It Is Possible: An African Woman’s Reflections on a Life-Long Political Journey

By Phoebe Muga Asiyo

For Phoebe Muga Asiyo, witnessing and participating in the birth of Kenya as a newly independent country in 1963 highlighted the importance and value of women participating in decision making. She dreams of a world where elected officials act with integrity to create a Kenya where all Kenyans are given fair access to opportunity.
It is Possible traces Phoebe’s life from her rural home Karachuonyo to the city of Nairobi where she recounts her experiences as a twenty-year-old social worker in the African reserves during the 1952 State of Emergency.
As the first African President of Maendeleo ya Wanawake Organization (MYWO), Phoebe learned that women united can reshape the narrative and change the direction of a country into a more inclusive society. For more than 70 years, MYWO has remained a constant source of encouragement and support for Phoebe. Knowing that MYWO was always close by allowed her to expand the horizon of ‘possible’. Phoebe documents the challenges she faced and the reforms she initiated to provide basic necessities for women in prison.
This book narrates Phoebe’s challenges as a woman elected to male-dominated Parliament in a strongly patriarchal society; her work with international agencies, most notably the UN and finally her work to get more women into elected office. It articulates issues affecting women in development and asserts that policy initiatives for improvement must include women at all levels. It encourages women to aspire for political office to firm up the gains for women and everyone else.
She encourages youth to fight against perceived and real challenges in the journey to become dependable leaders. The biography captures her institutional memory of the country’s struggles on gender equality, political reforms and activism. It is a story of the hope and determination of a woman whose firm steps helped usher in freedoms for everyone, especially the youth, girls, and women.
The book is a historical reference for policy-makers, universities, and scholars in gender and development studies.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Archway Publishing
• Release date: Jan 14, 2022
• ISBN: 9781665714914

Phoebe Muga Asiyo

Phoebe Muga Asiyo became a member of Parliament, the first United Nations Women (formerly UNIFEM) Goodwill Ambassador, a member of the United Nations Women’s Commission on Peace in Israel and Palestine, and a commissioner for the review and draft of the 2010 Kenya Constitution. Her passion is getting more women into elected office.

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ISBN: 978-1-6657-1489-1 (sc)

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ISBN: 978-1-6657-1491-4 (e)

