Societal perception towards women is improving and changing day by day as women are engaged in different roles in societies both politically and high ranking jobs in different institutions unlike in the past where a woman’s place was believed to be in the kitchen.
During a live interview on West FM in a show dubbed Usemi wa Kina Mama, Nominated MCA Linda Kharakha, a lawyer by profession, says society is positively engaging women and sending them to school to achieve higher.
Linda Kharakha a mother, wife and politician who comes from Misikhu and married in Tongaren says she comes from a humble background where her mother struggled through tenders to help them get the best education while their father who by then was jobless did farming for a living.
She says at her young age it was challenging as a mother, wife and politician because most people used to ponder if she can make it in her position but thanks the Ford Kenya party leader who is also the Speaker of the National Assembly Moses Masika Wetangula for believing in her as a woman and gave her platform to prove to the world that women can go far if given opportunities
She says as a woman it gave her a perfect opportunity for exposure despite living a private life as a practicing lawyer.
She says as a woman she now understands best how government works, and service to humanity, helped and shaped her decision making both out and in the County Assembly citing that education can get someone far and it’s the equality to everybody.
In the political space, she advises women to develop hard skin because there are those who will fight them because they are woman and having those political bigwigs who can decide who is who and who to become too
She urges parents to invest in their children’s education as the only trade for security saying earlier on parents believed in boy child and if one had boys and girls, the latter would be sidelined as boys would be educated but thanks to the current generation where girl child’s matters are addressed and well taken care of.
Despite women being ranked as the greatest home managers and leaders should be given opportunities to venture more in life challenging positions.
Linda says as a woman she fights gender based violence, mentors children in her former school; Bishop Njenga Girls and also in her ward planning to empower and mentor girls for future positions.
She also encourages women from the villages to venture in business, farming activities. Plant vegetables, fruits, rear chicken and keep dairy animals as a way of fending for their families.
She says also that apart from the culture that existed and hindered women in rising its only few places, men still have the notion that women who rise will look down upon them or practice prostitution.
Linda urges women to join chamas learn from each other and move from their comfort zones saying women have greater opportunities and should use them well to define what a man can do a woman can do better.
