Orwoba on Cheptumo’s Gender CS role: ‘Duale might as well have fit’

Nominated Senator Gloria Orwoba has criticised the newly appointed Gender Cabinet Secretary (CS) Hanna Cheptumo over her suitability for the role.

Cheptumo was sworn in on April 17 after Parliament cleared her nomination by President William Ruto, despite questions about her fitness for the post, especially because of controversial comments on Kenya’s femicide crisis she made during her vetting.

The then-CS nominee attributed the rising femicide cases to women's desire for money, sparking condemnation from some Kenyans and gender rights activists.

In a Tuesday interview with Spice FM, Orwoba, the gender rights advocate, said Cheptumo should not have been cleared for the “sensitive” docket, which demands a “subject matter expert.”

“The truth of the matter is that she should not have been confirmed. She is a brilliant lawyer and good in her industry, but no!” said the nominated senator.

“Aden Duale should have been our CS then, because there is no difference,” Orwoba added, referring to the Health CS. “What we are saying is that there is no need for a subject matter expert – just anyone who can hold that docket.”

Orwoba added: “In a sensitive docket like Gender, people don’t understand it needs an expert. If it is just a matter of ‘A lawyer can go and we will hold their hand,’ Duale can also go.”

During the vetting on April 14, Cheptumo said one of her main action points to address the worrying murder of women in the country would be improving their financial freedom.

She argued that “If a woman is educated, chances are they will avoid these challenges,” on which the National Assembly Speaker, Moses Wetangula, challenged her, citing recent murders of female university students.

“They are educated, but those are looking for money,” Cheptumo, a lawyer who describes herself as a women’s rights advocate and social justice campaigner, responded.

Over a dozen women's rights organisations called for the immediate withdrawal of her nomination over the comments.

She later apologised, writing in a social media post that “I do not hold the belief that any woman (or other human being) deserves to be killed under any circumstances.”

The CS is the widow of the late Baringo Senator William Cheptumo, who succumbed to sickness in February.

President Ruto nominated her to fill the docket, which has been without a CS since Parliament in August 2024 rejected Stella Soi Lang’at’s nomination over her suitability for the role.

The ministry was originally held by Aisha Jumwa and was left vacant following Ruto’s Cabinet reshuffle in July 2024 after weeks of anti-government protests.