Library of Congress Control Number: 2021922655

Archway Publishing rev. date: 05/09/2022

Contents

Foreword

Margaret Snyder

Dr Auma Obama

Prof. Wanjiku Mukabi Kabira

Hon. Charity Ngilu

Hon. Eve Obara

Acknowledgements

Chronology

The Beginning

Rite of Passage

The Education Journey

From Kamagambo to Kangaru

My Husband, Bezellel Richard Asiyo Genga

Nyerere’s Secret Briefcase

Motherhood

Emergency and Social Work

Maendeleo Ya Wanawake

Which Way Africa

Women requesting 50-50 representation before Independence

Loosening the Noose

Life at the UN

Protection of Minorities

Commission on the Status of Women

Africa Carries China to the UN

Participation at Women’s International Meetings

UNECA Special Assignment

Call to Politics

Negative Campaigns and Leaflets

Tough KANU Nominations and Disciplinary Committee

My Magic Moments

Short-Lived Victory

My Baptism of Fire

Roadblocks and Tailwinds

Women’s Groups

Nyaburi School for the Physically Challenged

Medical Camp for Eye Diseases

Dams

Irrigation Schemes

Other Projects

From De Facto to De Jure One-Party State

Mlolongo, the ‘Guillotine’ Elections

Affirmative Action Motion: Pushing Against the Walls of Patriarchy

Seeds of a National Women’s Liberation Movement

Greetings from Jaramogi

Jaramogi’s Resignation

Raila ‘the Wonder Boy’ Succeeds Jaramogi

The Fears of a Raila Presidency

Constitution-Making—Hopes and Hiccups

Assassinations Scar

A Whisper to My Community

Economy and Investment

Beyond the Divide—A Vision for My Country

Handshake

No Greater Honour—Service Without Borders

International Women’s Commission

The Team of Eminent Persons

Postscript

Women Migrant Labour

Female Genital Mutilation

Marriage and Inheritance

Domestic Violence

Role Models and the Future

Appendix 1: Seventh-Day Adventist Church

Appendix 2: Unique Christian–Muslim Relations in Karachuonyo

Appendix 3: Prisons Service

Prisons and Equal Rights Movement

Prisons and the Fight for Independence

Reflections on the Prison System

Bibliography

Foreword

Margaret Snyder

I first met Phoebe Asiyo in the early 1960s - shortly before Kenya’s independence - when she was a community development officer. On my arrival in Kenya on a sabbatical leave, she sent me to visit the renowned poet Grace Ogot in western Kenya and community development officer Angela Gethi in Nyeri, near Mt Kenya, so that I might experience Kenya’s diversity. She took me to Maasai country where her programme urged women to put windows in their homes to protect their children’s eyes from harmful cooking smoke.

Phoebe gave me another learning opportunity - helping to organize the path-breaking two Kenya Women’s Seminars (and later an East African Women’s Seminar) that brought together local women leaders from across the country to discuss women’s futures in an independent Kenya. To ensure everyone’s participation, women fluent in English, Kiswhahili and local languages served as interpreters. Together, women set out their priorities. Although her formal education stopped before University, a self-educated Phoebe had an outstanding career; you will learn about in It is Possible. Internationally she was often a Kenya delegate to the United Nations Commission on the Status of Women (CSW), and I had the pleasure of appointing her as the first Goodwill Ambassador for the United Nations Development Fund for Women (UNIFEM).

A great story-teller, Phoebe would describe riding her piki piki (scooter) and getting tangled between the legs of a giraffe that was crossing her path in the countryside. Her humor also shone when we learned that cholera had struck the Lake Victoria area where we were to travel with a visitor. Noticing the visitor’s hesitancy to go there, Phoebe asked her Did you have a cholera shot? Yes was the reply. Phoebe then spoke with quiet firmness: Do you want to waste it? After gales of laughter, we departed Nairobi for Kisumu, where we sang the cholera song and, later, we celebrated the defeat of cholera in the area.

It is Possible is of special interest to me because during my work in Eastern Africa in the 1960s, at the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa in the 1970s, and as founding director of UNIFEM in the 1980s, I met many African women leaders whose commitment, creativity and yes, toughness in contributing to their countries’ and region’s development is as essential as and often equals or surpasses that of men. Yet few have written autobiographies or had books written about them. This book shows how to celebrate these important makers of Africa’s history, lest the examples of their lives be lost to coming generations.

Phoebe Asiyo’s energy, commitment and steely determination never diminished over the six decades I have known her. Her vision, courage and dry wit are truly exceptional. She stands beside Africa’s first woman Nobel Peace Prize laureate, Wangari Muta Maathai, who challenged powerful people in Kenya who were intent on desecrating the people’s own park and allowing their forests to be destroyed. It is a privilege to introduce the life of this important player in Kenya’s, Africa’s, and women’s history. Placing her life story in the context of Kenya’s social and political environment, It is Possible describes a broader history of Kenya than many history books provide.

Margaret (Peg) Snyder, PhD Founding Director,

UN Development Fund for Women (UNIFEM)

Dr Auma Obama

Mama Phoebe Asiyo—because that is what I have called her for as long as I have known her—is the embodiment of the phrase ‘Yes We Can!’ and more specifically, the phrase ‘Yes I Can!’ Fiercely and unapologetically, she has championed the cause of women in Kenya and beyond. She has fought not only to have her own voice heard but also that of other women. As one of the first women to hold a political position in the Kenyan government in the ’70s, a time when women were seen as better placed in the kitchen and not in parliament, she penetrated what was then and to some extent still is a male domain. It was definitely not handed to her on a silver platter!

Against all odds (and there were many), Mama Phoebe has for decades been opening doors for Kenyan women to go through. She challenged and challenges society, and in particular us, as women, to step up and follow in her footsteps and actively participate! And while working to ensure that we women and our girls are not left behind, Mama Phoebe also promotes an inclusive approach that allows men to be part of the discourse that not only must shape the life and the growth of women and girls but must also grow for the better their communities as a whole.

