BY MWANAHABARI REPORTER
Malindi Member of Parliament Aisha Jumwa has for the first time revealed to Kenyans why she decided to separate from her husband.
The controversial politician who was generous enough to publicly discuss her personal life told NTV that hers was a successful political career – but with a failed marriage.
Her story probably shows to some extent how combining certain enriching careers and a loving relationship can be a challenge especially to women.
This goal presents higher hurdles, even in the most gender-equal countries in the world, with dramatic increase in the divorce rate for career women in Kenya hitting a crescendo of late.
I chose politics
The mother of three has made it clear that her marriage started experiencing turbulence the moment she joined politics – and began thriving at it.
Jumwa maintains that she found herself in a precarious situation – where she had to chose between saving her marriage, or continue kicking asses in parliament.
She chose parliament instead – and with that bid her husband and the marriage institution goodbye.
“My ex-husband said he could not have a wife who was a politician,” Jumwa told NTV in an interview.
“There is no way I could kill my (political) career (because of my marriage), so we divorced.”
“I’m not answerable to any man even though people say I’m the one who left him.”
“Do I look like someone without a man?’ she posed.
I have a man, but I am not married
‘There is a difference between having a husband and having a man. I’m not married but I have a man.”
“Forget the narrative that behind every successful woman is a man,” she echoed in a political rally sometime back.
Aisha Jumwa is a staunch supporter of Deputy President William Ruto.
She attended Takaungu Primary School where she sat her Kenya Certificate of Primary Education (KCPE) in 1990 before joining Ganze Secondary School and later Nyali Senior school.
Jumwa has a Certificate in County Governance from the Jomo Kenyatta University of Agriculture and Technology (JKUAT).