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Under phase 2 of the project Women and Devolved governance: Building the capacity of Murang’a County Assembly Women Aspirants to vie for the 2017 General Elections, CEEC with support from GIZ/CPS carried out a five days’ training of 13 women from Murang’a who are aspiring to become Members of the County  Assembly (MCAs). The aspirants were drawn from Gatanga, Kigumo, Kiharu, Maragwa and Kandara Sub Counties and it aimed at strengthening the candidates’ capacity to vie for the 2017 general election. The training was held between 26^th February and 3rd March 2017 at S.A.C.D.E.P Training and Conference Facility, Thika.

Topics covered included understanding the electoral cycle, manifesto development, personal branding, resource mobilization, campaign management, IEBC timelines as well as grassroots mobilization and organization. The training was conducted within a gender framework in order to help the aspirants understand how the socialization process contributes to the challenges women face when it comes to political participation. This understanding will enable them come up with strategies of handling these challenges. The trainees also had a session with the Murang’a County Member of Parliament (Women Representative) who shared with them her journey in politics and how she deals with the challenges she encounters as a woman leader. The trainees came out of the training with enhanced confidence to face the electorate due to the knowledge and skills they had acquired. With the addition of the 13, the total number of Murang’a County Assembly women aspirants who are CEEC’s alumni is now 31.

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It is true that MCAs have only three roles namely, legislation, representation and oversight. However, due to the dire need on the ground, it has been very difficult for the MCAs to strictly confine themselves to these roles. Take MCA Shadrack Juma from Baba Dogo ward for example. His ward is grossly underdeveloped despite it being home to very many industries. Indeed, the expectation would be that these industries would discharge their Corporate Social Responsibility duties and help develop the ward. Instead, some of the industries have contributed to environmental degradation among other problems faced by the residents of the ward. Issues raised on Sauti Mtaani include insecurity, poor state of roads, youth unemployment, water and air pollution as well as health problems resulting from the unclean environment. In response to the issue of roads, the MCA has mobilized resources and construction of Kariadudu, Riverside and Kasabuni road is underway.