Fatuma Dhullo breaks down barriers to run for senate seat
Nominated Senator Fatuma Dhullo. She is vying for the Isiolo County Senate seat on a Party for Development and Reforms ticket. PHOTO | VIVIAN JEBET | NATION MEDIA GROUP
What you need to know:
- Ms Dhullo says that her Sakuye clan endorsed her in August last year to vie for the seat.
- In the Senate, she served as vice-chairperson of the committee on national security and foreign relations.
Nominated Senator Fatuma Dhullo is a fighter.
She has refused to allow the hurdles and challenges that hold back women from pastoral communities from pursuing certain ambitions, especially in politics, come in her way.
In pastoralist regions, women who have a calling for politics continue to suffer from raw-deals.
COURAGEOUS
Despite that, Senator Dhullo has braved all odds to vie for one of the county’s top competitive seats.
A lawyer by profession and a former commissioner at the Kenya National Human Rights Commission (KNHRC), Ms Dhullo intends to be the next Isiolo senator, a seat held by her clansman Dr Mohammed Kuti, who is vying for governorship.
The vocal senator is however facing tough competition from Dr Hussein Halakhe Roba (Independent candidate) and Mohammed Liban of Jubilee Party, but she says she is in the race to win.
GENDER
Others in the race include Mr Abaroba Godana (ODM), Ken Mutuma of the Empowerment and Liberation Party (ELP), Molu Huka (PNU) and Andrew Ilere (Kanu).
Ms Dhullo, who is vying on a Party for Development and Reforms (PDR), is the only woman contesting for the seat and she recently told off her opponents to desist from using the gender card to woo voters during their campaigns.
MARGINALISED
The assertive legislator, who was nominated in 2013 on a United Republican Party (URP) ticket, said female candidates in Isiolo and other pastoralist regions continue to face hurdles in their quest to get elected.
"Despite putting up strong campaigns against my male counterparts, a lot of people in our communities do not recognize the efforts of a woman," she said.
Recently, Ms Dhullo spoke during a media training on gender sensitive reporting in Isiolo town alongside Ms Lucy Mworia, who is vying for the Isiolo North parliamentary post, said female candidates also face high levels of intimidation during the electioneering period.
NEGOTIATED DEMOCRACY
According to her, most elected leaders, particularly male candidates in pastoralist regions, seize power through negotiated democracy, but women do not benefit from the formula.
Negotiated democracy is a strategy through which elders from different clans are able to settle on candidates for various positions, in a manner that enables all the participants benefit.
Some of the leaders who have gained from the formula are Mandera Governor Ali Roba and his Senator Billow Kerrow.
However, it has been deemed as 'undemocratic'.
SECURITY
Ms Dhullo says that her Sakuye clan endorsed her in August last year to vie for the seat.
A lot of women eyeing political seats in pastoralist regions have raised concern over the negotiated democracy, saying it is skewed against them.
When asked if she ever had intentions of running for the Woman Rep seat, she maintained that Senate is the place she wants to be.
In the Senate, she served as vice-chairperson of the committee on national security and foreign relations.
LEGAL OFFICER
In terms of ratings, she was the second most vocal in the Senate after her Makueni counterpart Mutula Kilonzo Jr, which saw her receive an award from President Uhuru Kenyatta in 2014.
Ms Dhullo - who was a District Officer for 11 years and a legal officer in the Ministry of Health for five years, said she is better placed to represent Isiolo residents at the Senate than her opponents.
"It is unfortunate that people don’t look at someone’s qualifications. I feel like I am the best placed for the Senate seat among all the candidates... despite that, there is light at the end of the tunnel," she added.
INTIMIDATION
Besides being disadvantage in terms of financial muscle, she cited security constraints, propaganda and clan issues as challenges she experiences while traversing the vast region campaigning.
"As a woman, it is not easy to run against six male counterparts. When I started the journey, my mobile phones were being tracked, people were trailing every step I took but I am confident that I will clinch the seat."
The lawyer is a strong supporter of President Uhuru Kenyatta; but said she opted to contest on a PDR ticket since she could have been "locked out" during Jubilee Party primaries through rigging.
ACHIEVEMENTS
She boasts of using her opportunity well while in the Senate, saying she has articulated issues affecting residents of Isiolo effectively.
Ms Dhullo has strongly highlighted issues of lack of identification documents, extrajudicial killings and mysterious disappearance of locals in Kinna and Isiolo, Meru National park-Garba Tulla road construction, establishment of county headquarters and Madrassa, supported students with school fees and employment.
Last year, she sponsored 12 Imams to Turkey to learn how to deal with radicalisation of youths in the county.
CATTLE RUSTLING
Similar sentiments were echoed by Ms Mworia who is vying for an elective seat for the second time.
Ms Mworia, a former county director for gender and youth affairs, said culture, lack of funds and endorsements were limiting chances for female candidates to vie for political seats.
"It is very difficult to compete with male candidates who have the support of respective [the] community and their clans," she said.
According to her, she said women are portrayed as weak people who cannot tackle major conflicts ranging from rampant cattle rustling and inter-community wrangles, among others.
