Rangwe MP Lilian Gogo has said women eyeing various elective seats should be given special security considerations.
Dr Gogo has pleaded with the Inspector General of Police Hilary Mutyambai to accord women security during campaigns ahead of the August 9 General Election.
Speaking in Rangwe town after being cleared by the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission to defend her seat, Gogo said women are prone to political violence.
“What I have noticed is that women aspirants are vulnerable to political chaos. I am calling on the Inspector General of Police to protect female candidates,” Gogo said.
The MP said she would not wish any female aspirant to witness what happened to her during her 2017 General Election campaigns.
“What happened to me in 2017 should not happen to any woman aspiring for an elective seat this time. The most important thing is that women should be given security,” Gogo said.
She said it was important for women to be elected for various leadership positions.
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She said many female political leaders act like mothers in service delivery. She said a mother cares about the welfare of everybody in a household.
“A woman leader is like a mother who ensures everyone in her family eats. Even those who are not there have their food preserved so that they eat upon returning home,” Gogo said.
The MP said that women deserve a conducive atmosphere to share their campaign agenda like their male counterparts.
It is this atmosphere that can enable them to sell their policies so that they get elected, she said.
“Everybody deserves to campaign without intimidation. This is the only way women, who are the minority in elective positions, can win seats,” said Gogo.
The MP called on men to stop viewing women as a weaker gender. She said there was a need for society to believe that even women have potential in leadership. “There are many women who have demonstrated good leadership skills in various elective positions. Women are capable of leadership,” she said.
Gogo said she was not leaving anything to chance in the imminent election to ensure she retains her seat. She is one of the female leaders who got free nomination tickets from ODM party.
Residents of Rangwe also underscored the significance of electing a woman to elective positions.
Caroline Atieno called on women in the constituency to support women candidates in the election.
“Today, schools in Rangwe constituency are well-developed in terms of infrastructure through the leadership of a female MP. Women can lead well, too,” Atieno said.
Barack Ojala, a Rangwe resident, said that what was important was to gauge candidates in terms of their capability rather than on their gender.
“Let us vote candidates based on their leadership credentials rather than their gender. What we saw in the current parliamentary leadership is so amazing that we never expected,” Ojala said. BY THE STAR