100 prominent Kenyan women and their contribution to the world

Roll call. We'll start the list by declaring it open to women from all walks of life, and from all sectors of production. So please put in here the names of business leaders, politicians, writers, artists, civil rights activists.

Who makes your list? Here goes

Tampon Taboos

Yes, this piece might be about tampons, but as has been pointed out to me several times, a taboo is something that has been known for a time, and then classified as a no-no for a specific community. Since we are in Africa, a taboo would have to be known for several generations and quarantined as a taboo through those generations likely backed up by some oral tradition about why-not. There, so we really cannot have tampon taboos, since tampons are fairly new phenomena around these parts.

More from Juliet Maruru as she talks about taboo, menstruation, tampons and sexuality.

Deconstructing and Reconstructing Gender

When the Jamaican reggae maestro, Jimmy Cliff sung “Many Rivers to Cross” in far-flung Jamaica in 1972, the philosophical thread was certainly universal binding all struggling people who may or may not have envisioned the connection. But as one decodes the encrypted archeological relics of the living legend and the Noble Peace Laureate, Wangari Maathai , in her memoir: “Unbowed,” there is no doubt that she has wandered across many rivers—the pain, the frustration, the persecution and the humiliations finally gave way to the authentic and infectious smile on the back page of her book. 

A review on Wangari Maathai's Unbowed. 

New York Times issue on women insulting

On Sunday I got to read the much-anticipated New York Times Magazine issue dedicated to women of the developing world. Before I comment on “The Women’s Crusade,” the lead story by Nicholas D. Kristof and his wife Sheryl WuDunn, let me make one thing clear: I have deep respect for the couple. In 1990, Kristof and WuDunn became the first couple to ever win Pulitzer Prize in journalism for their coverage of China’s Tiananmen Square. In his career, Kristof has gone where few of us journalists would dare go. His continuous commentary from Darfur exposed the Sudanese government’s atrocities against civilians and earned him another Pulitzer in 2006. 

Condescending? African mass of one people?

More... .

16 Days: My Activism Against Gender Violence

I have written about gender violence before, and I am afraid I might sound like a broken record. The problem is this issue still persists.

And I am a little frustrated that I have to keep writing about it. But we all know that all over the world there are men using violence to keep their women "in check". Every corner of the globe, there is a man hitting his woman. We know that the problem is worst on our continent. We know that it happens in Kenya.

Read more. It gets personal. He abused m.....

13-yr old girl rape victim stoned to death

It's been a long time since something in the news made me cry-- I am not the weepy kind. But this story broke my heart in ways I cannot begin to describe.

Read more.

Somali women hold Somalia together

A few years ago I met a female Somali member of parliament. She was part of the transitional government that was based in Nairobi and flew into Mogadishu as often as they could.

Want more?

Are you a virgin?

"Are you a virgin?" a friend of mine asked his fiancée one day. The lady looked at him and, without blinking, vowing to herself to be truthful, said that she wasn't.

Click on the title to read more.

Virginity Testing?

I don't remember when I first read about the culture of testing the virginity of women. Lately, the news has been on the Zulu. However, I seem to remember something about new brides being given "the bleeding" test to prove that they were virgins. Something about someone checking to see if white sheets had blood-- the breaking of a woman's hymen. Note, its just brides.

Read more from Amina's blog.

Rwanda Excels as Advocate for Women's Rights

Imagine my delight when I read about Rwanda's election of Mukantabama Rose as its first female speaker. Whatsmore Rose's turf, the Rwandese parliament is the world's first female majority parliament in the world.

More.

An end to justice

In South Africa it is estimated that almost 58 children are the victim’s of rape or attempted rape everyday. This constitutes 41% of all rape cases reported.

Kenya became in 2006 one of the few southern African countries to enact Sexual Offences legislation, but does she really have the economic resources and the political goodwill for this legislation to transmute into a practical reality? As Kenya slips closer to the disturbing trends in South Africa it becomes necessary to ensure that the legislative framework that is the Sexual Offences Act is an effective means by which sexual offences can be curbed.

Read more from L. Akitelek Papakemus.

Amnesty and Abortion

What does a woman do with a pregnancy that is the result of rape?

Read as Amina Mohamed discusses Amnesty International new policy that will support a woman's right to abortion after a rape.

It goes without saying that abortion is not an easy procedure for all parties
involved, however, in instances of violence it is a crucial step on the journey
of healing for the woman.

Read more here.

