Homa Bay County nominates three women to vie for MP

Rangwe parliamentary candidate Lilian Gogo. (Photo: James Omoro, Standard)

Three women are well on their way to winning parliamentary seats after clinching ODM party tickets in the nominations.

Should they win the seats on August 8, the county would be among the first to achieve the one-third gender rule.

Currently, ODM which has the highest number of MPs in the National Assembly, has only one elected woman MP - Suba North MP Millie Odhiambo.

Should the status quo hold during the polls, Ms Odhiambo will be back in the House to represent Suba.

Two other women - Dr Lilian Gogo (Rangwe) and Dr Eve Obara (Kabondo Kasipul) are also expected to make their debut in the House.

The three beat a field of aspirants to be declared the winners in the highly competitive, male-dominated ODM primaries in the region.

During the single party era, Ms Phoebe Asiyo became the first woman to be elected to Parliament as MP for Karachuonyo after she defeated the then Kanu national chairman, David Okiki Amayo.

In 1997, the then chairperson of Maendeleo ya Wanawake in South Nyanza, Mrs  Philgona Okundi, tried her hand at the politics of Rangwe but was defeated by Dr Shem Ochuodho.

Woman activist Monica Amolo also tried her luck in Ndhiwa but lost to Joshua Orwa Ojode.