Clan discards tradition to endorse female candidate

Published on October 29, 2007

By Ali Abdi

A borana clan has gone ‘out of tradition’ to endorse the candidature of a woman parliamentary aspirant in Isiolo District.

Elders from the Dambenono clan ‘cleared’ Mrs Mumina Konso to vie for the Isiolo South Constituency parliamentary seat, whose immediate former MP was Mr Abdul Bahari Ali (Kanu).

The elders, drawn from all the locations of Isiolo South, met at the residence of Mr Haji Kadubo Billa and deliberated on the issue for five days.

It was a relief for Mrs Konso as the same elders had ‘barred’ her from running in 2002, saying Borana women were traditionally ‘not allowed’ to lead.

She defied the elders then and contested against Bahari on a Narc ticket, but lost.

Billa said it had dawned on the elders that women too could seek leadership positions and own or inherit property, contrary to their earlier beliefs.

"Lessons learnt from civic awareness campaigns from NGOs have led to the change in belief and attitude towards women," he said.

He added that the elders from Sericho location had also contributed to the change of attitude.

‘’I attended several workshops organised by ActionAid with these village elders. I now know that elsewhere in the world, women are even presidents. I understand that in the Muslim nation of Pakistan, a woman had been a president,’’ said Billa, referring to former Prime Minister, Mrs Benazir Bhutto.

Konso, who will stand on a Narc-Kenya ticket, said the tradition that barred women from seeking leadership was backward.

The landmark decision by the elders is crucial in her bid to run for the seat. She derives inspiration from her late husband, Mr Denge Konso, a former director of education, who passed on two weeks ago.

While thanking the elders, she asked those from other clans to give her support, adding that women have demonstrated that they can lead.