National News Flashes - Kenya

 Prepared by Sophie Dola


After the World March of Women VII international meeting in Galicia – Vigo, as a National Coordinating body in Kenya, we saw an urgent need of meeting and re-organizing our NCB. The gaps we identified as urgently needing to be filled were:-

i)                    Most of the times we meet, and there are many representatives from different grass root groups, and we have not been documenting them as members of World March of women, so there is a need to identify those groups that are interested, and try and target those grass root women groups that are not in any other process and win them in the movement. We realize that a movement is all about dedication, belief and numbers.

ii)                   Organize coordinators from all the nine regions in Nairobi, make the work of World March of Women through its mission and vision visible in Nairobi, then women from the other regions will want to join us.

 
WHERE WE ARE AT AS FROM DECEMBER 2008
 
We have a once a month meeting with regards to the organization and planning for the 2010 actions. We have managed to penetrate 7 of 8 constituencies in Nairobi, and now we can say we have full world march of women members in these constituencies. Also three other constituencies outside of Nairobi. These are Karachuonyo, Kiambu and Kabete.
 

We had joint activities with other women rights groups and organizations during the 16 days of activism against violence on women, where as World March of Women, we did organize a cultural activity in one of the villages to mark the end of the 16 days celebration and the 60th anniversary of Universal Declaration on Human Rights, on the 10th of December 2008. We had women from different cultures organize cultural events in regards to their traditions and norms. Those that violate women’s rights like Female Genital Mutilation (FGM), wife inheritance (commonly known as tero in some communities), early and forced marriages, wife beating as a sign of “love” from the husband e.t.c we denounced them in choruses, and even the men who do it, were present to denounce them too. The reason we did this is because the same venue where we had the event – Huruma slums, there is a community that leaves there and women are still violated. They have no rights whatsoever. It is difficult for a woman to say anything even if it involves her own children. They are not allowed to work or mingle with other communities for the men are afraid the women might be “spoilt” and the men “own the women. So in these communities, the men look at their wives as first born. They are regarded as children, and they have no say whatsoever. So we chose this venue for we strongly felt we needed to empower this community from slavery and inhuman cultures that are dehumanizing. The only way we could do it, without people feeling like World March of Women is against cultures that some people hold dear. The event was quite a success and from that meeting, we did recruit five women groups with three of them from these communities with cultural practices that violate women. (Attached in a separate email are some of the pictures).From the city centre to the venue, we went on a truck, as a road show where we raised awareness on the day, and our activities and roles as women in an active movement.

 
12th December is a national holiday in Kenya. On this day we had our agenda in regards to the demands of the World March of Women. Currently, there is famine in the country, and our Members of parliament have decided they will not pay their taxes. Food insecurity is quite an issue in the country. It is emerging that some of the cabinet ministers are involved in corrupt deals where they export the staple food and leave poor Kenyans dying (in the newspapers currently, it’s the maize and oil stories that have dominated the news, with pictures of skinny women and children starving to death) As world March of, we felt there is something we could do. On this day, Jamhuri day (Independence Day), in partnership with an organization called mars group under their program partnership for change, where we use a active non violent means to press for change. We mobilized the public, and invited them to join the celebrations where the president is usually the chief guest, and we have all arms of government parade for him, and traditional dancers perform in the stadium. We did feel that it is important for the country to realize that it was not time for celebrations, but time to demand for ours equal rights from the same government we pay taxes to and they do not deliver. So we had thousands of black t-shirts printed with messages like, NO TAXES FOR MP’S -, NO TAXES FOR US, NO TAXES ON FOOD, FEED THE POOR NOT THE FAT CATS,KENYANS ARE HUNGRY WHERE IS OUR MAIZE , WOMEN ARE THE FARMERS, WHERE’S THEIR FOOD?? e.t.c and we did call the campaign, white ribbon campaign. Usually people don’t attend these celebrations in numbers, but on this day, thousands were there earlier than ever, and most in the t-shirts. When the police who were manning the stadium realized that the t-shirts were not just t-shirts but with powerful messages at the back, they ordered all the people in black t-shirts to leave the stadium before the president arrived or they would be arrested. Many, for fear of being arrested, left the stadium. Many others were arrested as they came in, not knowing of the announcement, and others were arrested at the stadium. Only one World March of women member was among those arrested. Others including the CEO of Mars group and his wife (Mwalimu Mati and Jane Mati) were arrested and locked in. They were released after two days in cells, but the others were released the same day. A lot of pressure was mounted by World March of Women members, members of the public and members of different groups and organizations. We did stage vigils at the Langa’ata Police station until they were released.


PLAN OF ACTIONS


On the 3rd of March 2009, we have a March / procession around the city centre. This is International Mothers day in some countries. In Kenya, we have had two fire tragedies that have cost us many lives in this month alone. One of the biggest super markets went on fire, and guards apparently locked the doors to “stop” looters from entering, but they did lock in many customers who perished in the fire. As is the norm, it is women who frequent these places, so many women and mothers accompanied by children died in the Nakumatt fires. The same week, there was another fire outside Nairobi where 140 people perished in a fire. And many children and women died. There was a tanker that fell, and because of the hardships that Kenyans are facing now, the women and children went to scope some oil from the tanker, when it exploded and caught everyone who was there plus others who were in a distance watching. They died instantly. So this day, World March of Women Kenya will hold a procession / prayer outside the Nakumatt Supermarket, to stand in solidarity with the families of those women and mothers who perished in the fire.


On the 8th of March 2009, International women’s day - there will be two activities organized in two different communities that is Kibera (the largest slum in East and Central Africa) and another one will be in Huruma grounds. Among the issues we will discuss in means and ways of keeping our solidarity networks nationally, food security, social security and world march of women actions for 2011.


On the 28th of March, It is international SWAN day (Support Women Artists Now) day. Where women artists around the world will converge to celebrate women artists and all the work done by women artists, with the sole aim of giving women artists an equal opportunity in the fields of arts. World March of Women Kenya, has been invited by the organizers of SWAN day Kenya since we have quite a number of women artists in our midst. Therefore, we did resolve that in the spirit of solidarity and working together with women groups and organizations, we will join the SWAN day activities by doing a batucada feminista. The women are excited and happy to be part of these celebrations, while focus on the demands of WMW and we will include some of the declarations of the Women’s assembly. We are tied of paying for the crisis that’s brought by the rich. We will focus on women’s work, the common good, food security, domestic violence and peace. These are also directly related to the situation in Kenya, so it will give us a good platform to introduce the solidarity that we are working towards on peace and demilitarization

 
In April, we will have a series of meetings to plan for the regional meeting in which will take place in Mali – Bamako from the week of the 25th may (African day). It is noble to report that we have done two proposals on for the same, and are a waiting response. As we are working towards 2010 actions, we have done one proposal, and we are still seeking potential funders who are willing to support our proposed activities.


WMW –Kenya is gaining popularity and we can gladly say that we are making progress in trems of   attracting many women into the movement. So far we have 24 groups within Nairobi (the capital) and two from outside Nairobi.