30 | NEWSFOCUS SEPTEMBER 25, 2018 www.mygov.go.ke A political veteran with heart firmly in the grassroots Phoebe Asiyo is a veteran politician with a golden heart and a special. She was the first female superintendent of prison. She successfully vied for Karachuonyo MP in 1979 and held on until 1997 when she opted not to run. Although she has retired from politics, she is still actively involved in the developmental affairs of the people of Karachuonyo and Kenya at large. She is the recipient of honorary doctorates from the University of York, Canada in 2003, and Leigh High University in Pennsylvania, USA in 2007. Her story is excerpted from a forthcoming book, Pioneers &Transformers: The Journeys of Top Achieving Women in Kenya, published by the Kenya Yearbook Editorial Board Pioneers & Transformers Journeys of top achieving women in Kenya BY KYEB P hoebe Muga Asiyo’s journey in leadership and the women’s movement has been exciting through and through. The octogenarian exudes confidence, optimism and hope for Kenya’s future. Phoebe was born in Kendu Bay in the Homa Bay County in 1934 to a family of five children. Her father was a Seventh-day Adventist pastor. He encouraged Phoebe, the lastborn of the family, to work hard and excel in school. This she did, and on completion of her primary and secondary education, she joined the Embu Teachers Training College. After completing her studies, she got married and moved to Nairobi, where she taught at Pumwani School. Later, the teacher joined the City Council of Nairobi as a social worker. It was during that period that the state of emergency was declared by the British colonial government in its attempts to suppress the struggle for independence. Thousands of Kenyans were arrested and held in detention camps where they were tortured and killed. Others simply disappeared, leaving many children orphaned or abandoned. “I was moved by the plight of destitute children. I picked them and took them to Edelvale Home, the only children’s home in Nairobi at that time,” Phoebe says. She also fostered two children, whom she brought up as her own. “The emergency period left an indelible mark on me. It opened my eyes to the injustices committed by the colonial government.” While the exact number of deaths due to the struggle for independence is unknown, it was during that period that Phoebe became conscious of human rights issues. The state of emergency created social challenges in communities and as a result, affluent white women in East Africa (then Kenya, Uganda and Tanganyika, today’s Tanzania) formed Maendeleo Ya Wanawake Organisation in 1956. Maendeleo’s agenda was to reach out to African women and provide them with social welfare. “I joined the organisation in 1957 and was appalled by the open prejudice by white women towards African women, whose ideas they ignored,” Phoebe recalls. “With time, African women realised that the organisation’s objectives were irrelevant to them.” Coincidentally, the panAfrican women movement was taking root in Kenya and Margaret Kenyatta (daughter of Kenya’s first president Jomo Kenyatta) led it to take a more active role. In 1959, Maendeleo Ya Wanawake held elections. Phoebe was elected the first African chairperson of the organisation. She mobilised women into a consensus on what issues to focus on, and they identified agriculture, food security and family planning. “We laid down structures from national to sub-location levels, making Maendeleo Ya Wanawake the best structured organisation in Kenya. Through our activities, we improved women’s health and achieved food security, nutrition and hygiene.” Women were also empowered on democratic tenets and were encouraged to elect their own leaders. Corruption was unheard of in those days, according to Phoebe, who hastens to add that tension was, however, rife in the country as independence was approach1 1. Hon Phoebe Asiyo speaking at side event. The session honored her as Eminent Woman as critical in safeguarding peace and national unity. She will launch her book on 23rd March titled “It is possible.” 2. Prof. Amb. Maria Nzomo, Mr. Barasa Nyukuri, Senator Martha Wangari, Hon. Dr. Phoebe Asiyo, moderated by Ms. Daisy Amdany. 3. Hon Phoebe Asiyo, UNIFEM Goodwill Ambassador with Julian Tisi, Liberal Democrat Prospective Parliamentary Candidate for Windsor, signing up to Concern’s Women Can’t Wait Campaign.
31 Publizr Home