,
Tabitha Karanja has whipped East Africa Breweries Limited the sole dominancy in
beer industry unapologetically while Martha Karua remains one of feared and
respected ‘man’ in Mt. Kenya region. Uhuru Kenyatta administration raised the
bar even higher when he appointed six women to cabinet secretary positions some
taking lead of very influential and powerful dockets including devolution and
planning, defense and foreign affair dockets held by Anne Waiguru, Rachel Omamo
and Amina Mohamed respectively. 
In
community development front, women have provided the most needed workforce
either freely and below market rates. Family farming which feeds over 70% of
world population according to World Rural Forum statistics 2013 is most dependent
of women labour who toil to ensure their crops are planted in time, weeded and
manure applied and taken care from pest and diseases and harvested. In most
African societies men make the decisions while women implement such decisions
without or with little consultative amendments from their male companions. In
pastoral communities, women are left to own poultry and at times sheep and goat
while men own camels, cattle and donkey which bring incomes in terms of labour
and sells when they are disposed off to markets. Even when the women may own
some property and even income they remain highly influenced by men and thus low
homegrown development initiatives in rural communities 
In
recent past women have clustered themselves in self run and regulated micro
finance initiatives which have offered much needed and deserving source of
income in rural areas. With input from H.E Rachel Ruto who has made the
initiative more popular, women now are key players in rural banking. These
initiatives have seen women be able to afford household items such as cooking
wear, school uniform for their children and school fees, and more regular and
nutritious meals to their families. Through loans and financials savings from
their groups’ (chamas’) women are able to start business and earn income and
decent lives. Inades Formation Kenya, a Non Governmental Organization working
in counties of Machakos, Makueni and Kitui has been able to mobilize over 3000
residents who have joined hands to form microfinance units known as Solidarity
Fund for Rural Development (SOFDEVs) units with revolving fund base of over
Kshs 40,000,000. This initiative has transformed the community big deal in
terms of health, education, nutrition and agriculture sector and reduced
dependency on working relatives as community groups and individuals are able to
safe for the future and unwelcomed uncertainties
For
any community, be it in developed countries, developing, war torn regions,
rural or urban to realize sustainable development, women need to be placed in
their right positions as the current trend has proven that they can do what men
have done and even in better. Previous closed opportunities for women need to
be availed to them so that they can optimize their contribution in nation
building.
Article by
Andrew Muendo Nyamu
Project Officer- Inades
Formation Kenya
Phone number:
0722962986
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