Using patriarchy and culture to demean women in this time and age is completely uncalled for – yet it is happening. A fully grown man silences his sisters, ordering them around and declaring: “I am the one in the homestead, and I decide what happens here. I have cancelled all matters to do with memorials. In this home, there are two men, so why are you forcing things? I already said the Mass should be held in church, not in the homestead, and I will not attend it…I repeat, I have cancelled the memorial. That is final.”
This is not leadership. It is entitlement deeply rooted in patriarchy.
The big question remains: Do women not belong to their birth homes? Do they not have a say in matters related to their parents, whether living or deceased?
The Constitution of Kenya (2010) is clear. Article 27(3) states that women and men have the right to equal treatment, including equal opportunities in political, economic, cultural, and social spheres. Article 40 affirms that every person – including daughters, whether married or unmarried, has the right to acquire and own property. It is clear! No family has the right to exclude women from family land or family decisions simply because they are female. They belong! So why would someone feel so entitled to silence them?
It is time to embrace change. Culture does not justify oppression. Women have rights too. They deserve better.
#JusticeForWomen #Empowerment #WomenMatter
