Listen Mekatilili wa Menza is considered the first female freedom fighter in Kenya and East Africa. She boldly fought against British colonisers whose presence and influence in Kenya’s coast eroded the Giriama culture. She fought to restore the traditional Giriama governance system, travelling the region, as she used her oratory skills, to convince locals […]
Listen Sarah Sarai Jommo achieved many firsts in her lifetime. She was the first African woman allowed to perform nursing duties at the Aga Khan Hospital, which was then a clinic. She was also the first African woman to serve on the Nairobi African Advisory Council from 1949-1951. She was also the longest serving Kenyan […]
Listen Margaret Githinji is Kenya’s first woman to be appointed as a permanent secretary. The Alliance Girls’ alumnus was named PS to the Ministry of Trade and Industry on 1st June 1987 and is one of Kenya’s longest serving permanent secretaries.
Listen The top maritime job that Nancy Karigithu almost turned down ended up enriching her life beyond her wildest dreams. She was responsible for updating the sector’s framework, structures and legislation, helping Kenya finally join the ranks of countries which fully comply with international maritime regulations. While her name may not immediately ring a bell, […]
Listen Elizabeth Marami, popularly known as Liz Marami, turned down a scholarship to study law because she wanted to do something out of the ordinary. She is doing just that as East Africa’s first female marine pilot. She successfully completed a course in Nautical Technology in Egypt, the only female student enrolled in this course […]
Listen Zain Verjee, best remembered as the Kenyan face on CNN where she worked as a news anchor and reporter, is now proprietor of Zain Verjee Group, a production company that produces video content for African audiences. Verjee started out as a radio host for Capital FM and later went on to anchor KTN prime […]
Listen Rose Kimotho is the founder and Managing Director of Regional Reach Ltd, a media and marketing company she set up in 1994 to operate community television. She was also founder and Managing Director of Kameme FM and K24 TV before the change of management to TV Africa Holdings, after which Kimotho founded Three Stones […]
Listen Pamella Makotsi-Sittoni is the immediate former managing editor of The East African, one of the newspapers published by the Nation Media Group (NMG). She was recently promoted to the position of executive editor of Daily Nation in January 2019. She began her career as a reporter with NMG, rising to the position of Chief […]
Listen Khadija Ali Mohamed was an anchor at Voice of Kenya (VoK) Kiswahili Service. She developed a passion for radio at an early age as a regular radio listener. Mohamed rose to the position of Chief Producer for the Kiswahili Service, producing programmes like Mchezo wa Radio, Mashairi and Metro FM’s Meli ya Metro. In […]
Listen Kathleen Openda Mvati is the chairperson of the Council of the Kenya Institute of Mass Communication following an appointment by President Uhuru Kenyatta in July 2018. In August 2010, she was appointed Director of Communications at the Truth, Justice and Reconciliation Commission of Kenya (TJRC) in August 2010. Before joining the TJRC, Openda had […]