Former aviation unionist trains eyes on MCA seat

Perpetua Mponjiwa is no stranger to politics. She has been an instrumental player for more than a decade.

Her political activism dates back to her tenure as chairperson of the Aviation and Allied Workers Union where she championed some of the most transformative collective bargaining agreements in the history of Kenya’s aviation sector.

She is currently running for Member of County Assembly (MCA) in Kileleshwa, Dagoretti North, Nairobi. But first she will have to overcome a hurdle that stifled her 2017 bid. This is getting the Orange Democratic Movement (ODM) party ticket.

Ms Mponjiwa burst into the limelight of mainstream elective politics in 2017, when she vied for the same seat but lost during ODM nominations. This setback did not, however, dampen her spirits.

She is ready for another stab and expresses confidence that this time, she will emerge victorious and proceed to win come the August 9 General Election.

Persistence

“You have to be aggressive when joining politics because it can be disappointing when you lose,” Ms Mponjiwa says.

“Most women get depressed when they lose an election, but I would advise them to be persistent.”

The aspirant joined Kenya Airways in 2006, as a flight attendant and quickly got interested in advocating labour rights for fellow employees. She, therefore, joined Aviation and Allied Alliance Workers Union where she served in various capacities, including as secretary general and eventually, chairperson.

It was during her tenure as chairperson in 2009 that Kenya Airways workers went on strike to demand a revision of their employment terms.

After intense negotiations with then-Managing Director Titus Naikuni and other trade organisations, two CBAs covering 2008 to 2010 and 2010 to 2012, were signed. This led to a 25 per cent salary increment, as well an increase in paternity and maternity leave days and allowances.

But her spirited union efforts were put to a halt when Kenya Airways dismissed her from employment in January 2012. She has since redirected her efforts to mainstream politics and her printing business.

Although the former trade unionist draws parallels between unionism and mainstream politics, she considers running for public office more socially impactful.

Education

Ms Mponjiwa maintains that it was difficult balancing aviation management and colleagues’ interests amicably. She says that if elected, she will prioritise access to education, especially for children in Waruku, a low-income settlement. Her slogan is 'Huduma kwa wote’ (Service for all).

“There has been a lot of discrimination in accessing education bursaries for children from the Waruku area. Some parents have had to bribe officials to access the funds when they don’t need to,” she says, maintaining that bursaries must be disbursed consistently to ensure no student drops out of school.

She says residents have a poor relationship with the sitting MCA, whom she also accuses of skewed bursary allocation.

“Kileleshwa residents also experience constant water shortages and poor roads. These issues have not been attended to by the sitting MCA,” she adds.

Besides eliminating education inequalities, she also plans to work with vulnerable groups such as women, youth and persons with disabilities in empowerment programmes. She intends to increase their access to women and youth enterprise funds to help them diversify livelihoods.

Provision of healthcare services to Waruku residents is also top on her agenda. Ms Mponjiwa plans to build a clinic for them should she win the seat.

Harassment

But even as she intensifies her bid, campaigning has not been rosy for Ms Mponjiwa. She is frequently harassed on account of her family status.

“People expect my husband to accompany me as I campaign. His absence is interpreted as lack of support for my political endeavours. This has also exposed me to unsolicited propaganda attacks,” she says.

Despite her financial constraints and the attacks on her reputation, Ms Mponjiwa says she will continue mentoring young women into politics. She believes this will increase their participation and, consequently, contribute to realising the two-third gender rule.

[email protected]