The Fish Youth Group, of which I am a new member was founded in 1985 by two missionaries, Fr. Antony Chantry and Sr Mary Ellen (currently out of Kenya). It is a group made up of young people with lots of vision.We have worked on many educative and enlightening programmes but none like our most current.
We are conducting a seminar on Gender empowerment organised by ActionAid Kenya (Western Kenya Region) and facilitated by KEFEADO (Kenya Female Advisory Board)
Issues arising, though not of our making create a lot of contention. It is like the different genders have been pitted against each other, which is something i find positive as there is so much room for construstive criticism.
It is unfortunate though, that in the community some of our members come from,most of the problems we are now citing stem from the fact that socio-cultural concepts have had a negative effect on our growing minds.We realise how much cultural conditioning contributes to our outlook on gender issues.
We hope to see an increase in the number of young men and women who cherish the values of a wholistic understanding of gender and development.
We are a group representative of all sexes in our membership, which has been a good starting point for the reformatory programme whose aim is to mainstream gender issues in our everyday lives.
It is saddening though, that in our community,women have been systematically removed from fully participating in the development process despite their active participation in the production process alongside men.
Their subordination has been sexualised, the pressure coming from society itself, the environment and myths perpetuated by our cultural conditioning during the socialization process. majority of men and women simply repeat what they were told when they were young. As a group, we have found that people have failed to think and in failing to do so both internalised and taken the myths as gospel truth.
An education on gender issues thus enlightens someone as it facilitates a change of ideaology, belief in oneself and the buttress of the good in ones culture.

In my community, they say, bad luck courts a girl's perception of her own sexuality. Social and cultural considerations,they have held, will have the final word on her fate. Marriage, they finally rule, is the only key to her call.....the call to servitude.
Funnily enough, no one ever thinks about a minimum age for marriage....Or an age sufficient for consent to sex. No one ever thinks about the cervical helpasm or the psychological effects and emotional trauma of an early sexual intercourse for a girl child, with or without consent, not even our laws!
Some will pity the girl for her immature choice to bind herself to a man. Others will condemn as she protests wildly in an attempt to defend her position. Some will think it is a waste of time as the girl is already spoiled. No one will ever think about the law or the legal remedies that address her practical needs.
We judge so fast we do not realise something may be wrong with the law we apply in making judgement!

Early two years ago,the Kenyan Constitutional instrument started the process of an entire reconstruction to come up with a radically different document. The main aim was to rectify those aspects of governance which 35 years of experience had shown to be unsatisfactory.....personalization of political power, indifference to the rule of law,mass infringement of rights guaranteed by the constitution itself.....There definately was something wrong with our bill of rights,our judicial system and our presidency. The constitution review commision was set up. The popular opinion was supposed to guide the commission in the fomulation of a draft constitution.Two years down the line,we have a draft constitution after a real tussle, but the process still continues to be bogged down by key issues of contention.
Most developing countries lack social homogenity.....a united people, politically aware of and knowledgable of its rights.Kenya flows suit.
The factor of one people passing judgement on crucial governance options is in short supply.Consequently, critical issues in the making of the draft constitution do not exactly reflect what the people want.It is a reflection of the interests of elite groups who brought it about!