[{"command":"settings","settings":{"pluralDelimiter":"\u0003","suppressDeprecationErrors":true,"ajaxPageState":{"libraries":"core\/picturefill,entity_embed\/caption,views\/views.ajax,views\/views.module","theme":"hrw_design","theme_token":null},"ajaxTrustedUrl":[],"views":{"ajax_path":"\/views\/ajax","ajaxViews":{"views_dom_id:blog_live_feed__blog_body_block__306962__en":{"view_name":"blog_live_feed","view_display_id":"blog_body_block","view_args":"306962","view_path":"\/blog\/content\/306962","view_base_path":null,"view_dom_id":"blog_live_feed__blog_body_block__306962__en","pager_element":0}}},"user":{"uid":0,"permissionsHash":"0ae5601d8790ff50fca3cf23b9ac9170285f2f75823ebdc8d9cc054bc03a679b"}},"merge":true},{"command":"add_css","data":"\u003Clink rel=\u0022stylesheet\u0022 media=\u0022all\u0022 href=\u0022\/sites\/default\/files\/css\/css_reI-6YIYy-k9pvxm-gaCRrn5cSrTZRtyAMrp4YXDUJw.css\u0022 \/\u003E\n"},{"command":"add_js","selector":"body","data":[{"src":"\/sites\/default\/files\/js\/js_VkK39bvB4H6LLVemwPFz8QWcUMTFqZ3FFo_LBVv_4vs.js"}]},{"command":"insert","method":"replaceWith","selector":".js-view-dom-id-blog_live_feed__blog_body_block__306962__en","data":"\u003Cdiv class=\u0022js-view-dom-id-blog_live_feed__blog_body_block__306962__en\u0022\u003E\n \n \n \n\n \n \n \n\n \u003Cdiv\u003E\n\u003Cdiv\u003E\n \u003Cdiv class=\u0022blog-block__content__description rich-text pt-6 mb:pt-10 mx-auto\u0022\u003E\n \u003Cp\u003E\n\n\n \n\n\n\n\u003Cdiv class=\u0022embed align-center embedded-entity embedded-entity-type-media embedded-entity-bundle-image embedded-entity-viewmode-embeddable embed--center\u0022\u003E\n \n\n\u003Cdiv\u003E\n \n \n\n\n\n\u003Cfigure class=\u0022figure figure--expand text-center\u0022\u003E\u003Cdiv class=\u0022figure__media relative inline-block mx-auto\u0022\u003E\n \u003Ca href=\u0022\/modal\/32785\u0022 rel=\u0022modal:open\u0022 class=\u0022figure__link\u0022\u003E\n \u003Cimg srcset=\u0022\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/480w\/public\/multimedia_images_2017\/201707africa_kenya_mombasa2.jpg?itok=ihBS2TgW 480w, \/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/embed_xxl\/public\/multimedia_images_2017\/201707africa_kenya_mombasa2.jpg?itok=Oub4lt7u 850w\u0022 sizes=\u0022(max-width: 524px) 100px, 500px\u0022 data-responsive-image-style=\u0022embedded_images\u0022 src=\u0022\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/embed_xxl\/public\/multimedia_images_2017\/201707africa_kenya_mombasa2.jpg?itok=Oub4lt7u\u0022 width=\u0022850\u0022 height=\u00221135\u0022 alt=\u0022Posters of candidates running for political offices in the upcoming Kenya elections displayed on a building in Mombasa town \u0022 loading=\u0022lazy\u0022 typeof=\u0022foaf:Image\u0022 \/\u003E\u003Cdiv class=\u0022figure__expand absolute block bottom-0 right-0 w-8 h-8 bg-white text-gray-700\u0022\u003E\n \u003Cspan class=\u0022sr-only\u0022\u003EClick to expand Image\u003C\/span\u003E\n \n\n\n\n\u003Cdiv class=\u0022icon fill-current w-full inline-block\u0022\u003E\n \u003Csvg viewbox=\u00220 0 20 20\u0022 fill=\u0022currentColor\u0022 role=\u0022img\u0022 focusable=\u0022false\u0022 aria-hidden=\u0022true\u0022\u003E\u003Cuse xlink:href=\u0022\/themes\/custom\/hrw_design\/dist\/app-drupal\/assets\/spritemap.svg?cacheBuster=#sprite-expand\u0022\u003E\u003C\/use\u003E\u003C\/svg\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\n \u003C\/div\u003E\n \u003C\/a\u003E\n \u003C\/div\u003E\n \u003Cfigcaption class=\u0022figure__info text-left font-serif text-xs md:text-sm lg:text-base mx-auto text-gray-700 mt-1\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022figure__caption\u0022\u003EPosters of candidates running for political offices in the upcoming Kenya elections displayed on a building in Mombasa town.\n\u003C\/span\u003E\n \u003Cspan class=\u0022figure__credit\u0022\u003E\u00a9 2017 Human Rights Watch\u003C\/span\u003E\n \u003C\/figcaption\u003E\u003C\/figure\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\n\n \u003C\/div\u003E\n\u003C\/p\u003E\u0026#13;\n\u0026#13;\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cem\u003EIn a country where women are routinely denied the ability to own and control their own finances, running for political office in Kenya is tough. And money isn\u2019t a guarantee a woman candidate will be able to win over a patriarchal society. At the start of a painful drought in Kenya last year, Rosemary (name changed to protect her privacy), a young community organizer, decided to run for Member of the County Assembly (MCA). Human Rights Watch spoke to her in Mombasa about the challenges she faced as a young, unmarried woman, and about the \u003C\/em\u003E\u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/www.newsdeeply.com\/womenandgirls\/articles\/2017\/07\/17\/female-candidates-face-violence-and-abuse-ahead-of-kenyan-election\u0022\u003E\u003Cem\u003Ethreats\u003C\/em\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003Cem\u003E and resource constraints that forced her to end her campaign. Rosemary\u2019s account is edited for clarity:\u003C\/em\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u0026#13;\n\u0026#13;\n\u003Cp\u003EI am a leader. I was the head girl in primary school and I was the music captain. In secondary school, I was games captain. I was the chairlady in Christian union group. I am also bright \u2013 I was number one in class. Now, I help school dropouts, when girls get pregnant I help them keep their partners accountable. I also work with 90 young mothers and do advocacy to help girls protect themselves from underage pregnancy.