Preacher who never was now eyeing parliamentary seat

Intimidation, thin financial muscles and political treachery, exhaustion and despair almost weighed down Charity Kathambi Chepkwony in her pursuit to represent the people of Njoro in the National Assembly.

But her resolve, zeal and gusto did not allow her to give up on the way and she is now the Jubilee Party nominee for the Njoro parliamentary seat in the August polls.

From her to other women seeking elective positions: “It is never a walk in the park.”

Mrs Chepkwony, a Kenya Literature Bureau (KLB) board member, cites intimidation as the greatest challenge for women in politics, mainly from male counterparts who use it as a tactic to force women into giving up on their ambition to be in elective positions.

“Women are naturally peacemakers and are created to keep the peace and to protect their homes from external forces,” says Mrs Chepkwony.

“So many times, they choose to keep off rather than lose their families,” the mother of three told the Nation in Nakuru town.

SECOND STAB

The Jubilee Party candidate, making a second stab at the parliamentary seat, says that most women get discouraged by the dirty games that are rife in Kenya’s politics.

“When I went to seek parliamentary seat in 2013, I won the primaries under URP (United Republican Party) but was unable to defend my seat in the General Election due to a lot of irregularities which included voter bribery and intimidation,” she says.

However, she did not give up and remained active and vibrant in Jubilee Party activities.

“This year, I went back to the people and like last time, did an honest and clean campaign," she said with a smile.

“I asked the people to be realistic and we discussed several things. In most instances, politicians usually lie to voters and promise what they cannot achieve,” she added.

NOT SLEEPING

Having trounced her rivals to secure the Jubilee ticket, Mrs Chepkwony says she is aware that those who lost have not gone to sleep or let go.

She says that she has information some of those she beat were strategising to field one candidate to face her as an independent competitor.

But she observes that often, women aspiring for political positions usually face other challenges, including financial constraints, to fund their campaigns compared with their male counterparts.

However, she advises, women must remain focused, face the challenges head-on and never give up.

“When I was announced the winner of the Njoro parliamentary seat ..., I had only Sh6,000 that would cater for everything, including our fuel back home,” she adds with a hearty laugh.

PREACHER

Growing up, she wanted to be a lawyer and a preacher with the desire to preach peace in areas affected by inter-tribal clashes in Njoro.

“In my journey, I’ve learned that it is the small acts that matter to the people. The little things that impact their lives,” she added.

Mrs Chepkwony was appointed a director at the Kenya Literature Bureau last year.

“To me, that was a great honour which placed me in a position to get to serve people, which is my greatest passion,” she says.

“Women make the best leaders because they are more transparent and less corrupt. My dream is to bring back the glory of Njoro,” she quips.

But she calls upon Kenyans to always strive to elect "clean" leaders who will not taint the country’s politics because: "politics is not a dirty game but it is the people who elect dirty people."