Jeazmen Aoko during an interview at Nation Centre in Nairobi on December 8, 2025. She is among the candidates for vied for the Kasipul parliamentary seat.
Jeazmen Aoko, 26, speaks with the steadiness of someone who knows exactly where she comes from and where she hopes to go. Her path into politics began long before she ever imagined running for office.
Growing up in Kasipul, she was surrounded by strong political activity, but she did not like the division it often created.
She remembers families and even relatives who stopped speaking to each other over political differences.
“That fuelled me,” she says. “It was one of my dreams, but I also saw that the path we were heading needed someone neutral who could bring people together.”
For her, peace is the starting point for any political journey.
“Where there’s no peace,” she says, “even the best manifesto cannot work.”
Jeazmine was born and raised in Kasipul, Homabay County, the first of five children. Her education began at Karabok Primary School, where she says she was likely the youngest pupil to sit the KCPE, at barely 12.
From there, she earned a place at Kenya High School, which took her away from home for the first time. She then joined Multimedia University of Kenya, graduating in 2019 with a degree in computer science, and is currently pursuing a Master’s in the same field at the same institution.
Her earliest sense of leadership came when she headed the Scouts club in her school. She remembers watching leaders bring help to people, and she imagined that being a leader meant doing good for others.
“I thought that if I ever got the opportunity, I would want to give back to my people,” she tells Nation Lifestyle.
Jeazmen Aoko during an interview at Nation Centre in Nairobi on December 8, 2025. She is among the candidates for vied for the Kasipul parliamentary seat.
Before campaigns began, her life was simple. As a software engineer working for an international organisation, Jeazmine often worked from home, balancing her schedule without much strain.
But entering politics brought new reactions, most of them about her age and gender.
“People were like, oh, you’re so young, maybe you should start with MCA,” she tells me.
Others wondered why an unmarried young woman would pursue a parliamentary seat.
“I kept asking myself what scale was being used to judge my readiness, because I had met all the official qualifications,” Jeazmen adds.
Some told her she would abandon the role the moment she got married.
“Others even said I was just brought into the race to spoil votes.”
Panic moments
The first days, she admits, were harsh. But they also toughened her.
“Your skin becomes thicker and thicker,” she says, “and at some point, you just find it comfortable and even go looking for those panic moments that strengthen you.”
Her campaign style was direct and intimate. What kept her going was the reception she received on the ground. She campaigned from door to door, meeting people in their homes and sitting with them regardless of the condition of their chairs or houses.
“Many were encouraging and welcoming,” she says, adding that part of the journey remains one of her favourite memories.
But she also saw the challenges of a political culture where money often overshadows ideas.
“As long as you have money, you can be sure you’ll be elected,” she notes, a reality she believes the country must slowly unlearn.
Still, she believes in the power of her generation. If Gen Zs had turned up to vote in large numbers, she says, the outcome might have been different.
“They are not affiliated with any party,” she explains. “If people just come out as change agents, we could bring politics back to issue-based, not option-based.”
She hopes young people now see that running is possible and that showing up in large numbers matters.
Despite the hurdles, Jeazmen has no intention of stepping back. “Once I stepped in and became a politician, it became my full-time job,” she says.
She confirms she will be in the race again in 2027. Politically, she looks up to the late Raila Odinga, admiring his struggle and his contribution to political change.
Jeazmen Aoko during an interview at Nation Centre in Nairobi on December 8, 2025. She is among the candidates for vied for the Kasipul parliamentary seat.
Away from the intensity of public life, she unwinds by reading or watching animated films. She is also involved in youth and Gen Z sensitisation, urging young people to obtain their voter cards.
“We don’t have the money,” she says. “That voter’s card is the only weapon we have.”
Her parents eventually supported her, though they were hesitant at first. Many people around her insisted she was too young and warned that she was “throwing away” her life, or that women should not be in politics. She also heard that running for office would make it difficult for her to get married.
But once her parents accepted her choice, she felt grounded enough to proceed.
She defines her success by the 26 votes she received.
“It tells me I convinced 26 people,” she says, not with disappointment but with a sense of honesty.
To young people watching from afar, her message is simple: “Let money not stop you. If you want to join politics, don’t fear. It is possible to run even independently.”
And when young girls look back at her story years from now, she hopes they see “the woman who showed up for Kasipul and her people.”