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u0026#13;\n\tOur area is inland. We only have small trees and it\u2019s very dry and dusty. People are living in poverty, farming and cutting trees for charcoal which makes it hotter.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u0026#13;\n\tLast year, we had a bad drought. People had no water. I have my own tap on my compound so I would fill jerry cans and give water to others. I would wait for a car heading to areas without water and then I would send it along with some water. It was a lot of work.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u0026#13;\n\tEventually, I called the county government, asking them to provide water for the people. The County Commissioner wouldn\u2019t speak to me. He asked: \u201cWho are you?\u201d and I said, \u201cI am Rosemary, a community activist.\u201d He wouldn\u2019t talk to me. He said that the local MCA needed to call him and that I had no right to call him directly, then he hung up.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u0026#13;\n\tBut I wouldn\u2019t give up. I kept calling \u2013 borrowing other people\u2019s phones \u2013 until eventually he gave up and sent us a tanker of water.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u0026#13;\n\tThat was when I decided to run for office. I launched my manifesto in April 2016. The priorities in my manifesto were water, education, health and participation for all. People really liked the idea of participation. I promised that I would invite everyone to community meetings so that everyone would have a say. Over 1,500 people came to my first rally even though I had only planned on 200. We ran out of food. I paid for the rally myself.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u0026#13;\n\tYou can\u2019t campaign without money. Even a grassroots campaign is expensive.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u0026#13;\n\tAt the end of meetings, I would say goodbye, and the people would ask, \u201cHow are you leaving us? \u201cThey mean that I should give them a \u201csitting allowance\u201d \u2013 money for coming to the meeting. Without that, they say: \u201cjust go, your words are empty.\u201d\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u0026#13;\n\tTransport by \u003Cem\u003Eboda boda\u003C\/em\u003E (motorcycle taxi) is 1,000 KES (USD 10) for the day. Then for each meeting you have to leave 4,000 or 5,000 KES (USD 40 to 50) minimum. Even if I use 10,000 KES (USD 100) a week would use up my money fast. I began to wonder how I would manage my life after the election, especially if I didn\u2019t win.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u0026#13;\n\tMoney is especially a big problem for women candidates. We have no networks, no big business. There were three women in the race when we started \u2013 only one is still running \u2013 she is not campaigning because she has no money. She is just registered and hoping for miracle. One woman candidate was running against the incumbent in the primaries, but she could not get money to transport her supporters. She lost in the primaries because she couldn\u2019t get enough of her supporters to the polling station. There was a bus all the candidates in the primary were supposed to share, but they would ask everyone who they were voting for before allowing them on the bus. If you said you were going to vote for her, they would kick you off the bus. If you said you were going to vote for the incumbent, they allowed you on and gave you 200 KES (USD 2).\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u0026#13;\n\tSecurity is also a problem \u2013 for example as a woman I don\u2019t want to walk around at night. I got threats on the phone and on my Facebook account. \u201cOK, Rosemary, drop this thing or else you know who we are,\u201d they said, and \u201cwatch out for your life.\u201d They also threatened me because I am a single woman with a baby. One said: \u201cGo and get married and then come and ask for votes.\u201d I reported to the police but they did nothing. You have to pay them to investigate in my town.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u0026#13;\n\tOne day, someone dug up the waterpipe to my house, cutting off our water. I thought to myself: I don\u2019t have to lose my life because I love my community. I started to think I could still help the community without winning an election.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u0026#13;\n\tWhen my boyfriend realized I was serious about politics, he dumped me. That was a big blow for me, I lost him and my money, I was emotionally down. That is when I decided to quit.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u0026#13;\n\tStill, in 2022, whether I am married or not, I will run again. I am going to start a business and get money to run; friends will support me. I have everything to be a leader.\u003C\/p\u003E\u0026#13;\n\u003C\/div\u003E\n\u003C\/div\u003E\n\u003C\/div\u003E\n\n \n\n \n \n\n \n \n\u003C\/div\u003E\n","settings":null}]