Don't vote for candidates who instigate gender based electoral violence 

NAIROBI-21ST NOVEMBER 2007
For Immediate release

Electoral Gender Based Violence (EGBV) is the greatest stumbling block to effective participation of women in electoral politics in Kenya. Yet it has been  trivialized, unattended and unaddressed. EGBV manifests itself in many different forms including sexual, psychological, emotional, physical harm, verbal abuse and insults and even threats of such attacks. Women are and continue to be the greatest sufferers of EGBV. In the last three months alone, more than 20 women have been subjected to gender based political violence – and these are the cases that have been reported! The violence is escalating as the General Elections draw closer.

The Party nominations that were held last week were marred with violence and rigging with women being the majority of the survivors. Alice Wahome, a parliamentary aspirant from Kandara constituency was severely attacked by her opponents. Alice won the Party of National Unity (PNU) nomination for the constituency. On Monday 19th 2007 Alice went to the party offices in Nairobi to collect her nomination certificate and was handed the certificate but her opponents Maina Kamau, Councillor John Kiboro, Mwangi Wathabuni, one Sammy and other rowdy supporters tried to snatch her nomination certificate. They attacked and beat her severely. Alice is currently at the Nairobi Hospital where she is being attended to by her doctors. Police officers were present during her attack but no arrests have been made so far.

Alice Wahome joins the long list of women aspirants assaulted on the campaign trail for leadership positions.

Flora Igoki Tera, an ODM Kenya Parliamentary Candidate for the North Imenti constituency in Meru district of Kenya, was attacked and tortured by a gang of 5 men, near her Meru home. They choked her and scored her wrists with thorns; and beat her with iron bars, dislodging a disc in her spine. They also shaved and tore her hair, mixed it with human feaces, stuffed into her mouth, and forced her to swallow it. All the while, they repeatedly warned her against running for the North Imenti seat in the forthcoming elections. Before this, Ms. Tera had suffered another assault by unknown assailants who burned her knuckles with cigarettes.

Stephanie Ciamati, an ODM aspirant from Nithi constituency in Meru South district has been rigged out of the nomination process by her political party despite having been the only applicant until yesterday. Before, then a group of men attempted to break into her rural home and poisoned her two dogs. Ciamati is still fighting for the injustices with little attention from her political party and the ECK.

Mumina Konso, a Narc Kenya aspirant in Isiolo South constituency was rigged out the nominations by direct nomination to her male opponent. She has since sought refuge from Mazingira party after undergoing psychological torture and spending a lot of her scarce resources while campaigning on former party platform.

Carol Nganga of Lari constituency was also rigged out of the PNU nomination process by her male opponents. Her complains at the party headquarters has fallen on deaf ears because her opponent has been issued with party certificate.

Angela Waweru, a KANU civic aspirant in Kiserian ward, Kajiado district was rigged out of the nomination process by the party Presiding Officers when young men with knives from a slaughterhouse came to the polling station and scared away voters and intimidated her. Her complains in the party KANU headquarters have received equal deaf ears.

Asha Hussein a civic candidate in Dandora was also attacked by unknown men outside her home while returning home in the evening. The men threatened to kill her and her family if she went ahead with her bid for the civic seat.

These are just a few examples of electoral gender based violence which have also been on the increase during the nomination period. Women are being attacked because they are women and also because it is seen as though they are not fit to bear flags of the popular parties. Women are also viewed as guilty for invading ‘the male territory’ and without a license to do so!  All the cases mentioned above have been reported to the Electoral Gender Based Violence – Rapid Response Unit (EGBV-RRU) at the Education Centre for Women in Democracy (ECWD).

The  Electoral Gender Based Violence – Rapid Response Unit (EGBV-RRU) the first of its kind in Kenya which started offering its services from 1st October 2007 and is expected to run until December 2007 was started to address cases of gender based violence. The GRRU provides rapid response services to women aspirants who experience any form of electoral violence.

We are perturbed by the slow response from the government, security officers, political parties and the Electoral commission of Kenya towards the violence  We demand that all political parties acknowledge the candidates who rightfully garnered the party nominations and uphold ownership.

As a national and regional women’s human rights organization with the aim of aim increasing the presence of women in positions of leadership and decision-making,  we strongly condemn the attack on Alice Wahome.

We demand accountability from the President of the Republic of Kenya and the Electoral Commission of Kenya (ECK) to take stern measures against aspirants perpetrating violence against women. Their silence and negligence on the matter will be interpreted as collaboration to the violations. 

Finally, we call on all Kenyans not to vote for candidates who instigate gender based electoral violence. 

For more information please contact:
Dr. Margaret Hutchinson
Executive Director
Education Centre for Women in Democracy
P.O Box 62714, NAIROBI.
Tel: 4343508/9/10
Mobile: 0722200917 or 0734699689
Email: info@ecwd.org