Dr. Julia Ojiambo’s Aspirations at the top.

More than thirty years in Kenya's turbulent political arena, Kenya's Iron Lady Dr. Julia Ojiambo is still fighting. Not daunted or cowed by manipulations in a male dominated sphere, but taking them head on - for the country's vice presidency.

Having started out as a presidential candidate, Dr. Ojiambo fought it in ODM-Kenya’s presidential nomination contest to earn the party’s running mate to nominated flag bearer Stephen Kalonzo Musyoka.

Her battles for leadership are far from over as the country prepares for the December 27, 2007 general elections. In her home Funyula constituency - Busia district, she is facing yet another enormous challenge. It makes her the only woman candidate fighting against state power of the incumbency - Vice President Moody Awori.

Though a presidential running mate, in a recent interview, Dr. Ojiambo is categorical that she aspires sooner or later to make history as the country’s first female president. She revealed what she would do once she landed the job.

Dr. Ojiambo is indeed a household name in the country’s politics. She made history in her own right during the late Mzee Jomo Kenyatta’s administration as the first assistant minister in a male dominated cabinet since independence. She entered into politics from teaching in 1975.

Ironically her involvement in turbulent politics over the years did not deter her in developing her Dressional career that this year saw her graduate into a fully fledged Dressor in nutritional sciences.

Through retired president Daniel Arap Moi’s regime, as a top national women leader in the then powerful ruling party Kanu. She was the force and the power behind the consolidation and formation of the once powerful Kanu women and youth leagues that had hitherto been ignored by the previous government.

In Kanu she says she faced a myriad of challenges trials and tribulations, before deciding to form her own Labour Party of Kenya (LPK), which she chairs. The party played a crucial role in the unification of the Narc coalition and hence the current regime.

Dr. Ojiambo who had declared her interest to bid for the country’s Presidency under the then umbrella of the ODM-K. A party dominated by male presidential aspirants, at which she was national vice chair and one of the only two ladies fighting it out for nomination to be elected to the country’s top seat.

The only other lady presidential aspirant in that outfit was Nazlin Omar. The male dominating the scene were Raila Odinga, Kalonzo Musyoka, Musalia Mudavadi, Najib Balala, Joseph Nyagah, William Ruto and Uhuru Kenyatta.

With this lot, Dr. Ojiambo had decided after being unanimously elected by the LPK’s Annual Conference as the party’s flag bearer to fight it out to be nominated the ODM-K presidential candidate.

“Things changed dramatically when the infighting and manipulation by the male candidates for the presidency became too much. Mr. Musyoka as you know quit and joined us in LPK, but that was not the end. The others left and acquired the Orange Democratic Movement (ODM). The rest you know up to now and after parliamentary and civic nominations,” she said.

The ODM-K running mate confirms that she has been through tough and hotly contested political battles with Vice president Awori before. Political experience, involvement in national socio-economic development activities, academic prowess, gender parity achievements and experiences are her strengths.

That aside, what does Dr. Ojiambo have to offer Kenyans in case ODM-K wins? What vision does she and her party have for Kenyans? What difference does she hope to make in this country and its populace? How does she hope to go about it?

She says that when she un-veiled her vision for the presidency mid this year, it was in complete contrast with those of other presidential hopefuls like the incumbent Kibaki, Kalonzo, Raila, Ruto, Mudavadi among others.

Whereas her competitors’ visions were dominated with more of political rhetoric and posturing, Dr. Ojiambo’s says hers targeted wiping out social-economic ills through national wealth creation by economic empowerment of the country’s masses in every quarter. To harness and exploit their potential for a common good. Above all eradicating the crippling poverty.

She said: “I have a vision for a united, progressive and prosperous nation that provides equal opportunity to all citizens, to contribute and benefit from its growth and prosperity. A nation where all citizens respect and value one another’s human dignity and nationhood.”
 She went on: “Our focus in ODM-K is on establishing a pragmatic results oriented leadership and policy framework, which will ensure that within a decade completely change Kenyan’s lives, attitudes, opportunities, incomes and above all wealth.”

Dr. Ojiambo says Women must not be taken out of the country’s leadership category. The nation does not require a female or male president. It requires a Leader. The Leader’s gender does not matter. A Leader of high quality and integrity.

She went on: “Kenya needs a pragmatic Leader in terms of national development inclusively. Involving Kenyans from all walks of life. All corners of the country in active participation and belonging – to get rid of corruption and other socio-economic and political vices bedeviling the country. A leader who is sensitive to the needs of every Kenyan and not just a few.”

Dr. Ojiambo says the country is hungry for a leader who is acutely aware of the fact that leadership is not a personal gift, but a calling to harness and pull the nation’s talent together to work as a team to achieve faster national development, peace and security in all corners of the country, remote or not.

“We are talking of an environment where Kenyans must talk of a one people with singular focused national purpose. Of a one people one nation strictly. Not based on ethnicity. Whose quality aspirations are similarly based on the equal sharing and distribution of national resources without favour. An environment where every woman, man, youth and child is given equal opportunity not only to share in resources but also chances to harness and apply their capacities and skills,” she said.

The thorny question of a so-called minority or marginalised groups in the country must be eliminated. Completely eradicated from the country’s map and vocabulary. This, Dr. Ojiambo says is the only sure and fool-proof way in which endemic vices like corruption, insecurity, ethnicity and moral decay among others can be completely wiped out.
 The question of  80 per cent of the country’s land mass surface traditionally considered low potential when percentage of the country’s more than 35 million people scramble and fight for a mere 20 per cent of the so called potential areas.

“Disregarding the possible transformation of the 80 per cent into productive use and national development, as well as the highest and most loyal voting segment of the country - women, form very important and invaluable assets for the national development yet ignored,” says Dr. Ojiambo.

She argues that the government’s lack of appreciation to recognize the need to harness these assets was exposed when President Kibaki announced the creation of a Kshs. 2 billion Fund for the women compared to Kshs. 7.5 billion annual budgetary allocations for the country’s estimated 50,000 prison inmates.

“Compared to the numbers of women in the country, the prison allocation is not expected to have any multiplier effect in the general economy, nor tangible returns and change of life for the ordinary Kenyan. What if the sKhs. 7.5 billion was allocated to women instead of just shs. 2 billion?” she posed.

Dr. Ojiambo says: “Women should not be given a Fund, but must be given a legal framework in which the disempowered women constitutionally have access to funds for their Micro-economic activities, including the impoverished majority of Kenyans in every corner of the country.”

 She says she had introduced in parliament before dissolution a Community and Social Enterprises Capital Development Fund Bill, to enable Kenyan’s from all segments of the economy, walks of life and all corners of the country to access Micro finance capital at low interest rates, by the people for the people by the government.

 “The aim was to ensure that the majority of people was given the opportunity to actively participate and contribute to the country’s annual Gross Domestic Product (GDP) as a springboard to the national socio-economic development that is currently hoarded by only 20 per cent of the country’s population,” she said.

 The critical issue was to lower the high taxes, especially the low-income earners and the poor by broadening the national revenue base across the country. The government to channel development funds to the Arid and Semi-Arid Lands (ASALS) to develop and exploit the high potential of natural resources there.

 The ODM-K running mate says the other critical areas that she will champion for urgent attention include education, nutrition and health, ICT, innovation, governance (legislature, the executive and judiciary, environment, gender parity, regional and international co-operation across the board.