What Role Can You Play in Fighting Corruption as a Woman? – M.Y.W.O

If you are a woman in Kenya, you most likely have engaged or witnessed in a group where women are lost in how our Country found itself experiencing this much corruption that has threatened not only the country’s economy but its oneness.

As a woman, have you ever wondered which side you stand on when it comes to corruption? Are you helping fight it for a better economy? Are you leading on the frontline as a corrupt individual or do you standby to watch as an outsider?

Well, whichever side one stands on when it comes to fighting corruption, we all owe Kenya and the World at large the responsibility of ensuring that we make and leave it better than we found it.

One of the women organizations that have stood at the forefront to be counted as some of those that choose to make Kenya a corruption free zone for its coming generations is Maendeleo ya Wanawake.

In its seven-decade duration of empowering women, Maendeleo Ya Wanawake Organization has taken up the sole responsibility of training women on, not only on the negative consequences of corruption, but also on how they can fight the vice.

The Maendeleo Ya Wanawake Organization has been on a five-year campaign since the 31st March 2019 focusing on enlightening women on how they can participate to fight corruption in the Country.

The Organization’s campaign targets to impact on the following:

• Mobilizing Kenyans to actively participate in the fight against corruption
• Establishing partnerships and anti-corruption campaign networks
• Generating empirical data through research to inform and affirm the campaign
• Media campaigns and public engagements that will promote transparency and accountability
• Preventing corruption in the counties while seeking to hold leaders accountable
• Assisting women to understand their values and rights based on the anti-corruption campaigns

The campaign has enabled the training of at least 500 elected Maendeleo Ya Wanawake Organization leaders drawn from all the 47 counties.

The training focuses on understanding;

• corruption, Social Audit and Corruption in the Project cycle.
• Mandate and functions of the National Anti-corruption Campaign Steering Committee and County Anti-Corruption Civilian Oversight Committee
• The role of women in the fight against corruption

The trained leaders carry anti-corruption messages to their members in the various Counties which help spread the message to the rural areas.

The campaign, which is a joined effort by the National Anti-Corruption Campaign Steering Committee (NACCSC), has seen the appointment of 35 MYWO county leaders to the County Anti-Corruption Civilian Oversight Committees (CACCOCs).

The CACCOCs are critical in ensuring that the funds being channeled to the counties are utilized efficiently and in a transparent manner.

Specifically women can play the role of:

Reporting

Reporting all incidences of corruption witnessed or which you can avail evidence or facilitate gathering of the evidence to the relevant authorities.  The information provided should be precise and not mere rumors.

Whistle-blowing

Raise red flag where corruption is being perpetrated within the organizations.  Be willing and available to assist in investigations by recording statements to ensure that all evidence necessary to sustain legal action against the perpetrators is secured

Educate others

Educate other people on the dangers of corruption and ways to curb it.  If you have access to IEC materials on corruption, then assist in the dissemination of the same and also share with other persons within your social circles.

Be an active participant

Actively participate in initiatives to reform policies and laws on corruption and good governance. Support these initiatives including organizing public forums in which members of the public are asked to make oral presentations or submit written memoranda expressing their views on the issues under discussion.  Participate and sponsor anti-corruption initiatives if you are in a position to do so.

Insist on integrity

Elect persons of integrity into positions of leadership. Board of management in schools. If you are in a position to recommend the appointment of a given leader, ensure that the person you select is of high integrity and noble character, with the moral authority to be in that position

Support advocacy campaigns

Participate and support advocacy campaigns against corruption.  These may take the form of community forums to mobilize support for anti-corruption at the grassroots level, organization vigil during the implementation of public projects or the signing of petitions is respect of specific concerns and / or interventions sought.

Refuse Corruption

Refuse to solicit, offer or receive bribes, or just observe corrupt practices taking place.  You may appear to miss out on the benefits of the deals but you will have saved your country the adverse effect of corruption.

Read Also: Maendeleo Ya Wanawake Organization: Empowering Kenyan Women into Leadership