Azimio la Umoja One Kenya presidential candidate Raila Odinga’s running mate Martha Karua has said she does not like the now popular nickname ‘Iron Lady,’ which she was christened due to her political intrigues.

Karua says the moniker, which many attribute to her no-nonsense attitude during her three-decade tenure in government, is a misrepresentation of her gender.

Speaking during an interview with CNN’s Larry Madowo, the Narc Kenya party boss opined that the nickname is misogynistic to the feminine gender in a perceived male-dominated society.

“I think that nickname in a way speaks to the misogyny within society. Strength is not perceived as female, strength is perceived as male,”
she said.

Odinga picked Karua as his running mate in his quest for the presidency in next week’s elections, a move that was seen as having been meant to woo the female votes and bridge the gender gap as well as capture the Mt. Kenya voting bloc.

Political pundits also opine that Karua could easily ascend to the presidency after the end of Odinga’s tenure.

Asked whether the country is ready for a female Head of State, Karua said:

“That question suggests that women ought not to be on the ballot because I have never heard anyone question whether Kenyans are ready for yet another male, so that question in itself is discriminatory Kenya is ready for women at all levels.”

Despite the government advocating for a two-third gender rule in recent years, many of the political seats in the country are still held by men.

The Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC) is also pushing for adherence to the law and has directed all political parties to implement the directive in the August polls.

If political outfits meet the required threshold, them out of 290 Member of Parliament positions, not more than 193 candidates can be of the same gender while for the Senate, not more than 31 out of the 47 should be of the same gender.

In the 2017 election, women held only 23 per cent of seats in Parliament, the least in East Africa.

Local News

VIDEO: Susan Kihika entangled in sibling rivalry: Woe voters against her gubernatorial bid

August 6, 2022 Ian Amulega

A video of Nakuru Senator Susan Kihika’s step-sisters disowning her on camera went viral on Friday, August 5.

In the clip, the duo, Peris Njoki and Carolyne Wanjiku, urged the county’s residents not to elect their kin arguing that she is not dependable.

Peris, who has served time in jail, further pointed her woes to Kihika claiming that she was first arrested by police due to her influence.

“My name is Peris Njoki Kihika, the current Senator is my step-sister. I am here to ask you not to vote for her for she has frustrated me since 2013.

“She uprooted my maize and took me to jail in 2015 June where I spent 16 days. The case was, however, thrown out,”
stated Njoki.

Wanjiku, on the other hand, argued that the Senator, who is seeking to unseat Governor Lee Kinyanjui in the upcoming election, frustrated the family and is dragging the Ksh600 million wealth distribution among members.

She claimed that every time the extended family makes a decision, the Senator uses her influence to derail the efforts.

“Susan has frustrated us as a family which is why, to date, we have never divided the wealth. She always interferes. We cannot trust her in leadership because she will frustrate you citizens. We as a family support Governor Lee Kinyanjui,”
she explained.

Kenyans.co.ke attempts to reach Kihika for comment were met with silence since her mobile phone was not going through.

The family has been embroiled in the property tussle for more than a decade following the death of the family patriarch and the former Nakuru North Member of Parliament, Dickson Kihika Kimani.

In 2019, the case was forwarded to court pitting the politician’s 41 children, most of whom want a share of their father’s wealth.

Njoki was sentenced to jail after claims emerged that she had assaulted her sister Carolyne Wanjiku in 2015.

The High Court in Nakuru quashed her conviction on the basis that the trial magistrate had erred in convicting Njoki without watertight evidence.

The Judge explained that the prosecution’s evidence pointed to a fight rather than an assault, which she had been convicted of.

Watch Video below:

Politics & Governance

DP William Ruto’s final appeal ahead of Tuesday elections

August 6, 2022 Ian Amulega

We remain hopeful and vigilant and will not be part of any scheme to sabotage election, DP William Ruto has said.

“Let each institution offering support to IEBC keep to its lane and allow the commission hold elections without interference,”
he said.

He said IEBC has the capacity to deliver a free and fair elections.

“All hands should be kept off the IEBC,”
he said.

Ruto said they demand that all the attempts to twist elections be stopped so that Kenya Kwanza can embark on its plans.

“We ask Kenyans to ignore blackmail, lies, fears, Vote for mabadiliko ya Uchumi,” he said.

“We are committed to a peaceful elections and we will not contradict our vow to bring peace. We urge every Kenyan to vote peaceful and wait for results peacefully,” he said.

Ruto said they submit to peace not because they are shy but they understand the need to have a peaceful environment for Kenya’s economy to thrive.

“We assure our investors of protection of their businesses. we welcome partners of goodwill to come and assist in the re-awakening the Kenyan economy,” he said.

“We are all victims of an economic management system gone rogue on us but don’t despair, it is times like this we suspend our fear of the unknown and have the courage to say no to anything that threatens our humanity, civility, and decency.”

Ruto said this is going to be an election that is going to finally confirm that it is the people who hire and fire governments.

“The people of Kenya will in this election confirm their centrality of place in the constitution,” he said.

“Tuesday is going to be a defining day where the people of Kenya discover the power of their vote.”

His remarks comes hours after the Incoming US Ambassador to Kenya Margaret Whitman expressed confidence that the August 9th general elections will be free and fair.

Speaking when she presented her credentials to President Uhuru Kenyatta, Whitman said Kenya will also have a peaceful transition.

“…I have no doubt Kenya will showcase for the world what free and fair election looks like and how peaceful transitions work,”
the new Ambassador to Kenya said.

Local News

IEBC makes new changes ahead of Tuesday elections

August 6, 2022 Ian Amulega

The Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC) has agreed to use the manual register in polling stations after months of push and pull.

In an address to the press on Friday, August 5, IEBC chairman Wafula Chebukati noted that the process of distributing the manual registers had started.

The last-minute changes followed a ruling by the High Court requiring that the electoral body incorporates the manual registers into its operations.

Initially, IEBC had maintained that it would only use KIEMS kits in its operations.

“We shall now deploy the printed register of voters at the polling stations where the names of the voters shall be crossed out after identification of voters using the KIEMs Kit.

“The Commission commits to adhere to the rule of law and will facilitate the realisation of political rights of Kenyans as is capitulated in Article 38 of the constitution in order to deliver a free, fair and credible election,”
announced Chebukati.

He further explained that register contained all the details of the voter ranging from the photo and ID number among others.

“It has two levels of usage; it will be crossed out at the same time with verification by the biometrics and also as complementary if the KIEMS Kit fails,”
Chebukati added.

The announcement succeeded a ruling by the High Court, which revoked a decision by the IEBC to exclude manual registers.

In July, Azimio la Umoja One Kenya led by former Prime Minister, Raila Odinga, had threatened to boycott the election if the commission excludes the use of the printed register.

Raila, at the time, stated that the IEBC must embrace both manual and electronic voter registers and if they do not, there would be no election on August 9.

He insisted that both registers must be accessible due to alleged attempts to sabotage the upcoming election.

“With a manual register, it will be easy to tell how many people have voted in every polling station. In the electronic register, there is no record that remains.

“That is why we are saying that there must be a manual register at every polling station, it is not negotiable. We are telling the IEBC they must have a manual register along with the biometric identification of voters on that day; failure to which, there will be no election,”
he argued at the time.