Nominated Senator Karen Nyamu has threatened to lead women in Nairobi County in a nude protest to advocate for the rights and recognition of residents in the city’s slums.
Senator Nyamu, who voiced her support on Wednesday for a Senate Bill aimed at securing increased funds for slums, emphasized that these areas should be officially recognized and labeled as marginalized.
In a bold effort to secure increased resource allocation for Nairobi, Nyamu pledged to mobilize women in the county, even to the extent of encouraging them to undress in public streets if necessary, to draw attention to their plight.
“We have been crying as Nairobi for these slum dwellers and we have been ignored over the years and we are going to result even to unorthodox means,” she warned.
“As Nairobi women in Laini Saba, Kiboro, Mji wa Huruma…we’re going to undress in this town if that is what it takes to be heard so that we get the attention of these policymakers and this House and the legislators. Nairobi is not a rich county; just because we are the seat of government and we have rich estates does not mean we are rich.”
According to Nyamu, the Nairobi county government has consistently been excluded from comparable budgetary allocations, with lawmakers often characterizing the capital city as a “wealthy county,” contrary to the demonstrated statistics.
She emphasized that a significant population resides in slum areas, enduring deplorable living conditions. Hence, a more substantial allocation would facilitate development and relieve the strain on the already burdened county budget.
“Nairobi has been assumed to be a rich county. Just because we have rich estates like Karen and Muthaiga, we ignore the slum dwellers of Nairobi. Nairobi is the home of big slums like Kibera, Mathare, Korogocho, Kayabas and Silanga,” she explained.
“I want this House to recognize these regions as marginalised because they are marginalised…just because they neighbour Karen or Muthaiga or other rich estates does not mean they should be ignored. They are not children of a lesser God.”
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