Maendeleo ya Wanawake is a greedy hate group

Doris Sadera argues that Maendeleo ya Wanawake's agenda is to safeguard the rights of men and to campaign for boys much in the way that other groups campaign for girls.

Women's rights are human rights it is true, but the campaigns of such groups as Maendeleo ya Wanaume make a mockery of the very real trauma many women live through. We have to change the way we raise our daughters, we have to teach them their intrinsic value – advocating for women's rights automatically evolves to human rights; in an ethical Kenya, there is no place for Maendeleo ya Wanaume.

Read more here.

Kenyan women and Public office

Leso Munala responding to former President Moi's call to women to take on responsibility as leaders in the community.

It is one thing to say that qualified women should fight for positions in public
office but another to actually create policies that will enable this to happen.
Women, given the opportunity are going for the highest level of education they
can attain in their various fields of interest. They too are ambitious and want
the very best for Kenya. Just like their males counterparts in Kenya, they
should not have to fight for positions in public office if they have the
relevant education and experience. This mindset will only change if the nation
as a whole embraces the notion that character, relevant training and experience
rather than gender should be the driving force when considering who to elect as
public officials to serve the country.

Read more here.

Legalise Abortion in Kenya

Abortion is illegal in Kenya. The Kenyan penal code criminalizes it, promising stiff punishment to those who practice it.

This effectively means that any woman or girl lucky enough to survive a backstreet (which they usually are) abortion ordeal, and who is subsequently found out by the authorities, risks getting hauled off to court where society will condemn her further for breach of what many legal intellectuals increasingly view as a moral wrong (an offence in the same league as say adultery or premarital sex, for those countries with secular legal regimes, which nevertheless still punish these).

Atieno Ochieng' on a discussion about decriminalizing abortion. Read here.

Feminist's Rant

L. Akitelek Papakemus battles with the idea of being a modern-day feminist.

Having said that I think the feminist movement was, in retrospect, a grand waste of time. Even more so than the American civil rights movement - unless “African” is honestly a better label than “black” and “black” a step up from “negro” - if the intent remains. The hyper femininity that resulted from women’s OWN rejection of the feminist movement as a “carpet muncher’s” voice box, has left the modern woman with an absurdly unrealistic notion of who she should be.

Read more here.

Provoked to murder

Annette Keino just watched Provoked, a movie based on a real story where a young woman kills her abusive husband. Sadly, Kiranjit Ahluwalia is not unique, there are hundreds, nay thousands of women who are abused each day. Follow the narration and discussion that follows here.

FIDA II, or: Mheshimiwa, are you beating your wife?

This question has already been asked by FIDA-Uganda; hopefully it will be repeated aloud in Kenya, too. For domestic abuse knows no social limits, and is found with the self-perceived upper strata of society as badly as with jobless casual workers in the slums.

Read as Alexander Eichener on Minister Samuel Moroto accusation of FIDA as a home breaker.

"I know there are certain hon. Members of this House who are members of FIDA. FIDA is breaking peoples' homes. The membership of FIDA is composed of divorcees. In some instances, minor marital cases which can be handled by village elders are rushed to FIDA offices. Such cases are twisted until husbands and wives break up. What impact will FIDA have on the Kenya Anti-Corruption Advisory Board (KACAB)? If we nominate such people, they will do more harm than good."

Pro-choice ? My choice !

"Too Young??? I don't understand..." "Just do it, I won't have anything to do with you nor the baby if you don't give it up." You know, words must be used wisely sometimes, but these words will never be forgotten by myself.

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I was more convinced now that I wanted my baby. I asked God for a son. My Son is now three years old. A handsome young gentleman. To this date, right from my son's birth, still no word from Derick. Not a pound spent by himself and you ask me why I am anti-men???

Charity Kivuli narrates here how her fiance forced her to have an abortion.

FIDA: Elitist Or Not?

When Keriako Tobiko, arguing before the high court, labeled FIDA as “busy bodies”, the statement attracted angry reactions from the feminist movement in Kenya.

Tobiko was then in private practice ,representing former cabinet minister Julius Sunkuli in a rape case. Many saw his remarks as utterly disrespectful of FIDA . Tobiko was arguing his client’s case , which was finally withdrawn, and a whole soap opera followed. I am sure you all know the story of how the girl in question appeared on TV after withdrawing the complaint.

Rebecca Wanjiku shows why she thinks FIDA is elitist. What do you think? Have your say here.