Millie Odhiambo explains why Mt Kenya has more women in leadership role

Millie Odhiambo explains why Mt Kenya has more women in leadership role

Suba North MP Millie Odhiambo has weighed in on why the Mt Kenya region has more women leaders in leadership positions.

According to Millie, the region stems from the community’s efforts to preserve the beneficial aspect of their cultures that empowers women.

Speaking on the floor of parliament on Thursday, February 20, 2025, Millie emphasized the need to prioritize history and facets that empower women instead of trying to suppress and distort their cultures.

Culture preservation

“We need to enhance the historical beats and correct the aspect of our cultures that have been distorted. I’m happy that the house of Mumbi is a good example of preserving that. It’s why you see a lot of women in the Kikuyu land getting elected. They have preserved that history while some of us are losing it and we have people creating their own stories on what was there in the culture,” Odhiambo stated.

Millie further waded into the topic of women and leadership, urging the nation to reinstate the respect that was endowed on women in society.
The MP alluded to the naming of clans using women’s names as a pointer to women’s capabilities in leadership even as she decried the distortion campaign that has robbed women of their value.

Respect for women

“Historically, among the Luo, women were respected and exalted. But we now do the opposite. Women’s names were used to name the clans. It is almost like the house of Mumbi does. They are all about women but now people claim women cannot lead. We are in charge of clans and that means we are capable of leading too. We must put out history correctly. Our history exalted women,” she said. 

The MP further called on a sustained campaign to abolish and criminalise practices that hold back women’s emancipation.

“We have to put riders to culture and label those that are retrogressive. The Constitution outlaws harmful practices and we need to strengthen sections of the laws that advocate for the same. We have some harmful practices like FGM, wife inheritance, and early and forced, beading among others. Sadly, we have people justifying these acts,” Millie Odhiambo added.