Writes Leo Odera Omolo In Kisumu City.

WHILE women politicians are making an all out effort to secure specially reserved parliamentary, senate and county positions, one iron lady has decide to take the male contestants in an election battle for the Nyakach parliamentary seat in Kisumu County.
Grace Adhiambo Akumu is not a new comer in the race for Nyakach seat. She contested the same seat in 2007 but came in second to last. Her dismal performance could as well be attributed to her joining the race rather late. She lost in the ODM preliminary, but went on contesting the election proper on the Narc ticket.

photo of Mrs Grace Adhiamo Akumu who has declared her interest in the constest for the Nyakach Parlamntary seat in Kisumu County and the first woman in LuoiNyanza to come forward and make it public that she will battle in the election with the male contestants

Akumu is an NGO executive and the wife of one time two terms MP for Nyakach, J.D.Akumu. She is also a veteran trade unionist. Her husband, Dennis Akumu, once served as the Secretary General of Cotu {K} and Also the founding Secretary General of the Accra based Organization of African Trade Union Unity {OATUU].

Speaking in Kisumu City, during an exclusive interview with this writer, Akumu said her mission is to economic empowerment of the poverty stricken rural folks in Nyakach. She said, if elected the next MP for the area, she would work very closely with the electorate and try hard to resolve myriad of problems including the pathetic situation of insecurity caused by bloody cattle rustling.

Her other priories include the effort to have the perennial flood in lower Nyakach placed under control and to sensitize the population in semi-arid areas to grow crop which are suitable for areas with less annual rainfalls.

Akumu was born 51 years ago in a political family. Her father, Benjamin Okang’ Tolo, is an ex-Kisumu Municipal Councilor, a one time Deputy Mayor of Kisumu City, and a prominent businessman who is well known contractor in the construction industry with his firm BOT Construction Company Limited.

She is the CEO of the African Network for People’s Empowerment {ANEPE}, an NGO which is her own brainchild. It has the aims and objective of aiding socio-economic projects in rural areas. She has served with the Climate Africa for many years and gained a lot of experience after exchanging ideas with representative of the relevant bodies from all over the world. The organization has made Akumu one the most globe totting women in Kenya. She has interacted with many experts at the various conferences and symposiums on climate change.

During her weekend visit to Kisumu, Akumu presented corrugated iron sheet and water tanks to Nyabande Primary School in Nyakach, and also at Nyang’ande in West Kano Location in Nyando district.

One way of creating peaceful co-existence among the various communities neighboring Nyakach district, she said, is to call for dialogue among the leaders and stakeholders with the aims of sensitizing the residents of the region to discard the outmoded negative traditional practices such as cattle rustling.

As an MP she will work towards peace and ensure that peace prevails among the residents o Nyakach and their neighbors and instead of uncalled hostilities people should redouble their effort in farming as the sure way of maintaining food security.

The ANEPE organization has been conducting studies at the various locations within Nyakach district to find out which crops are suitable for which area, and in some cases providing the farmers with free seedling of the crops recommended for the given areas.

She said her plan for economic empowerment will concentrate on women, but will include men and youths too. All the people must be sensitized to be productive and business minded as she believe that hard work and less talk are the keynote of successes in any forward looking society.

Akumu said she is not afraid of male competitors. She strongly abhorred the use of violence for one to achieve his or her objectives. The campaign must be peaceful and each candidate should be free to move around and for canvass for votes in a free atmosphere which is devoid of any intimidation of some sorts.

Ends