The gentle warrior

By Nicholas Asego and Lenny Taabu

When she walked into the boardroom that was to be used for the interview, she didn’t look anything that resembled the reputation of her organisation. On the contrary, she had a welcoming presence and a disarming smile that put one readily at ease.

On the question that the organisation’s name often sends shivers down many a man’s spine she laughed in an easy manner revealing a set of white teeth.

"Men need not be afraid of the Federation of Women Lawyers (Fida) and not every man who comes here has a problem at home," says Patricia Nyaundi, FIDA Kenya’s Executive Director. Some of the men, she says, merely come to exchange ideas, share their experiences or even satisfy their curiosity about us.

For the 40-year-old lawyer, who was propelled to the helm of the organisation in August this year, it has been a long and treacherous path.

"I guess it’s something I had wanted for such a long time and it gives a measure of professional satisfaction," she readily agrees.

Right from her early life, she had always fought for children’s rights, in fact it had become a passion that set her apart from her other legal colleagues. She traces this to the early events in her life.

"My mother gave birth to me immediately after doing her Form Four examinations and this greatly disappointed her father because he had such high expectations of her," she recalls. In the 60s it was quite something to have a child out of wedlock especially given that both her grandparents were strict Christians. The mother was, therefore, sent away to go and live with an aunt. Hence Patricia’s first encounter with people she would call family were with her maternal relatives. She never allowed her labelling as an illegitimate child to disrupt her zest for life. Rather it taught her to surmount every challenge and develop what she calls a liberal spirit.

"I learnt early in life to sieve what people say, taking in only that which can help," she says.

Later on her father laid a claim for her giving her the opportunity to live in a complete family. This gave her a sense of belonging and a completeness that made her vow to fight for other children. This marked the beginning of a passion that has stayed with her ever since.

"I feel so bad when I encounter men who want to escape from the responsibility of taking care of their children. Children should not be made to suffer for actions which they had no control over," says Patricia.

At home as a young girl she received every encouragement to excel in her education right from Lavington Primary School all the way to Moi Nairobi Girls School where she sat her ‘A’ level examinations.

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Her liberal spirit often got her into problems with her teachers and even got her suspended on occasions.

"I insisted on being heard whether the teachers liked it or not," she says with a laugh. Today the same teachers who recommended her suspensions are glad for the person she has turned out to be.

"We always knew you would succeed," they tell her with no ill feeling.

Due to her exceptional abilities in Mathematics, Patricia thought that she would be better off pursuing a course in Commerce at the University of Nairobi.
"But my parents thought we needed a lawyer in the family and hence they influenced my change of career in 1987," she says.

She still, however, finds mathematics quite applicable in her line of profession. She argues that as 1 + 1 = 2, Human + Rights = Human Rights, and this is something that cannot be argued against.

During this time she had a host of firebrand women lawyers to look up to for inspiration.

"There were the likes of Martha Koome, Martha Karua and Judy Thongori among many others who took no prisoners when it came to matters they believed in," she recalls.

Upon graduation in 1990, Patricia was employed as a State Counsel before she was later posted to Kisumu in 1991 as a Public Prosecutor.

She met her husband Ken Nyaundi at the university in an affair that saw them get married in 1992. She later requested a transfer to join her husband who was a lawyer in Eldoret, but this was turned down due to what was termed as professional conflict.

"I was made to feel like my marriage had been a mistake and when it was impossible to join my husband, I opted to resign in 1994," she says.

Domestic violence

After a short stint at Kerio Valley, she ventured into private practice where she worked with two law firms in Eldoret. It was at this time that Patricia took a liking for cases that involved women seeking support to maintain their children.

In 2003 she left for South Africa to pursue a degree a Masters degree in Human Rights at University of Cape Town.

Upon her return, together with her husband they helped set up a non-governmental organisation in Eldoret that dealt with children’s legal matters.

But when the opportunity to join Fida came, she quickly took it up believing that it offered her a greater opportunity to be more effective in her legal passion.

In July 2006 she was taken to Kisumu’s Fida office as a Team Leader where she helped infuse enthusiasm and energy.

To Patricia, Fida stands for hope to victims of sexual or domestic abuse and it is something she is keen to uphold. She recalls a lady named Rhoda who was a victim of domestic violence, which saw her husband chop off both her hands.

"When we introduced ourselves as lawyers from Fida, she immediately brightened up. It was like she had so much faith and hope in us," she recalls. This memory of the change in Rhoda’s face is something that has stayed with Patricia.

At Fida, they not only offer legal solutions but there are situations where they have needed to remind the women of their inherent potential to succeed just like their male counterparts.

"There was a woman whose husband had taken away her television and other household items. We encouraged her to get a job and today she has even better household items than the one the husband had taken," she says.

Family

Together with her husband, the couple have three children, Steve, Keziah and Debra whom they adore. As a family they have stood with her but not without sacrifices.

"At times I leave the office as late as 9pm and I have just enough time to ask the children if they have done their homework and see them to bed," she says. "At such times I ask God to forgive me," she adds.

She, however, dedicates the weekends for the family, which is also a time to visit the grandparents.

Patricia is full of praise for her husband Ken a Human rights lawyer, who has been by her side.

"He is one person who has pushed me in this direction. When I went for my Masters in South Africa, he was the one who financed me," she says with obvious pride.

On matters regarding sexual violence, she believes that as a country much still needs to be done.

"The prevalence is still quite high with eight out of ten women said to have suffered from one form of domestic violence or another." Though the introduction of the Sexual Offences Act was noble, the challenge, she argues has been in its implementation.

"Even some law enforcers are yet to see the Act and still charge people under the penal code," she says.

The future she believes is bright especially if the recommendations of both the Krieglar and Waki Commissions will be implemented and a new constitutional dispensation ushered in.

"The Police Force also needs to be womanised by increasing the number of officers who are sensitive to women issues," she offers.

This year Fida received the Civil Society of the Year Award and this is an achievement that Patricia is determined to maintain.

"As an organisation we are also determined to help push the politicians to usher us into a new constitutional dispensation even if it means through demonstrations," she says.

Her challenge to fellow women is not to allow other people to define them. "Picture yourself as an ideal person capable of achieving much and you will," she says with finality.