Mama Phoebe’s reach goes far beyond Kenya. She has built bridges internationally that connect women all over the world to bring them on board to champion her cause. Few know that the one time my brother Barack’s mother, Ann Dunham, came to Kenya, Mama Phoebe was one of the few people who met her and showed her our rural home in South Nyanza!

That is the Phoebe Asiyo I know: the innovator, the connector, the motivator, and above all, the mentor—my mentor for over ten years now. As I started and have been growing my foundation, Mama Phoebe has been the strong voice, the powerful presence in the background. At every twist and turn, she has been there for me, encouraging, advising, and praising. She never lets me give up, even when things get really hard, because for Mama, giving up is not an option! Perseverance pays: a valuable lesson learnt from her.

So, as I write and give testimony to the work of Mama Phoebe Asiyo, I am honoured to be able to say that she has truly helped to shape my aspirations. Asante sana Mama! You are my hero and a true trailblazer! What you have achieved, and continue, at age 89, to achieve is an invaluable contribution to shaping the future of our continent.

Dr Auma R. Obama, Founder/Director

Sauti Kuu Foundation, Kenya

Prof. Wanjiku Mukabi Kabira

My interaction with Hon. Phoebe Asiyo started in 1992 dur- ing the National Women’s convention. She was and continues to be a symbol of women’s political leadership, and is synonymous with the affirmative action struggle for women’s representation in leadership. Women talk about The Phoebe Asiyo Motion. If you don’t know what this is, then you don’t know about women’s movement in Kenya.

I have worked with Mama Asiyo for more than 25 years, and indeed her energy and commitment to the women’s movement has never wavered. I interacted with her in the women’s movement, in the Constitution of Kenya Review Commission, (where both of us were among the commissioners) and in the Women’s Political Caucus where she was the chair and I was a convener. We walked together as members of the Team of Eminent Persons where she was the chair. We attended many meetings with high profile politicians including former President of Kenya, His Excellency Hon. Mwai Kibaki, former Vice President, Professor George Saitoti, former Prime Minister, The Right Honourable Raila Odinga, former UN Secretary General, His Excellency Kofi Annan, former Chair of African Union, Her Excellency Dr. Nkosazana Dlamini Zuma and former President of South Africa, His Excellency Dr. Thabo Mbeki.

I have been with Phoebe at meetings with church leaders, including Archbishop Ndingi Mwana a’Nzeki, Cardinal Maurice Michael Otunga, Cardinal John Njue and Archbishop David Gitari. At these meetings, Mama Asiyo was always leading delegations of women to negotiate for conflict resolution, ethnic tolerance, national cohesion, women inclusion, constitutional reform, political parties support for women and peaceful elections, among other major national concerns.

She has led various women’s organisations and movements for decades; and, as a result Phoebe has become a household name in the region and in global fora.

This autobiography is rich in many ways. It weaves Mama Asiyo’s life with struggles of Kenyan women’s lives and experiences and their contribution to both the struggle for democracy in this country, and against exclusion particularly in the political space. It is particularly important that this autobiography has told the story of our nation and her people through the eyes of an extremely experienced Kenyan woman politician. The perspective and views of women in mainstream discourse on our history remains scarce and, therefore, outside mainstream knowledge. This autobiography is, therefore, unique and very timely.

For the first time, a detailed story of the origin and the struggle of Maendeleo Ya Wanawake Organisation (MYWO) in the context of pre-independence and soon after independence has been told. Maendeleo’s relationship to the struggle for independence days and efforts to start a similar organisation by Mama Asiyo, to counter the white woman’s organisation gives a new dimension to this story. This is an important contribution to the current studies of women’s organisations and, women’s movement that African female scholars are still grappling with. Now we know more through this autobiography.

It is important for the young and not so young women to learn how far back the women movement goes and how gallant women such as Hon. Phoebe Asiyo, Jael Mbogo, Priscilla Obwayo and Ruth Habwe, among others did for this country and for women in particular. Thank you, Mama Asiyo, for capturing these women’s stories as you tell your own.

