Zipporah Kittony: I have done my bit

When Dr Zipporah Kittony received news that US university wanted to award her a Doctorate degree for her humanitarian work that has spanned decades, she almost collapsed with joy.

At the graduation ceremony in Thika, Zipporah, moved by the honour being bestowed on her, wept unashamedly. She spoke to NJOKI KARUOYA about her life’s journey.

Professors from the United Graduate College University in Tennessee, USA, confer Zipporah (centre) with an honorary Doctorate degree for her achievements. Photos: Maxwell Agwanda/Standard

The programme on the eradication of female genital mutilation (FGM) was also one of my passionate projects. We did elaborate work around the country, although FGM is still practised in a little way. MYWO worked aggressively to reach out to communities in Meru, Maasai-land and other areas where it was practised.

Fighting culture and beliefs was a hindrance when educating women to be better.

donors leave

Many donors withdrew from MYWO during my time saying the organisation was a Kanu affair. This was unfortunate because I was and still is a Kanu person. I had the right to choose which political party to associate with, but thank God we still managed to do our work until I retired because well-wishers supported us.

I owe a lot of gratitude to the pioneers who started the Maendeleo House building, which is an income-generating project. That is how we survived.

The Government rarely gave us financial support for our programmes but we had a cordial relationship. Whenever we wanted to visit a place, we informed the provincial administration and they would give us officers to accompany us.

Besides the FGM programme, I had a challenging project in Coast Province. Maternity services were not accessible to women so we started maternity homes in Malindi, Kilifi, Kwale and Taita. When I was inaugurating one near Malindi, a baby was born and named after me.

In Western Kenya, many women suffered from cervical cancer and died due to lack of medical attention. They now have access to facilities in the hospitals and go for regular check-up.

Today, I’m happy that I have done my bit and women recognise me for that. I was in Embu recently and women were calling me to give talks here and there.

Close-knit family

My family supports me a lot in all my endeavours. I am a proud mother of three children — two boys and one daughter. All are married. My eldest son is an army officer, the second one, Kiprono Kittony, is a successful businessman-cum-lawyer based in Nairobi and my daughter is a practising lawyer.

I’m happy with myself and would encourage others to be transparent and learn to love. I have helped orphans and educated many girls.

I thank God for the life I have led. I want to encourage women to work hard so that they can be appreciated for their work. The sky is the limit for our women.

I also thank God for my family and the people I have worked with.