Ruth Oniang'o

Expert Spotlight

A Leader Amongst Men

A strong voice for equality, Ruth Oniang’o is proof of her own axiom that a “woman is not just a woman, but a leader amongst men.” From humble beginnings in Kenya’s Western Province, in 2003 Oniang’o rose to become a member of the country’s ninth parliament. As a new MP, she arrived in Nairobi determined to alleviate some of the long-standing inequalities facing her countrywomen. As she says, “I saw women being abused, and injustices that were marginalizing women.…In parliament, I saw the opportunity to do something about it.”

Oniang’o’s most resounding success as a parliamentarian came when she, in collaboration with the 17 other women MPs, spearheaded a campaign for the passage of the Sexual Offenses Bill, a landmark piece of legislation that criminalized sexual harassment, broadened the legal definition of rape, and introduced minimum sentences. Oniang’o asserts it was “the one piece of legislation that we all rallied around as women; it didn’t matter what age we were, what religion, what party—it was one thing that we rallied around.” The women MPs worked as a unified group, holding meetings within the women’s caucus, leading civic education efforts, and working with the media to increase awareness. They held forums and workshops with the male MPs, targeting those most adamantly opposed to the legislation. Oniang’o explains, “We had to compromise, we had to dialogue, we had to accept being called names and abuses in the media. But we humbled ourselves just to pass this legislation.”

In the worst of times, Oniang’o motivated herself to continue the campaign by imagining that her own daughters were getting raped. In fact, the women parliamentarians used this strategy to frame public perception of the bill. By emphasizing the negative impacts of sexual abuse on family and society, they transformed rape and sexual abuse from a “woman’s issue” into a universal problem. They urged male parliamentarians and the public to “imagine your daughter being raped, imagine your wife being raped—your mother, your grandmother, your best friend, your sister, your bride—imagine them being raped.” The determination and cooperation of the women MPs was rewarded when, in July 2006, the Sexual Offenses Bill became law in Kenya.

For those who knew Oniang’o, her success as a parliamentarian was no surprise. From early on, she stood out as a leader. Oniang’o credits her parents for putting her on a path to success. Although her father left school at an early age and her mother was illiterate until adulthood, her parents supported her education. As a young student, Oniang’o was the only woman awarded a scholarship by the US and Kenyan governments to study at Washington State University, where she earned her bachelor’s degree in food and nutrition and her master’s degree in human nutrition. Oniang’o later earned a doctoral degree in food science and nutrition from the University of Nairobi. Breaking more barriers, Oniang’o went on to become the first female professor of nutrition in sub-Saharan Africa, teaching at Jomo Kenyatta University of Agriculture and Technology and Kenyatta University.

However, Oniang’o wasn’t satisfied with academic success. She wanted to give back to her community, so in 1992 she founded the Rural Outreach Program in Western Province, her home region. ROP aims to improve the livelihoods of the rural poor in Kenya and empowers women to address their communities’ water and sanitation, health, education, and agricultural needs. Through ROP, Oniang’o witnessed the benefits of women in decision-making positions: “Women bring issues to the table differently than men. Likewise, men have their own way of looking at things. It can only add value when we work together to complement each other’s strength.”

Her experiences in academia and civil society convinced Oniang’o to look toward a political career, a field she had until then viewed as “a male-dominated world that can intimidate women.” Though she never imagined herself as a parliamentarian, she was motivated by her desire to pave the way for women to serve as national leaders. When she won her parliamentary seat in 2003, Oniang’o was one of only 18 women in Kenya’s ninth parliament. In 2007, buoyed by the passage of the Sexual Offenses Act, she decided to run for re-election. This time, inspired by Oniang’o and her fellow women MPs, 268 other women also decided to campaign for an elected seat. When the results were announced, both parties faced allegations of electoral manipulation. Violent protests, intensified by ethnic tensions, swept the country. In the chaos that ensued, more than 800 people were killed and 600,000 displaced, with women in particular suffering. Only 14 of the 269 women who ran for parliament won seats, and many of the female candidates, even before the conclusion of the elections, were “hounded and hunted down to be raped, violated, and killed.”

Oniang’o fell victim to violence herself and was forced to flee the country. ROP’s two head offices were destroyed, and with it 15 years of her investments. People from Oniang’o’s constituency threatened to burn down her rural home, forcing her to hire guards. In the aftermath of the post-election violence, Oniang’o was forced to leave her marriage because her husband and his family disapproved of her role as a woman and community leader. Despite the trauma and opposition she faced, Oniang’o has refused to be deterred. She says, “You can destroy material things, you can destroy all of my investments, but you can’t destroy my spirit,” explaining that “we must never give up, because there are far too many people who depend on us.”

Today, Oniang’o is rebuilding ROP and continuing to act as a leader in politics, the food security sector, and academia. She is determined to serve as a mentor and role model for young women, maintaining, “If I could make it, having been a policeman’s daughter from some small village, everyone can make it.”

Oniang’o was awarded the Presidential Silver Star Medal for outstanding service in community development through action research and the Distinguished Service Medal for national service in 1998. She was named Woman of the Year in 2000 by the American Biographical Institute. In 2007 she received the Lifetime Achievement Award by the Kenya Coalition for Action in Nutrition, in recognition of her contributions to the advancement of nutrition and development initiatives in Kenya. Ruth Oniang’o has been a member of the Women Waging Peace Network since 2008. (01.2011)

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