Lamu East gets its first ever woman MP
Ruweida Obo who has won the Lamu East parliamentary seat.
What you need to know:
- Lamu East have made history by electing the first woman member of Parliament in the constituency.
- Ruweida Mohamed Obo, who has served as the Lamu County Woman Representative between 2017 and 2022, pledged to serve the constituents diligently and ensure development is achieved in the constituency.
Voters in Lamu East have made history by electing the first woman member of Parliament in the constituency.
Jubilee Party’s Ruweida Mohamed Obo won the seat with 5,498 votes in a hotly contested race that featured four candidates among them the incumbent, Mr Sharif Athman Ali, of the United Democratic Alliance (UDA).
Mr Sharif failed to retain the seat that he has held for two terms, having been elected for the first time in 2013 on a United Democratic Front (UDF) party ticket and re-elected in 2017 on a Jubilee ticket. He later ditched Jubilee for Deputy President William Ruto’s UDA, which is in the Kenya Kwanza Alliance.
Mr Sharif garnered 4,633 votes in the results announced Wednesday by Constituency Returning Officer Stephen Karani at the Faza Secondary constituency tallying centre.
Mr Kombo Shekuwe Kahale alias Mwanati of the Kenya African National Union (Kanu) got 3,180 votes while Mr Mohamed Madhubuti of Wiper party garnered 1,632 votes.
Speaking after receiving her certificate from Mr Karani, Ms Obo, who has served as the Lamu County Woman Representative between 2017 and 2022, thanked the voters for electing her as their first female legislator and pledged to serve them diligently and ensure development is achieved in the constituency.
“I was the only female contestant in this race but I wasn’t deterred. I knew the time had come for Lamu East Constituency to vote for change. I thank all for believing in women’s leadership.
Infrastructure
“I want to assure you that I will do all it takes to ensure that the constituency attains the change you deserve in terms of education, security, infrastructure, health, water and fisheries, among other development initiatives,” said Ms Obo.
She also promised to push for the empowerment of women, children and people with special needs.
“My focus now is to bring change that we can believe in and trust. As the MP of this area, I will effectively address the issues of the most vulnerable people in our communities, empower people to take the lead and make informed decisions, and embrace public participation,” said Ms Obo.
During her campaigns, Ms Obo had promised to educate the public on the dangers drug abuse, which, she said, affects many local youths. She will also fight for unity and peaceful co-existence amongst all the residents of Lamu East Sub-county, she said.
