“Enough is enough” is the tough message women sent to men when declaring war on them for locking them out of big corruption deals in the country! That it’s only men who get involved in ‘high voltage’ corruption and get away with it, and no single woman has been named or even adversely mentioned in any of the many graft scandals currently rocking Kenya has angered women.

Women rights activists have come out all guns blazing to protest this ‘sad’ state of affairs. “Like seriously! Who said men have a monopoly for looting public coffers? When will our turn to eat ever come.

Are they locking us out of these shady deals just because we are women? Enough is enough! We also want to eat?” hissed an angry activist as she banged the table, scaring journalists at a press conference.

Corruption networks in the country have found themselves in a tight corner after a survey, in the activists’ possession, revealed that they are dominated by men. The Department of Gender, too, has accused these syndicates of contravening the constitution by not ensuring that at least a third of their top leadership positions are occupied by women.

“These corruption cartels have become a boys-only club,” lamented a Department of Gender official. “It’s time they incorporated more women in them so that mothers and daughters in this country, too, enjoy the fruits of corruption. We cannot have just one gender taking the whole cake and eating it alone...”

Speaking on condition of anonymity, an official at the commission charged with implementation of the constitution also echoed the same. “When it comes to corruption, women have been relegated to the back burner. They are only partaking the fruits of corruption either as wives, mistresses or girlfriends of corrupt men. This must change in line with the constitution.”

The official urged men to stop being greedy. And if they must be corrupt, they better incorporate women in their shady deals for them to also share the spoils.

“Gosh! Men are so greedy. If they must steal from public coffers, then let them include women in their ranks to share with them the loot,” suggested the official.

While the corruption networks have long been praised for innovation and constantly evolving new ways to steal public funds, some commentators have taken a swipe at them for having stuck in the past in as far as gender balance is concerned.

Lack of role models for women in corruption networks has been cited as one of the factors leading to their under-representation in plundering of national resources.

“When you look around, there is no single woman involved in mega corruption; a clear indication that men are just eating alone. We need to investigate, and try to see if we can get a few corrupt women involved in small-scale theft of public funds, and have them mentor young women who are looking to make a career as ‘tender-preneurs’, bribe and rent-seekers and kickback takers in future,” urged a women’s rights activist. “The days of women only being interested in earning an honest living are long gone!”

Consequently, a series of workshops and seminars are scheduled to take place with a view to helping women climb the ladder in corruption networks.

“We have had enough now. It’s high time women, too, got a chance to ‘eat’. Women must climb the corruption networks ladder, even if it means doing so ‘horizontally’. Also, corruption networks must do all they can, including bribery, in order to lure more women into graft!” fumed one furious woman.