Educating Kenya, one girl at a time

Kakenya Nteiya, 32, is globally recognised as a champion for the education of girls. With so many accolades under her belt, the US-based activist runs a girls' school in Enoosian, the village in which she grew, writes JOAN BARSULAI

Kakenya’s achievements have been the subject of a Washington Post series, a BBC documentary and many magazine articles. She has won several awards, including The Kenya Monitor:

Kakenya poses with some of the children she educates.

She did what many would have considered unthinkable: She negotiated with her father to undergo circumcision after completing her high school studies.

When she completed her ‘A’ levels, she further negotiated with the village elders to let het leave her village to attend college in United States, with the promise of coming back to help build a school and maternity hospital, and it worked. She managed to get a scholarship and the village women raised money for her airfare and sent her away, glad that she was escaping.

Ashes to glory

From the moment she arrived in the US, Kakenya’s life took a complete turn for the better. She went from a girl who grew up in abject poverty in a village without electricity to a student who wrote papers on international relations and political science from the computers at the university library. She is undertaking a PhD at the University of Pittsburgh, and is active in assisting other women.

Kakenya’s story has greatly inspired other Maasai women to ensure their girls stay in school. Throughout her stay in the US, Kakenya has been engaged in efforts to promote awareness of the issues affecting girls in her community. Since 2006, she has been building a girls’ school in Enoosian, so that other young girls might travel the same path she did — to education, self-realisation and leadership.

She says: "I grew up in an environment that did not encourage girls to pursue their dreams. At school, boys were given more privileges than girls, including being able to have evening preps while girls did house chores.

"Because of the many opportunities I have received in my life, I wanted to create a place of learning where girls could learn and grow into smart, empowered women and fulfill their dreams, just as I have had the opportunity to do," Kakenya adds.

Targets vulnerable girls

Asked how she has managed to convince parents to let their daughters attend school in a community where girl-child education is a daunting task, Kakenya is quick to point out that most parents only want the best for their children.

She targets vulnerable girls from single-parent homes, as well as orphaned children. To date, she has raised over $75,000 (Sh6 million) towards this project, and so far the academy has enrolled 95 girls from Class Four to Class Six.

Kakenya receives the award from Somali-born supermodel Iman in New York. Photos: Courtesy

"My message to these girls is to pursue whatever means they can to continue their education. For me, education was the path to my empowerment and freedom."

Despite the looming statistics that indicate that thousands of young girls are expected to be married off in the next decade, Kakenya is not giving up hope.

She says: "I see a brighter future for them. I see smiling faces, full of energy, and ready to change the world for better.

 I see them empowered and with proper education, I see them as senior executives in big companies, owning their own businesses, heading government ministries and championing rights for humanity."