Kenya’s First Lady, Rachel Ruto, has urged widows to encourage their children to attend school and embrace education, acquiring skills that will enable them to secure employment and support their families after being left helpless by their husbands.
“I know you can lack money to take your children to school but you can play a critical role in their upbringing during their earlier years to lay a good foundation for their future life because mothers are first educators of any child,” she said.
The first lady was speaking at Bugo Primary School in Nyamaiya Ward on Monday, JUne 23 during the Women’s International Day celebrations, whose theme was “For ALL Women empowerment: Rights, Equity and Empowerment”.
Women Widows who turned the occasion blessed with both traditional and Christian choirs took time to present their plight, ranging from discrimination in the allocation of the NG-CDF bursary fund to their children, grabbing of their land by brothers-in-law and intimidation for wife inheritance.
“Leaders state in public that they give priority to orphans and partial orphans in bursary allocations, but these are empty promises,” said Linet Mong’ina.
Ruto asked the widows to be conversant with their rights, saying that the 2010 constitutional amendments protect them from any molestation.
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She asked them to choose from among many Government financial programmes, ranging from Women Enterprise Fund, Husker, Inua Jamii and Nyotaf, to enable them to benefit from the funds.
The Celebration was attended by the wife of Nyamira Governor Mrs Emily Nyaribo,West Mugirango MP Steve Mogaka,Nyamira Women Representstivr Jerusah Momanyi among many MCAs and other leaders.
Mogaka promise to work hand in hand with Nyamira Woman Representative to mobilise resources through the affirmative fund to help Women and children from disadvantaged homes.
He told the widows to stand strong and rebel against outdated traditional practices like wife inheritance that may expose them to other social evils like sexually transmitted diseases that can kill them and leave their children behind suffering.
On her part, Jerusah Momanyi told the widows to form meeting groups amongst themselves to share experiences of encouragement and live by revering and depending on God.
By Enock Okong’o
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