Maendeleo Ya Wanawake Organisation (MYWO) has supported the Building Bridges (BBI) to ensure peace and unity prevailed in the country.
MYWO chairperson Mrs. Rahab Mueni Thursday said they witnessed the ugly incidents in Nairobi during after the 2017 general election and the organisation embraced the handshake between President Uhuru Kenyatta and ODM leader Raila Odinga.
“We as women cannot afford a fight after every election and we do not want our children being misused (to orchestrate violence),” Mrs. Mueni said.
While speaking to MYWO leaders from Nyeri County, the chairperson said that from the handshake, the BBI was ‘born’ and a lot of things have been said about the initiative.
She added that the BBI has more benefits to women: “one of the things we are going to run away with is money. We have a national water harvesting programme which was launched by his Excellency (President Uhuru) during our AGM,” Mrs. Mueni noted.
Mrs. Mueni said the programme that targets to have every home in the rural areas installed with a 10,000 litres water tank kicked off in Kajiado County in 2019.
She posed: “why is that debate not picking up. Why do we want to have a negative debate?”
The MYWO boss challenged leaders to stop polarizing the country with negativities and focus on the good things that are beneficial to the country.
“Where are we going to take this country? We have seen America with independence for 200 years and what can happen because of a negative story,” she added.
She affirmed that Kenya is a democratic country and everyone has reasons to support or reject any initiative but women in the country are firmly behind BBI.
Mrs. Mueni said any initiative that would cure a polarized election is embraced by women adding: “For women of Kenya and our children, enough is enough.”
She further urged Kenyans to look at the country in 30 years’ time and beyond and not only in 2021 and 2022.
“Let us focus on Kenya 30 years from today. That is where we are coming from,” she added, while at the same time, condemning Wednesday’s ugly incident at Githurai where the ODM leader and others were booed and urged young people not to allow themselves to be misused by selfish politicians.
by Mwangi Gaitha
