Grace Onyango was a trailblazer par excellence; hats off to the icon
What you need to know:
- A teacher by profession, Grace Onyango would become a household name in the early years of Independence.
- She quit the classroom to join politics at a time when patriarchy was deeply rooted in most African cultures and leadership was the preserve of men.
Kenya suffered a deep loss on March 8, with the death of Mama Grace Onyango, at 98. Tributes poured in from national leaders across the political divide.
Nation.Africa joins the country in celebrating the life of Mama Grace, an extraordinary woman of many firsts. A teacher by profession, she would become a household name in the early years of Independence, when she quit the classroom to join politics at a time when patriarchy was deeply rooted in most African cultures and leadership was the preserve of men.
To her peers and admirers, she was a woman of impeccable character; so brave and reliable that she rose from a councillor to become the first woman mayor of Kisumu Municipality. As mayor, she championed women’s rights, fighting for their place in political leadership, in education, and in different sectors of the economy.
Even as she achieved this feat in Kisumu, she set her eyes on a bigger prize—to influence policy and legislation at the national level for the benefit of all, irrespective of gender, ethnicity, or any other categorisation that could be used to discriminate against individuals.
She, therefore, contested and won the Kisumu Town MP seat in 1969, becoming the first woman member of Parliament in Kenya. She would serve as deputy speaker of the National Assembly.
She inspired generations of women to take up leadership roles, directly and indirectly. Her timely and heroic decision marked the beginning of significant changes that have caused ripple effects on the gender landscape. It prompted many to give voice to their plight and some would take their cue from her and evade cultural traps that would have condemned them to the kitchen and child-rearing.
Today, Kenya boasts of seven women governors, 31 members of the bicameral Parliament and about a hundred members of county assemblies, elected last year. Many others lead in different spheres. But this would not be possible were it not for Mama Grace and women of her ilk, who made a leap of faith and moved into uncharted waters, unshackling themselves from sexist stereotypes.
She gave this country a different way to see the world. Hers was a worthy cause for the girl-child, and Kenyans, especially women and girls, can draw many lessons from this national icon. She was driven by a conviction to gender equality, the belief that through a level playing field, a woman (or girl), too, can achieve her career or leadership dream; that through perseverance and uncompromising principles, nothing is impossible—not just for men and boys but also for women and girls.
She exits the stage, but her memory will remain the positive light that shines through our society, even as the journey she began continues, with leaders and human rights defenders campaigning for the two-thirds gender principle, a key constitutional provision that places equity at the heart of governance.
No doubt, as Kenyans prepare to give her a befitting send-off, her can-do attitude is precisely what our women and girls need to inspire them, as well as future generations, to continue breaking the bias and bringing a change in our communities.
Condolences to Mama Grace Onyango’s family; hats off to the trailblazer.
