Samburu West MP Naisula Lesuuda's rivals subjected her to a barrage of attacks on the basis of her marital status during the electioneering period.
Speaking to KTN News on Tuesday, September 20, the legislator stated that her detractors called for her to vie for an elective seat in Baringo where her husband, Robert Kiplagat comes from rather than in Samburu.
Unfazed by the attacks, Lesuuda affirmed that her track record enabled her to trounce her opponents in the August 9 poll.
"In this election, my opponents said I ought to have contested in Baringo where was married. The other time when I said I was single, it was a problem and now that I was married it became a problem again."
"With women, it’s never enough. But in this election, I made sure I worked to a point where this would be a non-issue," she stated.
Lesuuda, who vied on a KANU party ticket, retained her seat after garnering 15,855 votes defeating former Maralal ward MCA, Elly Stephen Loldepe, who got 7,004.
The politician tied the knot with her husband, Kiplagat on November 19, 2018, in Samburu County.
During the interview, Dagoretti North MP Beatrice Elachi also opined that women were more suited to take up elective politics and successfully deliver the duties delegated to them.
"We keep on dragging ourselves while Tanzanians are moving forward. South Sudan and even Somalia where you think the situation is the worst of worst, are doing well in ensuring women are in leadership and are elected to elective seats.
"But what happens to Kenya?" Elachi, a former speaker of the Nairobi County assembly wondered.
Elachi urged President William Ruto's administration to fulfil the promise of setting aside 50 per cent of Cabinet slots for women.
"If we want women to compete, we'll put in the formula to ensure we challenge men. But political parties can also offer slots (as alternatives)," Elachi pointed out.
