First woman Senior Superintendent of Prisons.

The Honorable Phoebe Asiyo—UN Goodwill Ambassador, former parliamentarian and CEDPA alumna—is one of the most influential and respected women in Kenya. Born on the shores of Lake Victoria in 1935, conventional wisdom was that she would follow in the footsteps of most women and girls in her community and not seek a career outside of taking care of the household and raising the children.

“Mama” Asiyo, as she is affectionately called, had other plans. She was one of the few girls to attend the Gendia Primary School in Karachuonyo, and had big plans for herself.

“We were not taught mathematics or English—that was for the breadwinners, the men,” she recalled. In those days, girls’ education consisted of home economics and farming skills. Not constrained by what was offered to her, Mama Asiyo began taking correspondence courses, “to prove I could do better than the boys.” She began her career as a teacher and later became Kenya’s first woman Senior Superintendent of Prisons.

Mama Asiyo went to Embu Teacher Training College where she studied to become a teacher. Her teaching career was brief; she considered it a stepping stone for the future path she would blaze for herself and other women. From teaching, Mama Asiyo went on to work in prison services.
The prison system in Kenya, like almost all sectors in the country, was a male-dominated. Mama Asiyo rose through the ranks to become the Senior Superintendent in charge of women’s prisons in 1964. In this capacity, she managed to establish separate prisons for women across Kenya.
After six years, Mama Asiyo left the prison system and became the director of a nonprofit organization to give more to her community.
At that time however, there were very few women leaders in Kenya, so there were few mentors for her. Mama Asiyo made her way with a lot of passion, but she says she lacked the training and practical skills that would enable her to better channel her leadership abilities.
In 1978, Mama Asiyo attended on CEDPA’s very first Women in Management workshops. She says the program helped her align her passions with her abilities and helped illuminate her future path.
“CEDPA played an important role in my decision to make a bid for a parliamentary seat,” said Mama Asiyo.
In 1979, she made the decision to run for national office in Kenya, and she beat the powerful incumbent by a mere 2,000 votes. When he contested the results, the election was held again, and the result was that Mama Asiyo’s margin was even larger.

The Honorable Asiyo held the seat for two five-year terms, at the time being the only woman ever to serve for so long in Kenya. As a Minister of Parliament, she worked hard on a broad agenda, but always kept women’s rights and their full political participation at the top of her agenda.

Mama Asiyo’s political activism didn’t end with her leaving parliament. She currently is chairperson of the Caucus for Women’s Leadership, formerly the Kenya Women’s Political Caucus, which works to empower and train potential women candidates for political office.

Last year, in recognition of her many contributions to her country, Mama Asiyo was presented with one of the highest honors in Kenya. She was elevated to the status of an Elder, a traditional title that comes with it great prestige. Once again, Mama Asiyo made history for women, becoming the first woman ever to be given this honor in Kenya.

She continues her advocacy in Kenya and internationally, and pursues every opportunity to advance the lives of women and girls in her country.

“Everyone has a dream of what they would like to be in the future, including our girls. If we don’t provide the mechanism to make these dreams come true, then we have failed as a country,” she says.