Chelagat Mutai

Listen Philomena Chelagat Mutai still holds the record as the youngest female Member of Parliament (MP) in Kenya. At just 24 years old, Mutai trounced 11 other aspirants in the 1974 general elections to clinch the Eldoret North seat on a Kenya African National Union (KANU) ticket. This made her the youngest legislator and the […]

Betty Gikonyo – Top cardiologist with a heart for needy children

Listen Hailed as one of the foremost medical practitioners of our time, Betty Gikonyo’s story is a picture of determination and courage. She teamed up with colleagues to perform the first open-heart surgery in Kenya, creating hope for thousands of children, whose chances of survival were previously slim. Betty Gikonyo and her husband are the brains behind the Karen […]

Daphne Sheldrick – Naturalists abiding love for orphaned elephants

Listen An elephant hurled her on to rocks, crushing her bones; not only did she live to tell the tale but she has dedicated her life to rescuing, rehabilitating and reintegrating elephants and rhinos. A fourth-generation Kenya-born Briton, Dr. Dame Daphne Sheldrick adopted her first orphaned animal, a bushbuck, when she was only three years old. “My parents […]

Wangari Maathai – Saving the environment one tree at a time

Listen History was made in 2004 when Wangari Muta Maathai became the first African woman to win the Nobel Peace Prize for her “contribution to sustainable development, democracy and peace.” Her legacy lives on. Professor Wangari Muta Maathai was vocal about the plight of the Kenyan rural women, and championed their cause by planting trees, a connection no […]