Kiambu Governor William Kabogo has denied that he said single women should be barred from contesting elective posts. Kabogo said his remarks during the opening of a water project in Kiambu town last week were aimed at encouraging young women to respect marriage as directed in the Bible and Koran.
“I advised young women that despite education, they should embrace marriage because that’s what we are taught in churches and mosques everyday,” Kabogo told the Star on the phone yesterday. “I never meant single women who have been widowed but broken marriages by the virtue of ignoring marriage and abusing the institution.
I did not single out any person.” At Kangoya village in Kiambu town last Saturday, Kabogo said in Kikuyu: “You young women, look for men and get married because you are the ones causing us all these problems yet there are many men here. “When you reach 35 years without a husband, search yourself as everything is not alright. We shall start saying if you want an elective post, show us your husband or wife.”
The governor said he never mentioned names in his remarks but Thika Town MP Alice Ng’ang’a has twice accused him of insulting her. “This means she is feeling guilty for being behind the leadership problems in Kiambu,” Kabogo said. “The MP has now dragged four others to witch-hunt me.
They have a hidden agenda and Alice should stop politicising issues in Kiambu because I’m not ready to argue with her. She has been magnifying the issues yet I have not disrespected women at any given time.” Kabogo said he values women as a blessing from God and 70 per cent of his cabinet are women.
“My respect for women who are my mothers and sisters is well displayed in my leadership because 70 per cent of my Cabinet and Public Service Board are women some of whom are single,” he said.
