Madame minister

Was thinking about doing a similar post on the significant minsterial posts held by women in TZ, compared to Kenya (in fact TZ women have cabinet posts of (i) foreign affairs & international cooperation (ii) community development, gender & children, and (iii) educational and vocational training - which are each shared by two men in the bloated Kenya cabinet), and the recent story that Ugandan ministers have been asked to finance their own overseas trips now that foreign aid has been cut.

Also, now Liberia has a female president and South Africa, a vice president.

Note, I believe, affirmative action (reserved seats) is one reason for the high number of women MP’s in Uganda and Rwanda.

Bankelele is right, nearly all of Uganda’s women representatives are in the house because of affirmative action. Each district has to have a women’s representative in Parliament. Considering Uganda had 56 districts by the time the current parliamentarians were elected gives you an idea of why they are so many women parliamentarians.

The number is set to increase after this year’s elections because there are now 69 districts.

Affirmative action or not, this can only be a good thing, not just for African women, but for Africa as a whole.

LOL at Jah Kaya! LOL you better cancel your tikiti to Arusha!

Ati Jah Kaya….You are killing me.

Now, about representation of women in Parliament, I’ve been very gung ho about more women in power etc, until recently I read the opinion of one woman in the Daily Nation, now I can’t remember when, or her name. This is more or less what she said: gender equality or representation of women in structures of power mean nothing if the lot of women does not improve. If women are still walking miles to draw water from rivers, have no access to credit, have no means of family planning, then all that gender equality will have done is provide jobs for elite/high-middle class women, who traipse from one conference to the next, gender tourists, they are called.

This got me thinking about what would or could change in Kenya were more women in Parliament. We shall see.

Disclaimer: I’m all for more women in Parliament and other structures of power.

What would you say NOW, baout the first African Lady Prseident. Mama Jackson?? eeh?

I am totally against anybody (women etc) being given parliamentary seats or ministerial positions through affirmative action simply to make everybody equal. I believe merit should determine whether one wins or loses an election or their ministerial position. You run the risk of compromising competence and results by appointing people purely based on sex. That is not a parliamentary democracy and certainly not a meritocracy. Sirleaf-Johnson was not handed the presidency, she won it!
Having more women MP’s does not necessarily translate into effective governance especially on women’s or children’s issues. Kenyan female MP’s are a completely idle lot when it comes to the afore-mentioned issues. Now before you yell at me, look around the world at women leaders, cabinet members and legislators. Equal Opportunity=Merit=Competence

ati Jah Kaya! LOL. Nice post

You have to sweat to get what you need. Too few women in Kenya want to battle it out with their male colleagues (me included)