Siaya: Agunda Ochanda Receives Draft Bill for the Protection of Widows

By Eric Omwombo 

The process for enacting widows Protection Bill 2024 into law has kicked off with Rona Foundation, an NGO with high registration of Widows in Siaya, presenting the drafted bill to Governance and Administration Executive Agunda Ochanda.

The draft was presented to the executive by South East Gem MCA Scholarstica Madowo who is a member of the Rona Foundation.

“The bill will now form part of the discussion at the cabinet level after the County attorney reviewed and approved it,”

The drafted bill aims at safeguarding the rights of the widows.

The executive wing of government is optimistic that Orengo will approve it as soon as possible.

Agunda and County Secretary Joseph Ogutu assured the widows that Orengo will not hesitate to act on the proposed bill.

Our Governor Orengo is always passionate about women issues and that was evident when he vowed to champion for enactment into law widows protection bill at the National Assembly through Rarieda MP Otiende Amollo.

“We are sure Orengo will not abandon you in this hour of need.You stood by him during campaigns and it’s now his time to reciprocate,” Gender advisor to the Governor Winnie Otieno said.

She added that widows  face a lot of challenges in the community and if the bill sails through, it will be a stopper to some retrogressive cultures.

“For a long time widows have suffered in the hands of husband’s kin’s who goes to an extent of denying them rights to land, property, hence exposing the children to untold suffering ” said Otieno.

Madowo and West Gem MCA Susan Okwiri Sino backed the widows proposal and vowed to lobby colleagues at the assembly to give it a clean bill of health.

Madowo said the bill is long overdue.
Sino added that even women with husband’s have been reduced to widows because most of men cannot take up their responsibilities owing to hard economic times that have engulfed this country.

“We expect Orengo to live up to his pledge and expedite the processes, enact it and present to the widows the document on June 23,2024 during the celebration of widows day,” Rona Foundation Director Roseline Orwa said.

“What this means to the widows is huge. There are widows who have died in the hands of cultural norms and we live in a community who knows what widows are going through,” said Orwa.

Orwa said as widows, they are not preaching to a dead choir.

“When my husband died, some men who were responding to the Luo cultures decided to play eight stringed instrument in my house up to late night with an intention of inheriting me but I said no to their advances though the decision earned me insults. In fact my stand has strengthened my bid to champion for the rights and plights of widows to an extent of empowering them economically.”

Orwa said already 17 MCA’s have endorsed the draft and vowed to support it at the assembly.
If passed into law it will protect widows against harmful practices, like cleansing, inheritance, physical assault, property inheritance, that have been key challenges facing widows in the County.

She added that women rights require that women be treated with dignity, especially when they are in the vulnerable position of widowhood.
The Act when enacted will ensure that widow’s rights over property are protected when the husband passes on.

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