economic empowerment - PBS

“We want to choose our husbands. Wewant to own the land. We want to go toschool. We don’t want to be cut anymore.We also want to make decisions. We wantto participate in politics, to be leaders. Wewant to be equal.”–Rebecca Lolosoli, Founder of UmojaIndividuals Featured in EconomicEmpowerment in KenyaNicholas KristofJournalist; Co-Author of Half the Sky:Turning Oppression into Opportunityfor Women WorldwideSheryl WuDunnJournalist; Co-Author of Half the Sky:Turning Oppression into Opportunityfor Women WorldwideOlivia WildeActress; ActivistIngrid MunroFounder of Jamii BoraJane NgoiriIndependent businesswoman;Member of Jamii BoraRebecca LolosoliCo-founder and matriarch of Umoja,a women-only villageKabeh S. SumboOwner of Passama Agriculture TradingCorporation in LiberiaSources:»»www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-africa-18574734»»ictj.org/publication/institutional-reform-newconstitution-kenya»»www.odi.org.uk/resources/details.asp?id=1522&title=crisis-kenya-land-displacement»»www.afrol.com/Categories/Women/profiles/kenya_women.htm»»kenvironews.wordpress.com/2008/09/08/a-snapshot-of-the-situation-of-women%E2%80%99s-rights-in-kenyaBackground InformationKenya Past and PresentKenya is a relatively stable African country with a truly multicultural population, whoseethnic diversity has produced a vibrant culture. It is also a country that spent 80 yearsfighting for freedom from colonial rule, only to face four decades of political corruptionthat has undermined its economic and civic development and contributed to the disempowermentof millions of women.The colonial period in Kenya was a time of vicious political and cultural oppression andeconomic exploitation for the indigenous communities who had lived in that region forcenturies. In 1894, Britain declared protectorate over Kenya, and the new state’s boundarieswere drawn without the consultation of Kenya’s people. This act arbitrarily broughttogether over 40 previously independent communities into one territorial entity. The ongoingcivil unrest that Kenya faces finds its roots in the painful legacy of violence and ethnictension from the country’s colonial era.After achieving independence from Britain in 1963, Kenya’s leader, Jomo Kenyatta,consolidated the political parties under the Kenya African National Union (KANU) party,and by 1969, had banned all other political parties. He was succeeded in 1978 byDaniel arap Moi, who maintained one-party rule under KANU and remained in powerfor 24 years. In the early 1990s, violent unrest and international pressure led to therestoration of multiparty politics, but it took another decade before opposition candidateMwai Kibaki ended nearly 40 years of KANU-party rule with his landslide victory in2002’s general election.Despite President Kibaki’s pledge to tackle corruption, mismanagement of internationalaid has been a continuing issue, with some donors estimating that up to one billion dollarswas lost between 2002 and 2005 alone. In addition to high-level corruption and graft,Kenyans also face crippling daily challenges including high unemployment, widespreadcrime, reoccurring droughts, and extreme poverty, with most Kenyans living on less thanone dollar a day.For Kenyan women, poverty and pervasive traditionalism are the two major obstacles toobtaining equal rights. Although government policy, legislation, and the media favor women’srights, the traditional view of women’s low status has proven difficult to overcome.Violence against women is a serious problem, with many traditional cultures permittingand even encouraging men to physically discipline their wives. The practice of femalegenital mutilation (FGM) is prevalent, with about 50 percent of Kenyan women havingsuffered FGM. Rape is also widespread despite legal prohibitions, and there is substantialevidence that incidence of child rape is growing. Underlying all of these violations ofwomen’s rights is a deeply entrenched economic discrimination linked to cultural traditionsand customary laws that deny women the right to make decisions about their ownresources and to inherit and own land.Recent political improvements — including the new constitution adopted in 2010 thatdelegates more power to local governments and gives Kenyans a bill of rights — haveinspired cautious optimism for many Kenyans. These changes are especially importantfor women who hope to benefit from policies that seek to end gender discrimination andsupport women’s leadership and participation, such as a quota guaranteeing a minimumof 47 women members of Parliament in the National Assembly.Discussion guide // economic empowerment7