We celebrate our First Mother for fighting maternal mortality

Last year, while commemorating the International Women’s Day, Kenya’s First Lady Margaret Kenyatta said: “Without women, Kenya would not be. The world could not be.”

In a world where far too many spouses of leaders are known more for their dress sense or mingling with the social set, Margaret Kenyatta stands out in the crowd. This modest and soft-spoken First Lady has not rested behind the closeted doors of State House, but embarked on a campaign to further the role of some of the weakest sectors in our society and above all to ensure policy prioritisation, resource allocation and improved service delivery for mothers and children.

Formerly established in January 2014, in partnership with the government, Beyond Zero was created by Kenyatta in order to reduce maternal and infant mortality rates in Kenya. The initiative has raised millions of shillings through private-public partnership, individual philanthropists, the media, the United Nations and national and county governments for the survival and improvement of so many lives.

Person of the Year

As a result of its almost immediate effect, Margaret Kenyatta was named United Nations in Kenya Person of the Year only a few months later.

Only a few days ago, she received the prestigious Fellowship of Honoris Causa Award from the globally respected Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists (RCOG) “in recognition of the First Lady’s unflinching commitment to end maternal and child mortality in Kenya besides her efforts to reduce mother-to-child HIV transmission”.

During the citation for the award, the First Lady was described as a person who carries herself with grace, determination, commitment, focus and passion, especially when addressing the plight of women and children.

However, beyond the awards and accolades, Kenya has a First Lady we can all be proud of and one who can and should serve as a role model for our daughters.

Distinctly aware of the contributing character of women to a nation sometimes rife with division, she calls on women to be expressions of peace and unity. She speaks openly and plainly to all Kenyans, regardless of ethnicity, religion or background.

While women have made important strides towards equity and equality in recent years, there is still much work to be done in our attendant patriarchal society. As Kenyan women, we look for leadership outside of the largely male-dominated portals of power to those who contribute to our society in a graceful yet determined fashion.

Hope for better tomorrow

Margaret Kenyatta gives all of us Kenyan women hope for a better tomorrow as a leader, not elected through plebiscite, but through the forcefulness of her convictions and the fortitude of her action.

To be a First Lady is not a particularly arduous task, one has to merely serve as an attendant to her husband, our President, and attend ceremonies and cut ribbons.

Conversely, to be a First Mother requires dedication to Kenya’s children and women, not only the bedrock of our society, but without whom, in the wise words of Margaret Kenyatta, our nation simply would not be.

The writer is Senior Programme Officer the National Cohesion and Integration Commission (NCIC)