TAARIFA KWA KWA VYOMBO VYA HABARI
ASASI ZA KIRAIA ZAHIMIZA WANAWAKE KUCHUKUA FOMU ZA
KUGOMBEA NAFASI ZA UONGOZI NDANI YA VYAMA VYAO
Asasi
za
kiraia
zinazoshughulikia
masuala
ya
wanawake
na
uongozi
zinawahamasisha wanawake wote wenye sifa kuchukua fomu za kugombea nafasi
mbalimbali za uongozi ndani ya vyama vya siasa kuelekea uchaguzi mkuu ujao wa
mwaka 2025.
Ushiriki wa wanawake katika uongozi ni jambo la msingi katika kuimarisha usawa
wa kijinsia na kuleta maamuzi jumuishi yanayoakisi mahitaji ya jamii nzima. Katika
kipindi hiki ambacho vyama vya siasa vimeanza kutoa fomu za kugombea nafasi
za udiwani, uwakilishi, ubunge na hata urais, na vyengine kutangaza tarehe za
kuchukuwa fomu hizo, Asasi hizo zinatoa wito kwa wanawake kuchangamkia fursa
hii ili kuongeza ushiriki mkubwa wa wanawake katika nafasi za uongozi.
Asasi hizi kwa pamoja zimefanikiwa kutoa mafunzo ya uongozi kwa wanawake
zaidi ya 200 kwa Unguja na Pemba wenye nia ya kugombea nafasi mbalimbali za
uongozi kuelekea uchaguzi mkuu wa mwaka 2025 kupitia Mradi wa Kuwawezesha
Wanawake Zanzibar (SWIL).
Takwimu za chaguzi zilizopita zinaonesha kuwa bado kuna uwakilishi mdogo wa
wanawake katika vyombo vya maamuzi, jambo linaloathiri uwiano wa kijinsia
katika ngazi za maamuzi. Ripoti ya uchaguzi wa mwaka 2020 iliyotolewa na Tume
ya Uchaguzi Zanzibar inaeleza kuwa kati ya wagombea 601 waliochukua fomu
mwaka 2020 wanawake walikua ni 135 tu sawa na asilimia 22.4 ya wagombea
wote. Hii inaonesha kwamba bado wanawake hawajaitumia vizuri haki yao yakikatiba kushiriki kikamilifu katika michakato ya nchi ikiwemo kuomba kuchaguliwa
katika nafasi mbali mbali.
Asasi hizi pia zinatoa wito kwa wanawake wenye nia ya kugombea nafasi za
uongozi kujiepusha na vitendo vya rushwa, iwe kutoa au kupokea na pia
zinawahimiza
wanawake
hao
kuripoti
vitendo
vyovyote
vya
rushwa
wanavyokumbana navyo ili kurahisisha mchakato wa ushiriki wao katika uongozi
kufanyika kwa haki, uwazi na kwa ufanisi.
Sheria ya Kuzuia Rushwa na Uhujumu Uchumi Na. 5 ya mwaka 2023 ya Zanzibar
kifungu cha 50 (1 na 2) kinaeleza kuwa ni kosa kisheria kwa mtu yeyote kutoa au
kupokea rushwa kwa lengo la kumshawishi mtu kupiga kura ama kuacha kupiga
kura na adhabu yake ni faini isiyopungua milioni tano au kifungo kisichopungua
miaka mitatu au adhabu zote kwa pamoja.
Aidha kupitia kifungu cha 98 na 99 cha sheria hio kinatoa ulinzi maalum kwa
mashahidi wanaotoa taarifa kuhusu vitendo vya rushwa, ili kuhakikisha usalama
wao na kuwawezesha kushiriki kikamilifu katika mapambano dhidi ya vitendo
hivyo.
Taasisi zinaendelea kusisitiza umuhimu wa uadilifu na uwajibikaji katika mchakato
mzima wa uchaguzi, kwa kuwa hayo ni misingi muhimu ya kukuza demokrasia na
usawa wa kijinsia katika uongozi.
Asasi zinazohusika ni pamoja na Jumuiya ya Wanawake wenye Ulemavu Zanzibar
(JUWAUZA), Jumuiya ya Wanasheria Wanawake Zanzibar (ZAFELA), Jumuiya ya
Mazingira, Jinsia na Utetezi Pemba (PEGAO) na Chama cha Waandishi wa Habari
Wanawake Tanzania, Zanzibar (TAMWA ZNZ) kwa mashirikiano na Serikali ya
Norway.
Imetolewa na:
TAMWA ZNZ, JUWAUZA, ZAFELA & PEGAO.PRESS STATEMENT
CIVIL SOCIETY ORGANIZATIONS ENCOURAGE WOMEN TO COLLECT
NOMINATION FORMS FOR LEADERSHIP POSITIONS WITHIN THEIR
POLITICAL PARTIES
Civil Society Organizations working on issues related to women and leadership are
urging all eligible women to collect nomination forms and contest for various
leadership positions within their political parties as the country prepares for the
2025 general elections.
Women’s participation in leadership is essential for promoting gender equality and
fostering inclusive decision-making that reflects the needs of the entire
community. At this time when political parties have begun issuing nomination
forms for councillorship, House of Representatives, parliamentary, and even
presidential positions, and others have announced the dates for collecting these
forms, these organizations call upon women to seize this opportunity and enhance
their presence in decision-making spaces.
Through the Strengthen Women in Leadership (SWIL) project, these organizations
have successfully provided leadership training to over 200 who are aspiring to
contest various leadership positions in the upcoming 2025 general election.
Data from previous elections show that the representation of women in decision-
making bodies remains low, thus limiting gender balance at leadership levels.
According to the 2020 election report released by the Zanzibar Electoral
Commission, only 135 out of 601 candidates who collected nomination forms were
women, representing just 22.4% of all candidates. This highlights that women
have yet to fully exercise their constitutional right to actively participate in national
processes, including seeking election to various leadership positions.
The consortium strongly urges aspiring female candidates to avoid engaging in
any form of corruption, whether giving or receiving bribes. Moreover, weencourage them to report any acts of corruption they may encounter to ensure
that their participation in the leadership process is fair, transparent, and efficient.
The Zanzibar Anti-Corruption and Economic Crimes Act No. 5 of 2023, under
Sections 50(1) and (2), stipulates that it is a criminal offense for any person to
give or receive a bribe with the intent of influencing someone to vote or not to
vote. The penalty includes a fine of not less than five million Tanzanian shillings,
imprisonment for not less than three years, or both.
Additionally, Sections 98 and 99 of the same law provides special protection for
whistleblowers who report corruption-related incidents, thereby ensuring their
safety and enabling their full participation in the fight against corruption.
The organizations continue to emphasize the importance of integrity and
accountability throughout the entire electoral process, as these are fundamental
pillars for strengthening democracy and achieving gender equality in leadership.
The organizations involved include the Association of Women with Disabilities in
Zanzibar (JUWAUZA), the Zanzibar Female Lawyers Association (ZAFELA), the
Pemba Gender, Environment and Advocacy Organization (PEGAO), and the
Tanzania Media Women’s Association – Zanzibar (TAMWA ZNZ) in collaboration
with the Royal Norwegian Embassy.
Issued by:
TAMWA ZNZ, JUWAUZA, ZAFELA & PEGAO.