Men now ride while we walk, say women political mobilisers
Women dance during an event in Isiolo on September 21, 2015. Women political mobilisers say they are ignored after elections, while their male counterparts are rewarded handsomely.
What you need to know:
- During a recent forum held in Nairobi by Badili Africa, 180 mobilisers from Kawangware, Mathare and Kayole decried physical, psychological and economic violence.
- One mentioned being cut in the arm with a razor blade by supporters of a competitor. Some said they worked without being paid and were bawled out whenever they demanded their pay.
A call would come through, precise and imposing.
"Tomorrow, I’ll be campaigning in Mabatini [Mathare, Nairobi County] and I want you to mobilise 30 women to attend my rally,” a politician on the line told Everlyne Auma, a woman political mobiliser in Mathare.
For the next four hours or more, she would excitedly phone some. For the unreachable, she would make her way through the narrow alleys to their homes. Hurray! Her work would be done.
The 30 women were expected to welcome the politician with song and dance and cheer as she/he addresses the crowd.
At times, she had to wake up the women at 4am to prepare well for the arrival of the politician hours after 10am.
Ms Auma did the mobilisation job in the 2017 and 2022 general elections, counting as one of the many women across the country who created political kings and queens.
Even so, she says women mobilisers have nothing much to show for their work, as politicians end up ignoring them after polls but reward their male counterparts handsomely.
There are no reliable estimates of the number of women mobilisers in the country, but, often, politicians involve women's groups that number beyond 14,000.
Reward
One would expect that once politicians ascend to power, they would appreciate the women's astounding service to them.
“I remember in the last election, a politician rewarded male mobilisers with Toyota Probox cars, then said we would be rewarded with cash for business. We were expecting that each of us would receive Sh50,000. Shock on us! We received just Sh2,500,” she says.
This notwithstanding the violence she exposed herself to just to win over voters for the politician. “Sometimes a man would spank me. If I protest, the men around him would question my sanity and morality,” she says.
“They would ask me: 'Are you alright in the head? Where have you left your husband? Go take care of your husband. Which woman leaves her husband alone to engage in political campaigns?'”
One time, a man in the crowd wanted to punch her. She was unhappy that a woman was a team leader. Luckily, her bodyguards were keeping watch and they protected her.
"I made friends with the young men around here; they were my bodyguards,” she says.
Her experience resonates with hundreds of other women political mobilisers.
Attack
During a recent forum held in Nairobi by Badili Africa, 180 mobilisers from Kawangware, Mathare and Kayole decried physical, psychological and economic violence.
One mentioned being cut in the arm with a razor blade by supporters of a competitor. Some said they worked without being paid and were bawled out whenever they demanded their pay. Others were smacked with torrents of abuse.
“Everywhere you went, people would be shouting at you ‘you’re a loser, how can you support a loser.’ Or some would come knocking on your door shouting ‘give us money, give us money.’ We live in fear that they may attack us or our children,” said one of the mobilisers from Mathare.
Preliminary findings from a study conducted by Badili Africa on the challenges faced by community mobilisers established that violence ranged from physical attacks and assault,rape, inappropriate touching, undressing in public, spreading false rumours of immorality or infidelity to verbal insults.
Badili Africa executive director Bina Maseno said women political mobilisers “are key players who influence democracy" and their rights have to be mainstreamed by political parties and relevant agencies, and honoured by politicians.
