International Women's Day seeks to celebrate the social, political and economic achievements of women while focusing attention on areas that require further action- as far as women's advancement is concerned.
If it is celebration we are talking about, then here, in Kenya, we would need more than just a day- for the simple reason that we have so many women to celebrate and for so many reasons. Kenyan women have arrived. Everywhere you look, from CEOs to activists, entrepreneurs to scientists, educationists to policy makers one thing is clear, the Kenyan woman shattered the glass ceiling a long time ago.
We tried to compile a list of what we felt are the ten most successful and inspiring women in Kenya but this proved to be a mission impossible. There are so many great women in our midst. Thousands deserving of recognition for their work and achievements. It didn't seem fair to limit the list to 10 or even 100 for that matter.
What we instead did was look for, not the great women, but the truly exceptional ones. Women who challenged stereotypes and, against all odds, came out on top; women who have dared to be different; women who other women admire and want to be like; women who have flown the Kenyan flag, flown it high and flown it proud; women who, when we meet, hear about or read about make us say (or at least think) these words: Surely, there should be no more excuses. Not for Kenyan women.
This is our list of top ten Kenyan women extraordinaire, their major accomplishments and reasons why we love them.
10. Grace Ogot
Clinching the 10th position is East Africa's best known female author. This literary icon had an interesting career spanning from teacher to nurse, diplomat to member of Parliament, cabinet minister to broadcaster (with the BBC - no less). But it was her writing that propelled Ogot to fame. She was the first African woman to publish short stories in English and is often referred to as 'the woman who took the African story to the world'. Grace's works have gone on to have a powerful influence on the East African literary journey.
Why we love her: Her eclectic career. How many people can put nurse, diplomat and writer on a resume? We also love that she wrote so beautifully and aged so gracefully.
Memorable quote: "When you are frightened, don't sit still, keep on doing something. The act of doing will give you back your courage."
9. Tegla Loroupe
Whizzing past Grace to claim the 9th position is the diminutive yet indomitable Tegla Loroupe.
When it comes to endurance running, the Kenyan story is a runaway success (all pun intended). In fact you cannot construct a respectable sentence using the word "marathon" without qualifying it with the word "Kenya". Tegla Loroupe is, to a large extent responsible for this. Loroupe has won many marathons but it was the very first one, the New York City marathon that not only got people talking but also set the pace for other female African long distance runners.
Before Loroupe, no other African woman had the inspiration to get in the game. After Loroupe, Kenyan women have won five of the intervening New York marathons and now own six world records in distance running. Catherine Ndereba who has been described as the greatest marathoner of all time got her inspiration from Tegla. "Loroupe was a star in our country and I was copying her," Ndereba once stated.
Why we love her: Winning has never been about her but about social change. This was echoed in her speech after her New York marathon win, "I want to show that women don't need to feel like useless people," she said. Many found it an odd victory speech, but in Kenya it was revolutionary. When Loroupe returned home, women in her village presented her with cows and sheep, telling her: "We see, we are like the men—we can do things." Tegla is currently a global spokeswoman for peace, women's rights and education.
Memorable quote: "In a country where only men are encouraged, one must be one's own inspiration."
8. Julie Gichuru
Julie was the first African woman to receive the Martin Luther King Salute to Greatness for advocacy of non violence following the 2007 election in Kenya. Her resume reads: entrepreneur, TV host and producer, writer, philanthropist, wife, mother…
Some have argued that she shouldn't make this list. Maybe top 50 but top 10? Hmmm… But we think different. Any mother reading this will tell you what the toughest job in the world is - especially in this day and age. Julie has a day job, runs her own businesses, is a wife and a mother of not one, not two but five children! What's more, she still manages to look oh- so- fabulous! Yep, this woman definitely makes the cut.
Why we love her: She is a girl's girl - and seems to have it all figured out. Not many women love women who are both beautiful and accomplished but with Julie, it's different. She is so likeable. She is the kind of woman who other women would vote in as president. We are so inspired by her. And that's why we put her at number 8.
Memorable quote: "One of our greatest responsibilities is to mentor and teach generations that follow us."
7. Ory Okolloh
The 7th position goes to the woman who co-founded Ushahidi. This is how the story goes: After the post election violence in Kenya in 2007, Ory who was based in South Africa at the time but had come back home to vote and observe the election, received threats about her work. She returned to South Africa and posted online the idea of an Internet mapping tool to allow people to anonymously report violence and other misdeeds. Techies saw her post and Ushahidi was born.
Since then, the revolutionary open software project has been adapted for other purposes (including tracking pharmaceutical availability) and been used in Chile, Japan, New Zealand, Australia, Pakistan, Tanzania, and Haiti. Ory also co-founded Mzalendo and the Kenyan pundit, held the position of Policy Manager for Africa with Google. Ory is a Harvard trained lawyer, wife, mother of three, made the Forbes list of the 20 most influential African women and is currently the Director of Investments at Omidyar Network.
Why we love her: All these achievements and she hasn't even hit her 40th birthday yet! Oh and the hair. Don't get me started on the way she wears her hair.
Memorable quote: "We need to move away from the idea that women can only be mentored by other women. Not just because of the numbers issue, but because it's limiting. Anyone who has been successful and has knowledge to share is a potential mentor."
6. Njoki Ndung'u
In a country where the raison d'etre for going to parliament is to amass wealth, fleece the populace and feel self important, it is refreshing to have had characters like Njoki Ndung'u.
Njoki takes the number 6 spot for Kenyan woman extraordinaire because during her stint in parliament, her main pre-occupation was not politicking, demanding big fat allowances, 30 million shilling mortgages, flashy cars, armed bodyguards… Njoki did what she was meant to do: Legislate. Her focus: women's rights issues. The campaign to zero-rate taxation on sanitary towels was her first accomplishment.
