Sex, power, and influence: Millie Odhiambo's new book reveals gender dynamics in Kenyan politics

Milly Grace Akoth Odhiambo Mabona. (Michael Mute, Standard)

The book Rig or Be Rigged by your favorite bad girl of Parliament Millie Odhiambo has just hit the shelves and is already sending shock waves within and outside Kenya. There is a page where Millie talks about Kugongewa at Parliament offices. Those tables do not only produce laws that govern the country but also facilitate quick underground trips to aquifers whose owners are compromised by some kind of need. She says that pipes are being laid by male plumbers every so often before advancing favours to our gender. She says the season of party nominations is a high season for harvesting needy women that are desperate to be called Waheshimiwa.

I guess elections for the bigwigs is like the peak seasons in the tourism industry. In essence, what that page in the book says is that women can use the same method to influence decisions at all levels and it works. Of course the voter in Kenya is a robot used by the parties to rubber stamp what the male influencers have approved horizontally and blessed accordingly.