This book will be a great inspiration to generations of women in this country and in Africa.

The autobiography has given details about our Kenyan politics from the late 1950s to date. Mama Asiyo’s story brings a woman’s perspective to the understanding of Kenyan politics.

Her experiences in Mlolongo (queue) way of voting, her campaign strategies, and the challenges of operating within a patriarchal system gives us a lot that will be useful for understanding the struggles African women have gone through in their pursuit of political leadership. Much more importantly, her feminine approach provides fertile ground for women’s transformative approach to African politics. The politics of goonism can be done away with if we learn from Phoebe Asiyo. Her story on Kenyan politics is rich and very informative.

Mama Asiyo has worn many hats. As a Member of Parliament, her role in spearheading the Affirmative Action Motion in 1997, remains a major story for the women’s movement. This autobiography helps us to hear her voice, her struggles and her respect for those who walked with her on this dusty road. Her role in the making of the Kenyan Constitution (2010) is intertwined with the role of the women’s movement and she has shared the stories of those who walked with her in this struggle. Using her motherly and advocacy skills, she has knocked at many doors and they have been opened. She has been a pathfinder who led many women to follow the same path towards gender equality and the social transformation journey. Many of us remember her leadership role at various stages and it is gratifying to now read this narrative from her.

The autobiography is a strong statement of the Kenyan politics with its challenges and women’s role in it. It is a major contribution to Kenyan history and, pleasantly, women are at the centre of this history. The autobiography tells the story of Kenyans’ experiences during colonial rule, post-independence struggles, towards democratic governance as well as struggles against patriarchal domination in the journey towards equity and equality. It also gives us her experiences with key politicians such as Tom Mboya, Raila Odinga, James Orengo, Waruru Kanja, Kiraitu Murungi and Ooki Ombaka, among others. This is a story that all of us need to read. It helps us see Kenya in the past over 70 years from the eye of a woman who has a lot of experience, good memory, an eye for detail, passion for the people and country and the ability to look at the world also from the women’s eye. Her autobiography validates a woman’s view and this contributes to creating a more complete picture of our history.

Like Nobel laureate Professor Wangari Maathai, Mama Phoebe Asiyo has undoubtedly remained unbowed.

Prof Wanjiku Mukabi Kabira, Director,

African Women Studies Centre and Professor of Literature,

University of Nairobi

Hon. Charity Ngilu

A woman is like a tea bag; you can’t tell how strong she is until you put her in hot water. - Eleanor Roosevelt.

This quote by one of the courageous women empowerment and human rights defenders best describes my appreciation of Mama Phoebe Asiyo, a mentor per excellence.

Mama Asiyo has shown exceptional strength in the face of great odds in her efforts to ensure that more women grab the leadership mantle in various professions and disciplines across the country. Indeed, she builds women’s political capacity by being there for them, for us. In truth, Mama Asiyo has not only guided but also unselfishly shared her enormous political experience with all of us.

I believe I have scaled the heights of politics and public life because of the active support from Mama Asiyo and her trail blazing work to promote women empowerment.

My entry into politics in 1990 was nurtured by Mama Asiyo who together with the likes of Professor Maria Nzomo and Professor Wanjiku Kabira held the hands of those of us who had been bitten by the political bug. She worked with us through training, mentorship and networking to awaken in us rich confidence, one which would fire us up towards winning political seats even in the most difficult circumstances.

In 1997, when I dared the political male stranglehold by running for Presidency, Mama Asiyo gave me her unreserved support. She saw my bid as the first real crack in the glass ceiling that had kept the women down. She mobilised her networks to support me, something that contributed to my good results.

I have known Mama Asiyo as a person with a visionary and holistic outlook of women empowerment. She believes and has always advocated for girl-child education and women rights. She continues to agitate for more women to occupy decision- making positions, especially in government. She has relentlessly advocated for the economic empowerment of women. Through her efforts, the government adopted a pro-women policy where 30 per cent of the government business is reserved for women and youth.

