It is our time to eat! Why Mombasa women are flocking to political rallies
Supporters of Mombasa Woman Representative aspirant Asha Hussein 'Ashuu' protest outside her office in Tononoka, Mombasa on April 1, 2022.
It is 2pm and the weather is chilly as Mombasa residents assemble at the Tononoka grounds, where a political aspirant is set to hold a campaign rally.
Among the attendees is a group of women whose presence has now become a common occurrence in local politics.
From their dress codes, which are colour-themed to fit specific political parties, to composing songs for aspirants, women in the Coast region are actively playing supportive roles in campaigns.
From Mombasa, Tana River and Taita Taveta to Kilifi, Kwale and Lamu, attention is increasingly drawn to women attending political rallies.
Supporters of Mombasa Woman Representative aspirant Asha Hussein 'Ashuu' protest outside her office in Tononoka, Mombasa on April 1, 2022.
The campaigns, mostly happening on weekends, have somehow provided women from different political groupings with a platform to tear into each other and in the process normalising gender stereotypes.
From grooming, ethnicity and even insults targeting intellectual and bedroom matters, the personalised attacks have muddied the Coast political scene in a way never seen before.
At a rally at Kilifi’s Sawasawa Grounds, a woman representative aspirant hurled unprintable words at Malindi MP Aisha Jumwa.
Ms Jumwa herself has also used disparaging remarks against her local and national opponents.
Likoni MP Mishi Mboko has also been on the offensive against the Kenya Kwanza brigade in the Coast region and does not mince words attacking Deputy President William Ruto’s supporters.
For local women mostly paid to attend rallies, one of their outfits is the famed dera dress, mostly worn by Muslim women.
Amina Abdallah says women choose the attire because it is cheaper and easier to find.
"After a political aspirant announces he is going to have a rally on a certain day, we meet up and discuss the dress code. It is usually the
Dera but the colour has to match with the political party of that day," says Ms Abdallah.
Jubilee Party supporters escort Women Rep Aspirant Amina Abdalla to present her Papers for clearance by the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC) in this photo taken on June 3, 2022.
"Each time we attend a rally we get a new attire that has different patterns from the previous one we wore."
A dera dress costs between Sh250 and Sh400.
In Kilifi County, the women political lobbies have not been left behind.
But here, besides the dera dress, they also prefer the leso, commonly called the kanga.
Why kanga?
Because it captures Swahili proverbs and riddles that resonate with the political messaging made at rallies.
The most popular ones are “Usimuone simba amenyeshewa ukadhani ni paka”, “Mlala hoi hana haki”
In Lamu County, composing songs and poems praising or criticising political aspirants has become common during campaigns.
"One does not have to be a musician to do so. Other times we go for traditional songs because they have a deeper message and meaning," says Nyabwana Ahmed.
Scenes at the Kenya School of Government in Mombasa during Sonko's chaotic entry to the IEBC Clearance Office on June 6, 2022.
However, a common factor among all these women is ditching their household chores for political rallies.
"What makes me attend the rallies is not my love for the politicians, rather the money I get from it. Why would I stay at home when I can get Sh500 or Sh700 at the end of that day by just appearing at the rallies?" says Ms Abdallah.
They say that because of the high cost of living, they must work harder to put food on the table.
"The prices of most commodities have gone up. For a person who is a single mother staying indoors is not an option," says Ms Ahmed.
According to Ms Beatrice Kazungu, who organises women’s groups to meet candidates in Mombasa, discussions involve the number of women needed at a rally and how much each will be paid.
"Through their leader, the women then meet and agree on the colour of the attire that day. But it has to be a dera dress or a leso, because T-shirts are common among the men," says Ms Kazungu.
Many marriages in the Coast region break up because of women neglecting their household duties to attend political rallies, claims Mashinani Women Network executive Carol Oduor.
"This electioneering period is not that different from the 2017 General Election. This time, we have received a case where a woman has been sent [to her parents’ place] twice because of neglecting her home and wifely duties," says Ms Oduor.
The women are said to leave their homes as early as 6am and go back late into the night.
Ms Oduor notes during the recent party nominations, the network recorded three spousal separation cases in Changamwe constituency related to women’s political activities.
