The race for the Kilifi Women Representative seat in the next year General Election gathered momentum after Maendeleo Ya Wanawake Organization (MYWO) Kilifi county chairlady witness Tsuma announced her bid for the seat.
It is the second time, Ms Tsuma a career educationist is going for the top county women seat after she vied for the same in 2017 with a Kadu Asili party ticket.
Addressing reporters after meeting with Chonyi Council of elders in Chasimba, Kilifi South, Ms Tsuma said that her focus is to make sure the rights of women in Kilifi County including proper empowerment processes are adhered to help them meet the demands of their lives.
“What we have seen for the past ten years is a continued suffering of women who have been literally forgotten even with the availability of government money like affirmative funds and women enterprises funds. This has been caused by leaders who have given the women a blind eye when they are expected to be in the frontline in offering solutions,” she said.
Ms Tsuma told the Chonyi elders that her determination to see a changed Kilifi woman is what is pushing her to go for the seat and continue with her advocacy for social and economic empowerment.
“I have worked with several donours to make sure that we change the situation. In several areas, we have done a number of interventions that are slowly changing the narrative about women. The government funds that ought to play a bigger role in benefiting our women has failed to realise the same, forcing the marginalized women at their fate. This has been my concern as a woman leader,” she said.
Ms Tsuma while meeting with Bunge La Wananchi at Kanamai in Kilifi South said that Kilifi is rich in natural resources that can directly benefit the community but because of lack of proper policies to tap into their benefits, then the same resources have been a subject of conflict and confrontations.
“It is sad that we have enough land that can be used for economic development projects. But because of poor policies, the same land has brought a lot of bloodshed. We have seen the demolishing of houses and unwanted evictions. The Kilifi community is at a loose end and as leaders, this must be one of our responsibilities to end this menace,” she told the locals at Makio hall.
Ms Tsuma has been crisscrossing the entire county in her new bid to win the hearts of the Kilifi electorates as the election years nears.
Currently the seat is being occupied by Gertrude Mbeyu who won it in an Orange Democratic Movement (ODM) ticket in 2017. Ms Tsuma has since left Kadu Asili and will be vying for the seat in an ODM ticket.
Speaking at Ganda trading centre in Malindi on Thursday after meeting women leaders from the sub county, Ms Tsuma officially announced her return to ODM and supported the recent changes that took place in ODM county team.
“I am in ODM to stay and those saying that ODM is dead in Kilifi are daydreaming. It is alive and we even now have new interim chairman who is Mr Teddy Mwambire, the Ganze MP. Soon we shall start the recruitment process for new members,” she said.
Ms Tsuma also threw her weight behind ASAL CAS Gideon Mung’aro who is going for the gubernatorial seat in the next year General Election.
Mr Mung’aro vied for the seat on Jubilee ticket in 2017 but lost to incumbent governor Amason Kingi. Mr Mung’aro has since returned to ODM and was welcomed into the party by its leader Raila Odinga recently.
Others in the women race include Juliet Riziki(Kachachawa), Christine Zawadi, Santa Mwanyule and the incumbent Getrude Mbeyu.
