Pastor Dorcas Rigathi, the second lady of Kenya, has appealed to the government to establish a Sacco for widows in order to aid their financial growth. Speaking at the 6th annual pre-Valentine dinner for widows and orphans in Nairobi, Pastor Dorcas emphasized the importance of considering widows and widowers in the government’s financial empowerment initiatives.
She proposed the creation of a powerful alliance between the government and partners to support widows and widowers, stating that this will prevent them from relying on begging for survival. “We need to establish a widow’s Sacco with each chapter contributing to it, so that we can build a large investment that can help them become wealthy individuals who can make investments,” she said.
Pastor Dorcas shared her personal story of how her mother raised her and her eight siblings after the loss of their father. She encouraged women to strive for independence even after losing their husbands, stating that they possess the ability and potential to work and take care of their children.
She condemned the injustices faced by widows and assured that policies are being developed to protect their rights. Veronica Nduva, the Principal Secretary in the Ministry of Public Service, Gender and Affirmative Action, revealed that there are over 894,000 widows in Kenya, according to the Kenya National Bureau of Statistics economic survey 2019. She affirmed the government’s commitment to fighting for their rights and protecting their human rights as any other Kenyan.
