Pressure continues to pile on Gender Cabinet Secretary nominee Hanna Cheptumo as a coalition of 15 groups collectively called for the withdrawal of her nomination by President William Ruto.
In a statement released on Wednesday, April 16, the network of rights-based groups released a joint statement, urging the reconsideration of Cheptumo's appointment because of what they termed as “troubling” and “harmful” remarks made during her vetting before the National Assembly.
Hanna, the widow of the late Baringo Senator William Cheptumo, courted controversy on Monday, April 14, when she suggested that the issue of femicide in the country stemmed from a deeper societal concern involving girls wanting money.
“Femicide is brought about by dependency. If girls were able to have economic power, they would not depend on either gender. If a woman is educated, chances are that they will avoid some of these challenges in society,” Cheptumo said during her appearance before the vetting committee on Monday, as she also suggested that most of the women who passed away at the hands of men were uneducated.
Her controversial comments led to a spate of criticism, with leaders and Kenyans alike condemning her sentiments, which were labelled insensitive.
The 15 lobby groups collectively rallied against the new Gender Cabinet Secretary after her remarks.
“Ms Cheptumo’s words were a gross mischaracterisation of the problem and demonstrate a fundamental misunderstanding of the systemic nature of gender-based violence in Kenya,” part of the statement from the groups dubbed 'Coalition Against Sexual Violence'.
The statement added: “It amounts to victim-blaming, suggesting that women are responsible for their violent deaths. This is not only factually incorrect but also deeply offensive and harmful.”
Critics, including the 15 rights groups, have further argued that the CS nominee's remarks were unfortunate since they failed to recognise the core of the femicide crisis. In the list of the groups' demands, they called on the withdrawal of Cheptumo's nomination on the grounds of a 'lack of understanding of gender-based violence'.
"We therefore call for the immediate withdrawal of Hannah Cheptumo’s nomination for the role of Gender Cabinet Secretary for the reasons stated above. Her statements demonstrate a lack of understanding regarding gender-based violence and a failure to protect women’s rights," the group urged.
In their list of demands, the group also called on the government to provide 'comprehensive prevention strategies that address the root causes of violence, including public awareness campaigns and the strengthening of the police and judiciary’s capacities'.
In a surprise turn, Cheptumo's remarks also formed a large part of the National Assembly's discussions on Wednesday, with Suna East MP Junet Mohamed calling on the incoming Gender CS to issue a formal apology.
While acknowledging Cheptumo's qualifications in the gender docket, the MP said: "Having been a member of the committee that vetted her, Hanna Cheptumo must apologise for the remarks she made about women who die in Airbnbs. Whether you are looking for money or not, you don't deserve to die; death is not an answer to anything.
