This archive report was first published on 17 August 2019.
On Friday, an inua mama rally in Nyeri turned chaotic when rival youths clashed over accusations of politicking by women MPs.
The women lawmakers had been invited to the county by Nyeri Woman Rep Rahab Mukami, who had organized the event.
However, the rally took a turn for the worse when MP Mukami rose to give her speech, prompting youths to shout at her, saying they did not want politics.
Within minutes, the shouting escalated into physical confrontation, with the youths trading blows and kicks.
Police were eventually called in to intervene and restore calm, which they managed to do after about 20 minutes.
Women leaders, led by Kandara MP Alice Wahome, accused Nyeri Town lawmaker Ngunjiri Wambugu of practising divisive politics.
Wambugu appeared at the rally, which further disrupted the proceedings.
Police officers tried to eject Wambugu, but he refused, saying he had not broken any law.
The women leaders maintained their stance, terming Wambugu as 'uncultured' and announcing that they would not be moved.
However, they were eventually moved out of the venue at Deb Muslim School, with Wambugu in tow.
Police officers intervene after youths disrupted the inua mama rally in Nyeri. PHOTO | COURTESY
According to Kandara MP Alice Wahome, the inua mama movement aims to help women in Kenya start Savings And Credit Co-Operative (SACCOs) to help them realise their economic goals.
“The Inua Mama movement plans to travel across the country and help fight for economic empowerment by building the capacity of women in the grassroots,” Wahome said.
“The outfit will also help the female members of parliament support their own initiatives in their respective electorates.”
