Nominated Senator Orwoba slams govt for betraying women’s charter promises, marginalising their voices

Nominated Senator Gloria Orwoba has criticised the Kenyan government for what she terms as a failure to fulfil its promises to women, particularly those outlined in the Women’s Charter signed by President William Ruto ahead of the 2022 elections.

The charter was a central pledge to Kenyan women during Ruto’s presidential campaign, and is yet to be fully realised, according to Orwoba.

In an interview with Spice FM, Orwoba stated that while the government has made progress in areas such as agriculture and housing, it has significantly fallen short on gender equality and women's empowerment.

She accused the government of sidelining women after securing their votes, although women made up the majority of the electorate that brought the current administration into power.

"The majority of President William Ruto's votes came from women. The Women’s Charter was a powerful tool because we campaigned from county to county, understanding that once women give their vote, they stay committed. So, how can the government disregard them like this?" asked the Senator.

The senator, who was nominated on a platform of championing women's rights, expressed frustration that even within her own political party, her voice has been suppressed.

She claimed that much of the hostility and resistance she has faced in the Senate was orchestrated from within the party's leadership.

Orwoba revealed that motions targeting her were not isolated acts but were sanctioned by the leadership, including the Speaker, both of whom belong to her political outfit.

"It was my party that was responsible for the actions taken against me in the Senate. Every motion that reached the order paper had to be approved by the leadership, which came from my party.”

“I contribute Sh50,000 every month to my party, yet it was my own party that led the attacks against me in the Senate,” she said, noting that other women leaders supported her privately out of fear of similar treatment.

Asked about her political future, Orwoba remained non-committal, saying she is still evaluating who among the current or emerging leaders has a genuine commitment to women’s issues.

“If elections were held tomorrow, I can’t say whether I’d be here or there. I’m watching to see who is truly standing for the women of Kenya,” she stated.

The Women’s Charter, a central element of Ruto's electoral agenda in 2022, pledged substantial advancements in addressing issues such as sexual and gender-based violence (SGBV), female genital mutilation (FGM), and ensuring greater representation of women in leadership roles.

During the signing of the charter in 2022, Ruto committed, on behalf of Kenya Kwanza, to establish an agency specifically dedicated to addressing women’s issues.

This agency, he said, would be housed within the Office of the President and would be led by a female official who would also sit in the Cabinet.

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• Politics
• Headlines
• FGM
• sgbv
• two-thirds gender rule
• Nominated Senator Gloria Orwoba
• women's empowerment
• Women’s Charter
• Nominated Senator Orwoba slams govt for betraying women’s charter promises
• marginalising their voices

Ruto emphasised the importance of women, who form the largest proportion of the country’s population, and vowed to implement the two-thirds gender rule within the first three months of his administration.

“Within three months of the Kenya Kwanza rule, we will put a mechanism in place to actualise the two-thirds gender rule and immediately operationalise that mechanism so that women don’t have to wait longer,” he stated.

The President also pledged to make women equal partners in his government, saying they would be the face of the Kenya Kwanza administration.

However, Senator Orwoba argues that these promises have not been fulfilled under Ruto’s administration.