African Woman and Child Feature Service

When eventually the history of women and politics in Kenya will be written, one prominent name will surely feature, and that is of Hon. Phoebe Asiyo.

She is the woman who defied all odds to become Kenya’s longest serving woman Member of Parliament. Asiyo’s history in politics reads like a fairy tale. However, it is not only in politics that she is a formidable force to be reckoned with.

Everyone in this country, irrespective of where they come from, refers to her as ‘mama’. Asiyo has mentored many women and has been an inspiration for many women, both in politics and private life.

Asiyo’s journey in politics is characterised with resilience. She faced violence and her own children were attacked. She learnt early in life that if you focused on something, you will get it.

When she made her début in politics, Asiyo knew she was up against stronger forces since her opponent was the late Okiki Amayo, Kanu’s disciplinary committee chairman, but she was not deterred.

This experience prepared her well for her political career as she learnt how effective it is to work with everyone irrespective of political affiliation.

Her zeal in making sure that women ascend to leadership positions motivated her to sponsor a motion to Parliament in April 1977. Even though the motion was defeated, it was brought back to the House by Hon Beth Mugo in 2000 when the Affirmative Action was passed. Unfortunately, the Act has not been implemented in full.

“By accepting the Affirmative Action as an instrument of development in this country, it means your daughters, women and mothers will benefit and I urge young men not to be afraid to try new ideas because it is through such initiatives that meaningful development can be achieved,” she says. “During our time, we interacted with the Government and did not let any issue, not matter how small, pass without its attention.”

According to Asiyo, even though there were no women holding cabinet positions, their  issues formed part of the agenda. “We were instrumental in deciding how City Council houses should be designed and you can see this through how women-friendly the kitchens are. Back then children often got burned because of the way kitchens were situated,” she explains.

During Asiyo’s time, women were united on issues and they did not allow themselves to be divided into tribal cocoons. Just before Independence, she led a women’s delegation representing all the country’s provinces to go visit the President Jomo Kenyatta. “I was a young woman then and I still remember his speech like it was yesterday. He told us; ‘I know how painful it is for an African woman to bear children and the loss of life that happens to women when they deliver. I want the Kanu Government to take care of women’s health. I promise that I will not enact a policy that touches on women without consulting with them.’ After that, he was always in constant consultation with Maendeleo ya Wanawake when I was Chair,” explains Asiyo.

She, therefore, wonders what has changed within Government. “Must we always dramatise our concerns for us to be heard?” she asks. “Today we are just a group of tribes. There is no commitment to nationhood and we are no longer the cohesive nation I used to know. I don’t know why young people have brought us this far. It is a shame that the women’s movement in Kenya cannot be compared to that of the neighbouring countries, which are recording gains daily and leaving us behind.”

On the empowerment of young girls and women, Asiyo faults the Government for not implementing the Affirmative Action fully. “Just last week, the KCSE results came out and I heard people saying that girls have not done well while in other areas they have topped the grades. My question to the Government is this, how come the number of girls and women in decision-making positions does not reflect the number of girls who pass exams?” she poses.

“Everyone has a dream of what they would like to be in future, including our girls. If we don’t provide the mechanism to make these dreams come true, then we have failed as a country” she adds.

Young men should not be scared by women’s professionalism. “Men don’t know how to harness women’s knowledge for the good of the country,” she says. “I urge young women not to be deterred by this but instead aim to achieve what they want and show men that they, too, can be counted on for the development of this country.”

Asiyo, however, cautions young women not to think that gender related issues are not their cup of tea. “Don’t be mistaken,” she warns. “You do not know how deep prejudices can go. You need to forge links and work together so that we can get our rightful place in governance.”

The reason why women are said to be inadequate is always pegged to culture and tradition. Asiyo has a different opinion. “Men who hinder women’s development and growth are not real men,” she says. “In the traditional African context, a man was defined by how well he cared for his wife and daughters.”

Asiyo feels that some of the barriers women face can be dealt with only when Kenya gets a new Constitution. She says Kenyan women should start emulating how the men work. For instance, when there is something at stake, men always coalesce together irrespective of party or tribal affiliation, which is something that women rarely use to their advantage.

Asiyo urges women to unite around the Constitution making process and forge together as one voice around the reform agenda. Most importantly, women should hold the Government accountable to their promises to women.