Mama Asiyo’s contribution to the political landscape cannot be gainsaid. Her faith in the power of women has seen great strides made especially in the political sphere. At present, the country enjoys the highest number of women legislators at 87 out of 349, though this is still way below the minimum 30 per cent.

I recall an incident in Parliament in 1997 when she initiated a motion to increase the number of women parliamentarians. Our male colleagues mocked her and made snide remarks that if her motion was passed and women empowered politically, women would ‘grow horns.’ The high number of women we have today in Parliament means that many ‘horns have grown’ and we hope to see many more horns growing in national and county governments, academia, private sector and the Judiciary.

We are even witnessing a high number of top women leadership in faith-based institutions. Maybe in the very near future we may have women Bishops, Cardinals and even one day a woman Pope. I continue to draw great inspiration and wisdom from Mama Asiyo. One can always depend on her to support a good idea even when everyone else is in doubt. She is a bright spark for the Women of Kenya and beyond.

We feel challenged to better her trail-blazing legacy by ensuring that more glass ceilings are cracked in the areas of girl-child education, eradication of early marriages, full and comprehensive maternal healthcare for all expectant mothers and more women are economically empowered.

Today, even as we still look up to her to continue guiding us, we hope those coming afterwards will build on the foundation she has laid and that it shall never be shaken one bit.

Hon. Charity Kaluki Ngilu, Governor,

Kitui County

Hon. Eve Obara

It is not every day that you meet selfless people, indeed visionaries, who pave the way for the rest. Similarly, politicians rarely shift gears seamlessly to create opportunities for jobs, business and political leadership.

Mama Phoebe Asiyo, through her Affirmative Action Bill tabled in Parliament in 1997, broke the less visible gender barriers, to give girls and women the opportunity to dream and believe in their skills and talents.

Apart from being the first African to be elected chairperson of Maendeleo Ya Wanawake Organisation (MYWO), the largest grassroots women’s organisation in Kenya, Mama Asiyo was also the first African female prisons superintendent and MP to be elected for three consecutive five-year terms.

A famous name due to her political life, I first interacted with Mama in the early 1990s; and we have remained friends ever since. I will forever be grateful for the knowledge and wisdom she has imparted in me, enriching my corporate and political life.

My entry into politics is in part due to her direct influence, sincere support and mentorship. In our numerous conversations, she gave me priceless insights that enabled me to navigate the labyrinth of life. Through her, I learnt that honesty, sincerity and trust matter a lot in politics. Since retiring from active politics in 1997, she focused her energies on supporting community initiatives, including establishing an orphanage.

Her uncommon combination of politics, peace building and advocacy for gender equality has allowed her to see Kenya with a wide lens but narrowed down to connect the dots, identify drivers of national unity, understand complex subjects, take action, monitor progress and push for results.

This is the reason the Luo community took notice of her efforts and installed her as the first female elder. Together with Mama Ida Odinga, literary scholar, Asenath Bole Odaga (deceased), Jane Ogot (then chief executive of Kenya Women Political Caucus), Deborah Okumu and others, we lobbied the Luo Council of Elders to accept the nomination of Mama Phoebe to sit in the council.

Through this book, Mama will inspire other women trailblazers to pen their experiences, thus challenging the rest, especially girls and women, to dream, expand their horizons and stretch limits for good causes. You did the right thing to tell your story. It indeed, is possible.

Hon. Eve Akinyi Obara, MBS MP,

Kabondo Kasipul

Acknowledgements

This is the story of my life—a journey that chronicles the experiences that have left an indelible mark on my life and on the lives of the women of this country. My experiences during such journeys have been a cause of both immense joy and near-devastating despair, as I saw humans’ triumph over different forms of adversity or cave in to base instincts that led to unnecessary human suffering. Some of these encounters I remember with sharp clarity, while memories of others come to me in hazy fragments that call for prompts and, possibly, correction by those who witnessed the same events and have a clearer memory. In writing this memoir, I have benefitted immensely from friends, colleagues, and family members whose encouragement and support I now have a chance, albeit modest and inadequate, to acknowledge.

