The Government is calling on widows to take advantage of the many programmes run through funds established under law for economic empowerment, as it says it will not set up a fresh fund specifically for them.
Speaking in Nyamira where the national celebrations for international widows day was held, first lady Racheal Ruto and the president’s advisor on women rights Harriette Chiggai said there we funds targeting women from the ward level to the national level, now requesting women to attach themselves to self-help groups that would enable them access funds and empower themselves economically.
According to First Lady Rachel Ruto, there are gaps when it comes to understanding how women will access financial support, where she has called on relevant Government agencies to invest in training for women and widows on how to access the support and free themselves from the chains of poverty cycles.
Consequently, there has been a push for widows to know and understand their rights more so immediately their husbands pass on, as most of those who spoke and gave personal experiences pointed to a society that is quick to get rid of the lady once their husband dies.
According to educators who spoke to the women, it would be prudent for widows, once they assume the status, to secure their husbands’ property, legally, to avoid scenarios where they are disinherited
But even as the quest for setting up a fund is thwarted, there is a call for the setting up of a commission that would address the widow’s needs with precision. This comes at a time when nominated MP Irene Mayaka said she would be requesting for a statement on the floor of the National Assembly, seeking to have a clearer picture on the numbers of widows in the country, as well as establish a database that would be the repository and give a basis for future budgeting.
On the first lady’s part, she’s also called on the community to embrace the widows and not discriminate against them, as it emerged, through testimonies given, that they had become pariahs in society, with some of their married friends now shunning them for fear that they would take their husbands.
Mrs. Ruto said her immediate family is involved in supporting widows as a programme that is run yearly across the country.
This year’s International Widows’ Day – the 21st since they started being marked – was held at Buga Primary School in Nyamira under the theme: orphan in need.
The message also clearly reads – widowhood is not the end of the story, but the beginning of renewed strength.