The Maendeleo Ya Wanawake Organization: The Co-Optation of Leadership

Abstract

The largest voluntary association in Kenya and only one with a countrywide network of clubs is Maendeleo ya Wanawake (Swahili for women's progress). It was organized by a small group of European in early 1950s under auspices of colonial government's Department of Community Development and Rehabilitation, to promote the advancement of African women and to raise African living standards. This paper will argue that although Maendeleo was founded to improve rural living standards through self-help, and although its national leadership in early years of independence took a critical position towards government, in last few years leadership has tended to accept status quo and accomodate itself to political elite.1 Moroever gap between rural and urban has grown wider and development projects that have been implemented have been results of local level initiative. The paper suggests that unless there is a greater commitment of resources from national executive and from government, Maendeleo ya Wanawake (MyW) will likely lose its extensive rural base. To support this proposition, paper contends that: (1) national executive and its urban supporters engage in patrons' round of activities, and in urban context MyW bears more resemblance to a western philanthropic organization than to an African self-help organization; (2) national executive, though voicing support for rights, enjoys essentially an accomodative relationship with government, and makes little attempt to secure equal rights or more resources for women; (3) central government continues to give verbal rather than substantive support; and (4) rural members feel neglected and bitter towards government and national executive, both of whom they see as doing little to help them solve their problems. In examining these hypotheses I will discuss first Maendeleo's origins and program; second, activities of urban leadership; third, beliefs and opinions of those in rural areas towards central government and national executive; and fourth, national executive's relationships with central government.