After that came the Sexual Offences Act 2006. After that, she managed to move four other important legislative amendments in the Employment Act 2007 (the maternity and paternity benefits), provisions on trafficking in persons, and the compulsory sexual harassment policy requirements for institutions.
Why we love her: She has done some serious stuff in this country- helped give us a new constitution, played a major role in empowering Kenyan women but she is still so cool and so real! Which other Kenyan MP can you picture taking part in a vagina monologue reading?
Memorable quote: "When I pass on, the epitaph on my tombstone should read: 'Here lies Njoki Ndung'u. She made Kenya a safe and better place for women to live in."
5. Joyce Aluoch
Number 5 goes to the first Kenyan Judge at the International Criminal Court in the Hague (note: I did not say female judge but just judge period). Justice Joyce Aluoch was elected in 2009 by the highest number of votes - 100 from the 108 countries, voted by secret ballot at the General Assembly of State Parties to the Rome Statute in New York.
Besides flying the Kenyan flag in the international arena, one of her most notable contributions in Kenya was the establishment of the Family Division of the High Court The structure simplified litigation in Family Law matters, making it accessible, affordable and expeditious for all.
Why we love her: With her track record of being the toughest yet fairest judge in the history of this country, if we had a case in court and she was sitting on the bench, we would sit back and rest easy in the knowledge that justice would be served- assuming we were innocent of course.
Memorable quote: "I will meet this expectation by respecting other people's views and being sensitive to their needs. This is what I do in my everyday life."
4. Lupita Nyong'o
Lupita takes fourth position because, right now, everyone and I mean everyone wants a piece of her. But guess what, she is ours. Lupita is a Yale university graduate who was the first African woman to win an Oscar.
Now just so we all understand the gravity of this statement- let's put some perspective here: She was up against heavy weights such as Jenifer Lawrence and Julia Roberts. Furthermore, this was her first major movie role.
AND since 1939 and up until Lupita's Oscar win, only six black women have won in either the Best Actress or the Best Supporting Actress categories. Still in need of more perspective? Well if this isn't the clincher then I don't know what could be: Leonardo Di caprio has never won an Oscar. Nuff said?
Why we love her: The girl had a selfie with Oprah! And Ellen Degeneres! And Brad Pitt! But seriously, in a time and country where no one took acting as a serious vocation, Lupita just went for it, guns blazing. With her brains, she could have taken on a more 'respectable' career, become a professor like her dad, for instance. Or, God forbid- decided to languish in her parents' wealth as many rich kids tend to. But Lupita, instead chose to follow her dreams and leave her own mark. After Lupita, it's safe to predict that no one is going to be telling artists in this country to stop fooling around, 'look for real jobs'.
Memorable quote: "When I look down at this golden statue, may it remind me and every little child that no matter where you're from, your dreams are valid."
3. Professor Olive Mugenda
Number 3 on our list is Professor Olive Mugenda. She was the first woman to be appointed the Vice Chancellor of a public university. And what a job she has done! Under her leadership, Kenyatta University's star has never shone brighter.
The university was recognized as the best performing state corporation in the 2006-07 performance contract evaluations. It also received ISO 9001:2000 quality certification for its excellence in accountability and operations, student numbers have tripled and satellite campuses have been established. The university is in the process of constructing a state-of-the-art referral hospital which will be the country's first fully fledged university hospital.
Why we love her: Mugenda became vice-chancellor of a public university at a time when Kenyan society did not have faith in the ability of women to lead. And she has gone on to prove that she was indeed the right 'man' for the job!
Memorable quote: "I am patient but also demand results. You must go the extra mile to succeed."
2. Tabitha Karanja
Who would have the courage to take on one of the East African region's biggest multinational companies which has enjoyed an 87 year old monopoly in the country and is typically dominated by men? Why, a woman of course. Honestly, only a woman can have the nerve to challenge such a status quo. The founder and CEO of Keroche Industry's biggest risk was incurring colossal losses due to competition from the already well established multibillion company.
More than that, Tabitha has confessed that she had to endure meddling from high powered government officials, high taxation rates and everything else that you can think of that would be pointing you towards the exit. Tabitha soldiered on and made history as the first female entrepreneur to own a beer brewer and the first Kenyan to ever own a beer factory. Tabitha Karanja definitely makes the top 3 for us.
Why we love her: She is daring. She is determined. She did it! Against all odds, she now controls at least 20 percent of Kenya's beer market.
Memorable quote: "We have fought countless battles and we seemed to have sunk at times, but true to the word we believed we could make it, we rose above the barricades and the story is now told of how we made it and won the war."
1. Professor Wangari Maathai
You see that lovely piece of prime real estate of sprawling lush green lawn that you drive past when you are on Uhuru Highway or walk through to clear your head or just so you can shortcut from city center? Well if it wasn't for our number one woman on this list, it would be occupied by a 60 storey business complex. Yep, no shortcuts through that.
But what's really fascinating here is, this woman dared to challenge an African president in the 80's - and won. The foreign investors who's services former president Daniel Arap Moi had engaged to turn this beauty spot into a concrete jungle, had to abandon the project- because of the kind of noise this woman made.
Wangari is a woman of many firsts: The first woman in East and Central Africa to obtain a PhD; the first woman professor at the University of Nairobi; the first Kenyan woman to declare her intention to run for presidency, the first African woman to win the Nobel Peace Prize and the first environmentalist at that. And now, the first on our list of Kenyan women extraordinaire…
Why we love her: When nobody really cared, she stood up to protect humanity's most important resource- the environment.
Memorable quote: "It's the little things citizens do. That's what will make the difference. My little thing is planting trees."
Congratulations to all the women who made this list and especially Wangari Maathai. May your heroic soul rest in eternal peace.
