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Kemunto all set to take on the ‘crocodile’

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Published on Tuesday, 05 June 2007 20:39

Many say that she has an almost zero chance of beating her opponent. Others say her ambitions are good but directed at the wrong project. But she says she’s got what it takes to dare the storm. Julliet Kemunto Maranya speaks to writer MILDRED NGESA about what appears to be mission impossible. She says she wants to dare the “crocodile”. No matter what it takes, she says, she is at war with the reptile. Impossible? Maybe but not to Julliet Kemunto Maranya, a daughter of the Abagusii from Nyaribari Chache who is set on revamping the political status quo in her home area.

And this is where her fight with the “crocodile” comes in. Nyaribari Chache is the stronghold of maverick opposition politician Simeon Nyachae. Locally and popularly known as emamba (crocodile) in the local dialect, Nyachae has been on the throne for ages . Furthermore, since independence, the constituency has never seen a woman come up to take up the challenge. Not until Kemunto showed up. While many are likely to scoff at her leadership bid, Kemunto is anything but intimidated.

“I tell you, I am tough, I know and that is why I am not going to quit from this race,” she begins vehemently. “It is time for a woman to take up leadership in Nyaribari Chache and that woman is me”. Kemunto vehemently affirms. She is so confident that one wonders whether she has put her money where her mouth is. To this, she quickly points out that this is what sets her apart from her opponent. “What remains of Nyachae is nothing but promises and promises. The people at home are tired of empty words, they want action and that is what I have done on the ground,” she says. In her perception, the response to her leadership ambitions has been enthusiastic, proof that her face is not new in her area.

From her personality profile, it seems Kemunto has had a history of firsts. Born the first-born child to former District Commissioner Francis Mugambi Maranya, a young Kemunto was obliged to set a good example to her nine siblings who comprised all girls and one boy. Back then in the early fifties, ( she is 52 years old), the aspect of discriminative traditions was so deeply entrenched. “The girl-child was completely looked down upon and was considered irrelevant in all ways. We were called names that made us feel inferior and unappreciated. You were made to feel like you are not part of anything important and always called names like amage (ants) and chimbeba ( rats)”. Despite this negative attitude by her society towards girl-children, Kemunto reckons that her father was different and one of a kind. While men were busy castigating girls just for being girls, Mzee Maranya was busy encouraging his daughters and shielding them jealously from ridicule.” Our father encouraged us to be the best in everything we did. He loved us dearly and it is from him that a burning passion to grow up to be an administrator started to develop,” she says. In 1965, Kemunto became the first girl in Kisii District to be admitted to the prestigious Alliance Girls High School. No other girl from the district had ever managed to achieve such high claim.

“It was such big news that I was interviewed and aired in the then Voice of Kenya ( now KBC) radio in the Sauti ya Kisii edition. I was so much talked about in the district that from then, I knew that I was slated for much greater things”. Kemunto proceeded to attend the then Kenyatta University College (now Kenyatta University) to pursue a Bachelor of Arts in English degree. While in the process of shaping her career, Kemunto got married to a Sudanese man whom she met in college. “Once again, I moved away from the regular norm in my culture and brought to the village a foreigner! she recalls with a laugh.Together they had four children now aged between 22 and 29. The couple formally divorced in 1994.

“Oh, yes, I simply disqualified myself from the marriage” she reveals with disarming honesty.” Yes, I just quit the race because there were too many of us in it, I could not live in a polygamous arrangement”.Contrary to what many may perceive, her divorcee status has not affected her political ambitions. “ I speak to my people and let them know the truth. When you are caught up in a polygamous marriage, you are obviously gambling with your life in many ways. People understand this and they don’t judge me at all on this basis”. Even though she quit the marriage institution, Kemunto did not bow out of her passion to become an administrator and lead her people. Top of her agenda were the many cultural attitudes that were detrimental and largely discriminatory to the girl-child.

“I grew up in the mess of being discriminated against because of my gender. I know how it felt to be judged so harshly by the community and to be forced into traditional practices that were only detrimental to the girl-child”. Like many Kisii girls , Kemunto also underwent the cut which she describes as “unnecessary and uncouth”. “It is outrageous for any girl-child to go through this practice. Those who advocate for it are mostly men who claim that if women are circumcised, they become faithful because this reduces their sexual urges,” Kemunto explains passionately.

“Many Kisii girls are socialised to falsely believe that circumsisicion is their ticket to marriage only to realise that this is not,” she says. “Infact you will be surprised that many of the prestigious Kisii men who still advocate female circumcision have conveniently married outside the community” . This ferocious determination against the practice is what drove Kemunto to form the Julikei International, a non-governmental organisation dealing with women and youth affairs. The organisation campaign’s against female genital mutilation, HIV/Aids, girl-child education and specialises on gender consultancy. By conducting campaigns, village visits, seminars and workshops especially in Kisii District, the organisation has covered a lot of ground. It is also through this initiative that Kemunto has been able to get in touch with her people on the ground, learn their needs and addressed them efficiently. This, according to her is the advantage she brags of over her biggest challenge- the emamba Nyachae.

“I am already turning heads, even for the mere fact that a small little known woman like me is daring to oppose “the crocodile” gives me a lot of confidence”. “For a long time, Nyaribari Chache has been under the retrogressive leadership of one dynasty. My opponent is a “big weight” of promises but with little action. Development is not pledges, development has to be action-oriented,” she lashes out. Apart from the projects she has spearheaded under her organi- sation, she has also set up a “women of action group” to inject more developmental thinking into the minds of women in the district. She continues: “I have now rehabilitated the Keumbu-Nyanturago road which was impassable.” Kemunto also singles out a number of schools that are in urgent need of rehabilitation in terms of structures and resources to facilitate proper learning.

On the national level, Kemunto is concerned with the complacency that addresses the rot that is corruption in the country. She is appalled that the vice has become a way of life and nobody seems to care much. In the political scene, she says the situation is even worse because political leaders seem to have perfected the art of deceit.“Politicians like telling the people what they want to hear and in the end, they become liars and never honour their promises. What we need is tangible change - something that can stand out from the regular political propaganda”.

Her vision, seemingly headstrong is based on the footsteps of other women politicians who have demystified the belief that women cannot make an impact in politics. Women legislators Phoebe Asiyo and Martha Karua are her role models. To her, if other women have managed to dare tougher political opposition, then why shouldn’t she try? She is aware that the task will not be easy but she insists on taking up emamba come the next General Election. “He has been there for too long and not done much. I know people are ready for change. They are ready for an alternative and that is me,” Kemunto says without a single sigh of doubt in her stance.