UDA women plan major coup at Maendeleo ya Wanawake – Weekly Citizen

Members of Maendeleo ya Wanawake Organisation are up in arms against their national chairperson Rahab Mwikali whom they claim is illegally in office. They now want William Ruto to order the NGO board to call for fresh elections to kick her out of office.
The women who spoke to Weekly Citizen on strict conditions of anonymity for fear of Mwikali said that in the run-up to the last general elections, Mwikali was being bankrolled by Uhuru Kenyatta to fight Ruto and her recent moves to meet the new president should have been thwarted at all costs.

Mwikali is accused of intimidating county coordinators and having them dislodged from their positions. They called on the county coordinators and other government officials to keep off the organisation’s affairs as they are being misled by Mwikali as she uses them to fight her real and imagined enemies.
The women who supported UDA said Mwikali is making overtures to the president to get a plum position in government but she cannot pinpoint any tangible projects she has initiated to alleviate the lives of women in the country.
It is emerging that former Kitui governor, Charity Ngilu, former Maendeleo ya Wanawake chairperson Zipporah Kittony, and her founder members Jane Kiano, Phoebe Asiyo are behind concerted efforts to have Mwikali hang at the helm of the organisation for their own vested interests.

Charity Ngilu

It is claimed Mwikali was behind changing of the organisation’s constitution without following due process which should be through a referendum by women members of the organisation to enact any changes.
It is by this means that Mwikali has put General Service Unit officers, most of whom are from her Kamba tribe, to keep vigilance at her Maendeleo House offices, along Monrovia Street, despite the women organisation having its own security stationed at the entrance of the building.
The executive director, a Ms Esabella is Mwikali’s niece while a Mr Benjamin the finance director is her nephew.
The lady, they say, first removed from offices all elected officials with a sinister motive since she was not elected but imposed herself on Kenyan women. The women protested that former ministry of Public Service and Gender, cabinet secretary Margaret Kobia is the main stumbling block towards removing Mwikali at Maendeleo ya Wanawake House but they have appealed to CS Aisha Jumwa not to swallow the bait.

Margaret Kobia

Mwikali allegedly made millions of shillings during Maendeleo ya Wanawake anniversary of 70 years since the establishment of the organisation, with women being called upon to embrace unity and integrity to promote development at the grassroots level.
In a move to support the vulnerable women in the society like the widows, Mwikali has been fleecing Thamini Mjane Fund under Women Enterprise Fund which offers interest free loans to help widows improve their livelihood through business. Construction of a head office in Mombasa after completion of the first one in Nairobi is another cash cow. The process is ongoing without full participation of other members.
Inua Biashara Fund which was started to support women, youth and people living with disabilities in enterprise is also another white elephant project. We also have Cooperative Development Fund, an affirmative fund which offers loans at a rate of 5pc to groups, that has failed to take off as earlier envisaged.
Inua Mama na Kuku project which was meant to distribute chicks to women groups to help them improve their livelihood through chicken rearing business is grounded.
The Maendeleo ya Wanawake Organisation 70th anniversary, which was hosted at Rift Valley Technical Training Institute grounds in Uasin Gishu county, involved women drawn across 14 counties of Kenya to promote women resilience towards gender equality and women empowerment that has proved a mirage. The sources say Mwikali is corrupt and not fit to hold any public office.