We may need to rethink our approach to appointments to the public service and especially in critical dockets such as Gender if we are to make progress as a country. Being a woman should not be enough. Academic qualifications may not be enough. Passion, empathy and a deep understanding of the thematic areas in the docket is what will count because it is their words and perception that will not only shape public opinion but, most importantly, influence policy.
Since the beginning of this year, we have lost over 120 women and girls to femicide. Each of these girls and women had a name, a story, a background unique only to themselves. But one thing we all should agree on is they did not deserve to die in the manner that they did, for whatever reason.
That is why the comments made by the now-appointed Cabinet Secretary for Gender Hanna Cheptumo during her vetting process was not only disheartening but also very alarming. The generalisation of the murders in her remarks only served to affirm the dangerous narrative that the victims somehow deserved their fate. That women “ask for it” and somehow had it coming. That they make conscious choices that get them killed.
Victim shaming only does one thing: Embolden perpetrators and discourage victims from seeking help. It engraves in the culprit that they can do as they please to women who they feel have disappointed them. It makes them believe they are well within their rights to treat women as objects and tools for their gratification, as they please. Victim shaming is what has allowed toxic masculinity to thrive.
By shifting focus from the crime and the systemic failures in our judicial and social structures that have left women vulnerable, we undermine the progress being made in awareness creation and advocacy against the vice. To imply that any woman’s death is justified because of financial dependency is to dangerously ignore the root causes of femicide that is control, entitlement, rejection, and inequality. The very idea that her choices or circumstances make her complicit in her death is plain heartless.
This docket needs someone who is open-minded and invested enough to understand the social-cultural challenges around all genders and help foster a united national approach to the issues affecting them. We need a leader who will confront the persistent stereotypes around both men and women and tackle the animosity that currently exists. We need a leader who will rally in all stakeholders, embrace those affected and seek out different voices that will help escalate the conversation around femicide and lead efforts to summarily get it behind us.
The victims are long gone. They cannot speak for themselves but we can. We must raise our collective voice for them and for the prevention of other cases. And it starts with a leader who is passionate and committed to human rights and justice. A leader who will drive creation of new policies that are relevant to the fight and spearhead their implementation with sincerity and resoluteness.
It is not enough to simply appoint a woman to the Gender docket. It must be an individual who understands the weight of the role. A state officer who is willing to speak truth to power, defends victims, and push for systemic reform even when it’s inconvenient or unpopular. Maybe some roles should be reserved not only for qualified candidates but also for those who are passionate about a cause. And those names abound. They have been at the fore front championing gender causes even without an office or title. These kinds would need no familiarisation. They would hit the ground running.
The Gender docket is now filled. It is a good thing that is not only a woman but an educated one at that. It is our hope that her tenure will be a continuous campaign that will drown misogyny and confront toxic masculinity in both men and women. That this season will encourage stakeholder engagements to not only tackle the vice from their roots but also promote co-existence. We hope that it is within her tenure that every woman will feel safe in their homes, in the workplace and in public too.
By Faith Wekesa