My friends at the Ford Foundation invested in me the hope that I could tell my story in an artistic manner and illuminate some aspects of our national history, especially the part of it that highlights roles and experiences borne by women of Kenya as they struggled to make sense of their social, cultural, and political environment. The women’s struggle for their dignity in the heavily patriarchal society that is Kenya has been a core concern of my service over the years. Indeed, the Ford Foundation’s financial support to help me tell my story was a powerful motivation, and for that I am grateful.

I also extend my gratitude to the selfless and dedicated individuals who helped feed my memory with narratives and anecdotes that served to enrich my story. In Nairobi, Hillary Ng’weno dug into his archive of the Weekly Review to avail to me important clips and photographs, and Prof. Wanjiku Kabira made available photographs, articles, and research findings as well as her own documentation on women’s issues. I thank Eddah Gachukia for her pivotal role in combing our shared memory bank for past information concerning women’s seminars in Kenya and East Africa. I also acknowledge Dr Akinyi Nzioki, who generously allowed me to use her offices in Nairobi, where I did most of the writing and research. She also provided refreshments to the team of researchers and, of course, her valuable insight to this book.

I cannot forget Hon. Ojwang’ Kombudo, Elder Benson Nyang’iye, Akech Chieng’, Professor Omollo Ongati, Kabasa Rege, Hon. Denis Akumu, Hon. Onyango Midika, Evelyn Batamuliza (from Rwanda), and other former colleagues in the National Assembly and Karachuonyo constituency who agreed to contribute to the book by sharing rich information through interviews and lengthy telephone conversations.

I am grateful for Ben Tolo who owned a successful road construction company and who was my campaign chairman. His generosity was un-paralleled. He provided transportation for the campaign, and after being poisoned I stayed at his house in Kisumu to recuperate.

In New York, Margaret (Peg) Snyder read the earlier drafts of the manuscript and offered invaluable information on what I had forgotten or overlooked.

In the larger Homa Bay County, in which my constituency of Karachuonyo lies, I was inspired by the men and women who gave me the honour to represent them in parliament. The same people accepted my decision to quit active politics. In my retirement, I have been stopped countless times across villages in Rachuonyo by men and women who say, ‘Thank you, Mama, and God bless you.’ Many of them were willing to sit down with me and offer their memories of the intense campaigns of the elections and by-elections of 1979, 1980, 1983, 1988 and 1992. To all of them, I am grateful.

I would like to acknowledge with humility and gratitude those who were wrongly and maliciously arrested, tortured, and detained for allegedly being members of Mwakenya (an underground movement that was agitating for the end of one-party rule and the expansion of the democratic space in Kenya, Mwakenya was conceived by Kenyans in exile and at home including Ngugi wa Thiong’o, Maina wa Kinyatti, Oduor Ong’wen and many others). They were labelled Mwakenya group just because they chose to support me. The late Dr Paul Adhu Awiti, Tom Rabala, the late Owiti Ayoma, the late Ogutu Kwanya, Seth Ongara, the late Charles Adongo, the late Peter Lieta, Charles MacOmer, the late Councillor Ogweno Amwom, and the late Joash Koyo ‘Opien’ paid the price.

I remember how Joash Koyo ‘Opien’ walked to the Kendu Bay police station prior to his planned arrest with a message for the police that he would be waiting for them at his gate. He reasoned that since he did not want the police to disturb his household by arresting him at home in the middle of the night thereby waking up his family and disturbing their peace, he would wait at the gate. That night, he wore his warm coat and sat at his gate the whole night waiting. The police did not show up. Koyo ‘Opien’ later became Ker (Supreme leader) of the Luo.

To the youth who ran many miles protecting my motorcade, and many other supporters—I am eternally grateful. I hope that one day, when the time is right, the rich stories of these selfless heroes and heroines will be told. To all musicians and local women who composed beautiful songs during the campaign period, contributed their meagre resources to aid my campaigns, and prepared meals for all the visitors who came to my home, I say thank you. To Mzee Simeon Mboya and his wife, Christabel Ochanda, who postponed the burial of their son Alan, which was scheduled to take place on election day, to enable voters to vote at the Oriang’ polling station, I am immensely grateful for the sacrifice you made for me.

