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Women who make a difference



Serving the community lays foundation for medic’s inspiration

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Dr Monica OgutuIn Kenya it is not common for people to resign from well paying jobs to try their hands in politics. However, for Dr Monica Ogutu, a trained medic, left a well-paying job at Kenyatta National Hospital (KNH) to start working for her community.

In 1995 Ogutu quit her job after completing her studies on Maternal Health in Uppsala Sweden to embark on community service. She then founded the Kisumu Medical Education Trust (KMET).

“I wanted an institution within the community to assist young girls lead normal life,” she explains.

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Cecilia Kiogora: Angel of mercy for Coast cancer patients

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Cecilia Kiogora addresses some of her clients at the Coast Hospice. She gives palliative care to cancer patients. [Picture: Atieno Akumu]


For the past eleven years, she has been helping cancer patients through the tough and frustrating journey that begins once they are diagnosed with cancer.

Like a general, Cecilia Kiogora has seen some of her patients fight the condition successfully to be bestowed the ‘coveted’ title of survivors. She has also seen others pass on after a long and protracted battle with the terminal disease.

However, when the inevitable happens, her focus shifts to the next patient requiring her care and comfort. Her hands are always full with patients to care for.

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From a village girl to a leading scientist - Dr Segenet Kelemu

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African woman Agricultural Scientist and AGRA Programs Vice President, Dr Segenet Kelemu. Pictures: Henry Owino

She has defied many odds to become  a leading scientist in Africa. Having grown up in a remote village in Ethiopia, she has had to contend with doing odd jobs assigned to women. She had to weed, pick coffee berries, collect firewood, fetch water and the work was endless and going to school was just an afterthought.

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Aziza Abdalla: How gender discrimination saw bright girl lose out in education

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Aziza Abdalla is locked out of the election for failing to meet the required educational threshold. She had planned to contest for the Mombasa County Women Rep seat.The cultural inclinations that conspired to deny a young girl education three decades ago have come back to haunt her bid for leadership.

Aziza Abdalla sat for her Certificate of Primary Education (CPE) in 1977 at Mtongwe Primary and passed with 22 marks. The results, she says could have enabled her to join secondary school. However that never happened.

Now in her early 50s, Aziza’s bid to vie for the Mombasa County Women representative seat or even that of County Ward Representative cannot be realised after she was denied a party ticket because she could not meet the education requirements outlined in the Political Parties Act under the Constitution of Kenya 2010.

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Championing for girl child rights

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Dr Hilda Tadria begins a program to mentor and empower young women in Africa. She is a strong crusader of their rights and has been instrumental in addressing the myriad challenges facing them.While in Kenya attending a forum convened  by the African Women Leaders Network to strategise on ways to improve reproductive health and to broaden the choices therein, Dr Hilda Tadria talked to Kenya Woman on her rewarding journey in empowering young women in Uganda.

Although she left the university many years ago, the saying that once a teacher always a teacher rings true for her. She spoke of her passion to open the eyes of these women to the possibilities of a better life.

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