By Andanje Wakhungu
Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua’s wife, Mrs.Dorcas Rigathi, has announced plans to educate and empower widows in Kakamega County to become vibrant individuals. Through her initiative dubbed SAFARI YA UJANE, Mrs Gachagua aims to transform the lives of widows in the county by educating them on the importance of standing up for themselves and stopping relying on their male counterparts.
“To make sure that we respond to the various challenges our widows face every day, my office has come up with this initiative that will help guide and educate widows through various stages towards achieving their socio-economic activities aimed at helping them achieve financial freedom. I call upon every stakeholder from within and outside the government to expedite the process and make life easy and comfortable for the widows in the coming days.”
She pointed out that it was time for the country to stand side by side with the widows through economic empowerment. She further called on the church to give hope to widows through scripture’s teachings so that they could feel loved and appreciated.
She advised the widows to stop feeling sorry for themselves and instead open small micro-enterprise businesses. “We are also encouraging fish farming, poultry keeping, and agribusiness as a way of supporting widows financially, and we will not relent until we see that they have a better future.”
Kakamega County First Lady Professor Janet Barasa revealed that 7% of the county population consisted of widows, many of whom are forgotten and looked down upon by society at large. She suggested the need to bring the women together into groups. She, however, discouraged the widows from brewing and selling illicit brews in the community but rather sought assistance from relevant authorities, including her office, when their rights are infringed upon by their late husband’s families.
I’m calling upon our widows who are in different categories (25–35), 35–50, and 50 years of age or older and who have different challenges to ensure they register their groups to be able to be assisted.