As the project neared its end, I was introduced to two lecturers of literature at the University of Nairobi who offered me some technical advice on writing life stories. For reading through the manuscript and offering their advice, I thank Mumia Osaaji, Godwin Siundu, and Fredrick Morusoi Koech. I am also grateful to Joseph Nyang’or Ndegwa for research, useful editorial suggestions, and technical editing. I would also wish to specially thank the Kenya Literature Bureau for the initial production of the book.

My sisters Martha Opon Orinda and Perpetua Aoko Gaya, I thank you for often helping me when I needed to be in two places at the same time! To my late parents and parents-in-law who were strong pillars of support, I say thank you. My late husband, Richard Asiyo, my love for more than 65 years, the father of my five children, and my friend who died in 2017—I would never have done this, or anything else for that matter, without your unwavering support. I thank you. My children, including Alfred Vogel and Betsy Henderson, who continue to support me, I thank you.

Chronology

1932: Born to Joel Omer and Miriam Amolo in Gendia, Homa Bay County, Kenya.

1938: Joins Gendia Primary School.

1946: Joins Kamagambo Girls School in Migori County.

1950: Joins Kangaru Teachers College in Embu. Leaves home for the first time.

1952: Marries Richard Asiyo; settles in Ziwani Estate, Nairobi.

1952: Begins work as a teacher at Pumwani School.

1953: Redeployed to the Nairobi City Council as a social worker.

1954:

• Joins the Maendeleo Ya Wanawake Organization (MYWO).

• Applies to register Usalama ya Wanawake na Watoto, English for ‘Women’s and Children’s Safety’, to parallel the MYWO, which denigrates African women. The application is turned down, and she remains in MYWO.

1958:

• Contests for president, MYWO, replacing Mrs Beecher, wife of the bishop of East Africa and a member of the renowned Leaky family.

• Serves on the colonial government committee on the abolition of prostitution in Kenya.

• Embarks on extensive travels in the country in the line of duty to become acquainted with MYWO activities countrywide.

1960: Together with Priscilla Abwao, leads the first ever team of MYWO women to pay a courtesy call on Jomo Kenyatta in Lodwar. They discuss with Kenyatta the role women should play in the soon-to-be-independent Kenya.

1962: Joins the prisons service.

1963:

• Represents the Kenya government in Lome Togo at a conference to discuss the status of women in family law. It is a real eye-opener into the chaotic situation of African women in family law.

• Serves as member of the National Council of Social Service.

1964: Appointed by the prisons department to attend a course at Wakefield Staff College, Yorkshire, to observe and learn the running of prisons, borstals, and approved schools. Attached to the Holloway women’s prison in London.

1965–1973: Serves as delegate to the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) committee.

1966: Voted by the UNGA committee to serve on the Sub-Commission on Elimination of Discrimination and Protection of Minorities.

1970:

• Joins Child Welfare Society as director, taking over from Pamela Mboya, widow of the recently assassinated Tom Mboya.

• Represents Kenya at the UN Commission on the Status of Women (UNCSW).

• Serves as UN Development Programme (UNDP) consultant to rural Pakistan to empower women in leadership.

1973:

• Appointed by the UN Economic Commission for Africa, together with Kay Wallace from the USA, as consultant to Sudan, Ethiopia, Kenya, Lesotho, and Tanzania to sensitize governments in those countries to create national machineries (i.e. women’s bureaus) to mainstream women in the development processes of their countries.

• Attends the UNCSW meeting in New York to deliberate on the first ever UN World Conference on Women in Mexico.

1975: Attends the first UN World Conference on Women in Mexico.

1978: Appointed by UNICEF to the position of coordinator of the ‘Year of the Child’ in Kenya.

1979: Contests for and wins Karachuonyo parliamentary seat, being the fourth woman, after Grace Onyango, Julia Ojiambo, and Nyiva Mwendwa, to win an elective parliamentary