Breaking barriers: Achuya’s journey as a defender of justice in Kenyan politics
Achuya, (not her real name) in her mid-40s is a member of the Women Human Rights Defender (WHRD) who has championed women’s rights for the past 11 years. For her, the day is not complete if she has not defended the vulnerable in society and ensured justice is served to them. In an interview, she revealed the challenging responsibility she shoulders daily.
“I like being a fighter for the vulnerable in the community,” she started. “I represent the Women Justice Center in Vihiga County. I fight for women, girls and even boys. I feel that the boy child has been neglected. I am happy to be a defender of the vulnerable. I feel happy when I succeed in defending people because it leaves me with fulfillment and satisfaction that someone has received justice because of my effort,” she said.
“Over the years I have witnessed women being denied justice in their quest for political leadership. Once denied justice at the nomination and election stages, the unlucky female hopefuls’ political careers would end there. However, since I had no capacity in election monitoring, and reporting, there was little I could do to help them.”
However, that was before Defenders Coalition picked and trained her on election monitoring, Achuya said.
“Since it was an election year, I resolved to penetrate the political terrain in protecting the rights of women and vulnerable groups in the just concluded general elections. I was lucky to be picked and trained as an election monitor by the Defenders Coalition. This set me apart and cut my job out. I knew I was venturing into an area characterized by high political tension, lack of transparency among political competitors, and gender-based violence against women,’’ Achuya explained.
“Having been trained I was instantly equipped with skills on election monitoring, documentation, and reporting. Further I gained skills in addressing and mitigating cases of violations of electoral laws,’’ she narrated with excitement.
“I began by monitoring the political parties’ primaries and registration of aspirants by the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission, an exercise that saw me move from one office to another assessing the clearance process. This was after the political party primaries. I was shocked at the injustice women political candidates faced. They faced challenges of vote buying by male candidates who were financially endowed, gender-based violence, and cultural barriers. Whenever I perceived injustice against women candidates, especially at the political party primaries, I took up these cases of human rights violations and reported them to the IEBC. I presented the evidence against political parties that had rigged out women and gave nomination certificates to other candidates,’’ Achuya explained with an expression of dismay on her face.
“In some cases, the political parties concerned rescinded their decisions and gave nomination certificates to the winning candidates. Through this action, I was able to support six female candidates seeking MCA (Member of County Assembly) positions to rightfully secure nomination certificates in the political parties. This is a significant milestone in the Kenyan electoral system. I hope the momentum we have made as a country in ensuring gender equality in representation will continue. Out of the six female candidates that I intervened in their cases, two of them were finally elected to represent their wards. To me, this is the best way I render service to my community and my country,” she ended with a wide smile on her face.
