The 13th International Widows Day was commemorated in a colorful ceremony at Musungu Grounds, Vihiga County led by First Lady H.E Rachel Ruto and the President’s Advisor on Women Rights Hon. Harriette Chiggai. The well-attended event brought together over 5,000 widows.
Themed “Accelerating the Achievement of Gender Equality, Embracing Widows and Orphans,” the event saw top Government officials and relevant stakeholders participate in enlightening widows on their rights.
The Government has put in place, among others, legislative and financial measures to assist widows and orphans countrywide.
The challenges widows face hinders the Government’s dream of achieving gender equality and empowerment of women across the economic, social, and political spaces.
The three-day event which ended today saw some 1,536 widows receive training on their legal rights and free medical care from Aga Khan hospital.
Kenya has an estimated 8 million widows who often face loss, dispossession, gender-based violence and retrogressive cultural practices like wife inheritance and widow cleansing.
