This archive report was first published on 21 May 2020.
On May 21, 2020, ODM leader Raila Odinga met with female leaders at his Capitol Hill office in Nairobi to discuss the post-Covid-19 recovery programme and gender equity.
Public Service CS Margaret Kobia, Homa Bay Women Representative Gladys Wanga, Governors Anne Waiguru (Kirinyaga) and Charity Ngilu (Kitui) were in attendance.
Raila acknowledged that several Kenyans were suffering due to the Covid-19 pandemic, floods, and locusts, and assured them of government's help in mitigating the crisis.
“We are going through three disasters - floods, locusts, and Covid-19,” Raila said. “Our people are hungry, our people are dying, some because of Covid-19, others because of floods all over the country. We feel for them. We feel for the people who are losing their loved ones and we want to tell them that we are with them during this time of suffering and we are going to work together to repair our country once this disaster is over,” he added.
Raila emphasized the importance of unity and participation in the post-Covid-19 recovery programme, stating that meeting with the women leaders was critical in achieving this goal.
He also discussed gender issues with the leaders, which are part of the Building Bridges Initiative. “The drafting of the final BBI document is at a very advanced stage. Concerns were raised by this team to ensure that the issues that are affecting women are captured in the final document, which will be released soon,” Raila said.
CS Kobia noted that the topics discussed included women's inclusion in leadership and decision-making, economic empowerment, peace and security-building, and protection from gender-based violence.
