Women Empowerment in Kenya! Think again!

I recall growing up my uncle used to send Christmas cards from the U.K and say "life isn't a bed of roses ". I guess it was to let us back home that he was doing ok but even in th

e proverbial land of milk and honey, life had it's ups and downs.

I now have come to fully understand this saying when I think about women in Kenya myself included.  One would think with affirmative action both in jobs and politics women were  getting fair play. This however isn't 100 percent true. I cannot fail to recognize how far we have come as women especially black women. We have come far from injustices such as slavery with our own Lupita Nyong'o getting an Oscar for depicting how heart wrenching it was.

Just the other day at the LYP dinner we had 2 very eloquent and established women speak as key note speakers and only 1 gentleman. Back in the day, the woman's place was in the kitchen. It' s about time anyway when we think about it. Women are really amazing creatures however way we look at it.

I am of the strong opinion that Kenya still has a long way to go. 

Cases in point :

1. Stripping of women
These incidences that sparked the #mydressmychoice (which I fully supported in my online capacity) campaign truly saddened me. What was beyond comprehension was why we are even debating whether or not women should be stripped! I just had to watch those videos to truly feel the depth of the atrocities committed against these women. It's after I saw the brutality of them all cowardly crowding to attack the women that I sincerely lost faith in humanity for a while. Whatever the woman had done, short dress or not was stripping her the answer or a show of crude and thirsty behavior by idling men (the devil's workshop indeed).

2. Assaulting of a woman in the matatu
I just watched exactly 2 seconds of a video circulating in the internet about a lady being sexually molested in a matatu. It was clearly disturbing and I ask myself am I safe in my own motherland?I am overly suspicious of Kenyan men be it in the matatu or on the streets worst of all at the bus stops. C'mon let's face it, can you blame me when even married men are in the front line of perverted men!

 

3. Assault and murder of a female student in Lower Kabete.
This one was super close to home as I am a student at UoN Lower Kabete.  She was apparently cohabiting with a white man who had assaulted her once before but she eventually ended up dying. Now before we are quick to judge why she stayed on after the first assault,  why she was cohabiting with the white and honestly unattractive man in the first place, ask did she honestly deserve to die?

It truly saddens how wary I have to be these days.

We all know the   "naomba serikali" phrase won't get us anywhere as women so we have to take all possible measures to protect ourselves and most of all pray very hard for the Almighty's protection.

I am sincerely contemplating buying a can of pepper spray and don't dare judge me but with Ole Lenku and Kimaiyo at the top of the policing/ security matters I just don't feel all that safe!