Ruth Habwe (died 1996) was a Kenyan activist and politician.

Early life and career

Habwe was a pioneer among those working to advance women's causes in Kenya. Trained as a teacher at the Kabete Teacher's Training College, she later attended the

Jeanes School Jeanes is a surname, and may refer to: * Allene Jeanes (1906–1995), American chemical researcher * Anna T. Jeanes (1822–1907), American philanthropist * David Jeanes Horace David Jeanes () is an English former rugby union and World Cup ...

alongside

Margaret Koinange Margaret is a female first name, derived via French () and Latin () from grc, μαργαρίτης () meaning "pearl". The Greek is borrowed from Persian. Margaret has been an English name since the 11th century, and remained popular through ...

and Muthoni Likmani. She was an early leader of

Maendeleo Ya Wanawake Maendeleo Ya Wanawake Organisation (MYWO) is a women's NGO that deals with issues to do with women's rights and gender equity in Kenya. It was founded by Zipporah Kittony in 1952 and has approximately 600,000 groups contributing to a total membershi ...

, which she chaired from 1968 until 1971. During her tenure the organization passed resolutions calling for such things as more women on the faculty of the

University of Nairobi , mottoeng = In unity and work , image = Uon emblem.gif , image_size = 210px , caption = Coat of Arms of the University , type = Public , endowment ...

and for equal employment conditions. Habwe ran for

parliament In modern politics, and history, a parliament is a legislative body of government. Generally, a modern parliament has three functions: Representation (politics), representing the Election#Suffrage, electorate, making laws, and overseeing ...

in 1964, one of few women to challenge the domination of men in that body. The decision was not without controversy; she failed to receive support from her political party, the

Kenyan African National Union The Kenya African National Union (KANU) is a Kenyan political party that ruled for nearly 40 years after Kenya's independence from British colonial rule in 1963 until its electoral loss in 2002. It was known as Kenya African Union (KAU) from 1944 ...

, and so ran as an independent. This so incensed party leadership that she was expelled from its rolls. She was told, furthermore, by other MPs "to go back to the Kitchen and cook for Mr. Habwe's children". Habwe was a member of the

Luhya Luhya or Abaluyia may refer to: * Luhya people * Luhya language Luhya (; also Luyia, Luhia or Luhiya) is a Bantu language of western Kenya. Dialects The various Luhya tribes speak several related languages and dialects, though some of them are ...

tribe. She had five children.

References

Year of birth unknown 1996 deaths Kenyan women's rights activists Luhya people 20th-century Kenyan educators 20th-century Kenyan women politicians 20th-century Kenyan politicians Kenya African National Union politicians {{Kenya-bio-stub