By Linnet Muchoki
Hon Aisha Jumwa’s (2022) colourful life is heroic, amazing, depressing, daring, depressing, and so many other things. That is, depending on which angle you are looking at, her rise and rise in politics and public service.
She is the Cabinet secretary of Public Service Gender and Affirmative Action in the 6th National Cabinet in Kenya, led by president William Ruto.
Personal Life
Hon Aisha Jumwa was born in Kilifi South constituency, Kilifi county, on March 23, 1975. She is the second born in a family of five. She attended Takanga Primary school and then Murray Secondary school. In form two, she deferred her studies due to being pregnant. She then continued in Ganze Secondary School and Nyali Senior School. She later joined Jomo Kenyatta University for Agriculture and Technology (JKUAT) for Technology for a Certificate in County Governance and a Degree in Commerce from the same University. She is a mother of two daughters and a son. The children are Karisa Kalume, Selina Sidi and Ruth. She is also a grandmother.
She has two ex-husbands. The first marriage ended when she was forced to choose between being a career woman in politics or being a homemaker. She chose politics and returned her dowry, effectively dissolving the marriage. She later married Karisa Nzai Munyika, a fellow politician and separated in 2014 due to irreconcilable differences. Hon Aisha states that she is not planning to get married soon.
Political life
Before joining politics, Hon Aisha worked in a construction company in Kilifi known as Kaseru Enterprises. Her love of politics was influenced by her father, who used to compose songs, perform and dance while campaigning for the area councillor and later being elected as the chairperson of the local land adjudication. Through the campaigns is probably where she learnt how to ‘Zungusha’ her ‘Kiuno'(Wine her waist).
In 1997 she tried her hand at politics through the KANU party. She served as a councillor until 2007 in Kilifi, Takaungu ward.
She was later elected chairperson of Kilifi Town Council. In 2013 She became the first woman representative in Kilifi through the ODM party seat. She was also a member of the Department Committee on Environment and Natural Resources and the department committee on labour and social welfare. In 2017 she was elected to become Malindi Township MP courtesy of ODM. As Malindi MP, she served as a Commissioner in the Parliamentary Service Commission. Mr Raila Odinga once described her as Mekatilili wa Menza-reincarnate. This is because of the comparison between the two for their confidence, boldness and uncanny ability to stand for what they believe in.
In 2019, she renounced her alliance with Mr Raila Odinga, leader of Azimio Coalition and pledged her loyalty to president Hon. William Ruto. In the general election held in 2022, she vied for the Kilifi Gubernatorial seat but lost to Gideon Mung’aro. She was appointed as the cabinet secretary of Public Service Gender and Affirmative Action.
Contribution to the society
During her time serving for Kilifi town council, She is credited for having started the Guma water project, this enabled the residents of the previously marginalized village to have access to piped water. Through her initiative, she also has two water projects running funded by the Coast Water Project, this has seen them acquire two water pans at the cost of Sh5 million each.
In 2016 she founded the Aisha Jumwa Foundation, which fights for the rights of marginalized groups, including women, youths and disabled people. Through the foundation, the distribution of sanitary pads is done on schools in more than 50 primary and secondary schools in Kilifi county, as well as mentorship programs on leadership. Hon Aisha has also donated foodstuffs to hungry residents in Ganze and conducted civic education in the county. Hon Jumwa has supported seven greenhouses worth 600,000 established and functioning to encourage agricultural uptake.
She has donated shades to the Malindi market and assisted in building schools such as Sosobora Secondary School, Ganda and Maweni primary schools. In collaboration with Hon Rachel Ruto, she oversaw the launch of table banking under Joywo, where more than 500 groups of marginalized people have joined and benefited. She also started an initiative to educate people on applying for and efficiently utilising the Uwezo Fund and the Women Enterprise Fund.
She has also initiated a project of donating chairs and tents to women’s groups so that they can hire them out during functions and get an income. She hopes to mentor more women from her county to take leadership positions. She says that she doesn’t want women to feel they are not allowed to lead because they make outstanding leaders.
Controversies
Being a politician means that every move made will be monitored by the public at a microscopic level, and Hon Aisha Jumwa is not new to controversies and scandals facing her career and general life. Her second marriage is rumoured to have failed due to her being elected to a higher position(woman representative) than her then-husband, who was elected as the MCA representative.
In October 2019, Hon Aisha Jumwa was arrested after Gumbao Jola, her uncle, was shot dead in a scuffle between rival ODM Party supporters in Ganda Ward in Malindi, Kilifi County. She was then charged with murder together with her then-lover of six years, Geoffrey Okuto. Hon Aisha Pleaded not guilty and was released on bail of 4 million ksh cash.
Hon Aisha Jumwa and her children were accused of embezzling over ksh 57,711,690 of public funds. It is alleged that between March 2014 to August 2018, her children’s company Kaseru Construction Ltd received Ksh. 64,735,504 from Kilifi County through their Equity Bank account. She was granted KSh 5 million surety bond with an alternative to paying KSh 2 million cash bail.
She once proposed that pregnant teens and the ones who impregnated them be arrested. She argued it would reduce the number of teen pregnancies. Yet, she got pregnant as a teenager and gave birth. Hon Aisha has also been in scuffles with other political figures such as Mr Francis Atwoli, the Secretary general of the Central Organization of Trade Unions of Kenya.
From the supporters
Hon Aisha supporters view her as a go-getter and inspiring to all to rise through adversity. She is lovingly referred to as “shangazi wa taifa.”
Her notable quotes include, “We need to reshape our own perception of how we view ourselves. We have to step up as women and take the lead.”
“Unity of all Kenyans must be inclusive and gender-sensitive but not selective.”
*Linnet Muchoki loves to chronicle Africa’s women leaders as change agents. Email: Linnet.muchoki@gmail.com