Come on, it is not all about pretty faces and big backsides, show us some brains too

  Photo: Courtesy

There was a time when there was no shortage of women who believed in some cause and were ready to die for it.

I am talking about the late Nobel Peace Prize laureate Wangari Mathai who singlehandedly stopped land grabbers from descending on Karura Forest and mowing it to the ground.

I am talking here about the original Charity Ngilu, who Kenyans first came to know about when she wrote her name in the annals of the country's history as the first woman to offer herself for presidential election, not the 'softie' currently in the Ministry of Lands.

We are also talking about the tough-looking, non-smiling Martha Karua who walked out of former president Daniel arap Moi's meeting, proudly swinging her hips like a well-fed Maasai Mara Game Reserve zebra.

Damn, I miss these women since they spiced the local political scene and life in general.

See, when I look around today, our women no longer come out as tough and refined like those mentioned above. The current crop of women leaders have nothing worth celebrating about. Simply put, they are nothing but a bunch of jokers.

You think I am kidding? Let me take you down memory lane. The young woman we thought would end up taking the mantle from Mrs. Ngilu ended up asking young women to walk around 'ngothaless' (panty-less).

The other young women are not known for anything else other than flaunting their backsides. Read Vera Sidika and co.

To paraphrase a common African saying, there can never be a successful ceremony without the presence of a woman.

Therefore, I would like to challenge the current generation of women to stop thinking that all that they require to succeed in life is a big backside and begin using their brains for once.

We need to hear their sober voices in politics and other crucial fields because maybe it is their input that the country requires to break away from the bland, witless characters making waves in the local socio-political scene.

We need to see them taking a stand on serious issues, not just when it is about silly issues such as the fight to wear scandalous pieces of clothing.

In other words, we are tired of seeing only Boniface Mwangi showing up to picket over this or that issue.