Lawyer Diana Ngei eyes Machakos Woman Representative seat

Women and youth groups in Machakos County are underrepresented, a Machakos-based lawyer has said.

Lawyer Diana Ngei, who hails from Tala, said many women groups in the County had not benefitted from Women Empowerment funds in the past 10 years despite having a Woman Representative specifically tasked with that job.

Ms Ngei, who spoke at Kyakatulu village on Saturday in Matungulu constituency, during the burial of Mzee Samuel Makau,86, who died two weeks ago after short illness, said there was need to change the approach on  women empowerment in order to reach more deserving groups.

She said there were numerous reports of groups missing out on the National Government Affirmative Action Fund (NGAAF) which she said needed to be evenly and equitably distributed.

"One of the roles of a Woman Rep is representation. There are groups such as women,youth and PWDs which the Woman Rep should be representing but in our County these groups are underrepresented,"she said.

The lawyer said she would  be on the forefront to promote women empowerment programmes to mitigate the effects of unemployment among vulnerable groups.

“I have a clear agenda to address the key issues facing all vulnerable groups including women, children, youth and persons with disabilities whose lives have been made difficult by both natural and man-made causes,” she added.

Ms Ngei said youths in Tala were also disadvantaged as there was a stadium in Kinyui which had stalled.

She said she will pursue the completion of the stadium with the governor if given an opportunity to represent the people as the Makueni County Woman Representative in 2027.

The Kinyui Stadium was initiated by the County government during the Dr Alfred Mutua administration but was never completed.

She said the stadium if completed will help in development of talents among the youths and generate income.

Ms Ngei said she will represent the interests of marginalised groups such as the disabled through advocacy in Parliament if elected.

The Machakos County Woman Rep seat has attracted a number of hopefuls including a former MCA Ms Magdalene Ndawa and the incumbent Ms Joyce Kamene who will be defending the seat for the second time.