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Kenya: ‘Wealthy’ Women Also Disadvantaged Says CS Henry Rotich

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Wednesday, November 9th, 2016
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Treasury Cabinet Secretary Henry Rotich on Tuesday defended government departments under pressure for classifying well-to-do women as disadvantaged in awarding multimillion tenders.

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Mr Rotich said all the women had the right to do business with government and that they should not be discriminated based on their status in life.

The CS remarks follows controversy over who should benefit from the 30 per cent government tenders that have been set aside specifically for women, youth and persons with disabilities.

The programme, launched by the Jubilee government and which has been put in law, is dubbed the Access to Government Procurement Opportunities, popularly known as AGPO.

Mr Rotich on Tuesday said in the government’s definition, all the three groups were disadvantaged.

“We do not differentiate who in the three categories is disadvantaged. As it stands, all of them are disadvantaged and have a right to do government with business,” Mr Rotich said at a breakfast meeting in a Nairobi hotel.

Mr Rotich’s also comes in the wake of revelations that President Uhuru Kenyatta’s close relatives had their company registered as disadvantaged.

There has also been revelations that some companies belonging to Ms Josephine Kabura- who took home millions of money through 20 companies in the National Youth Service saga- were registered as those of the disadvantaged.

The opposition and government critics have said that giving contracts to the high ranking women in society was against the spirit of the law.

They argue that the tenders should only be given to those of lower standing in society and not the well-to-do women who are already well-established as that is discriminating against an already disadvantaged group.

Deputy President William Ruto has also defended the well-to-do women, saying they were disadvantaged as women and should not be discriminated upon any further.

2030 AGENDA

The Tuesday briefing by Mr Rotich was on a meeting of top global government officials, multinationals and donors that will be held from November 28- December 1 in Nairobi at the Kenyatta International Convention Centre.

The meeting will take stock on development cooperation over the next 15 years globally.

The Nairobi meeting comes after a 2014 high-level meeting held in Mexico City.

Over 3,000 people are expected with representatives from governments, global multinationals, and donor companies.

Mr Rotich said Kenya will also use the meeting to introduce a flagship agenda for women and youth empowerment.

“The meeting will come up with an outcome document that will help us as we head to the achievement of the World 2030 Agenda,” Mr Rotich said.

The Nairobi document, Mr Rotich said, will guide donor funding to avoid competition and duplication of roles- what he said was costing countries billions.

The meeting will have seven plenary sessions that will focus on among others implementation of development effectiveness principles, identification of indicative approaches to development, and the fulfilment of the Sustainable Development Goals.

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