On the morning of July 7th, 1990, a cross-section of Kenyan men and women who had had enough of the dictatorship and oppression stood up to make their voices heard. They believed in the idea that Kenyans must live free from fear of expressing themselves and planned and staged a dramatic and daring protest that became known as Saba Saba. Many ended up in cells and detention camps but their courage and sacrifice ultimately carried the day. Following the pressure from the politicians and activists, the ruling party of the day, KANU, allowed the formation of political parties. Freedom of speech and assembly were restored and multiparty elections were held 2 years later. July 7 has become one of the most important days in Kenya's history.
As we continue to honour the courage of those who were willing to risk their lives for our political freedoms, we also recognise there is still work to be done, and it is not easy. It is not easy to muster the courage to challenge the status quo and say no, even when the system is disadvantaging you. Because quite often, the consequences are dire. And so we hail the warriors who have put themselves on the frontlines, intervening on our behalf and pushing boundaries in the fight for our collective freedom, not just politically, but also economically and socially.
Today, we celebrate the men and women who are working to ensure that Kenya remains a country of hope, a land of opportunity, and a place that all of its children can call home.
Nice Nailantei Leng'ete
At 8 years of age, Nice ran away from her home in the village of Noomayianat, Kenya, to avoid being subjected to forceful female genital mutilation/cutting (FGM/C). The practice was standard in her community, a way of marking the transition from girlhood to womanhood. Getting 'the cut' would ultimately mean that a girl would be married off and, therefore, have to discontinue her education.
For shunning the practice, Nice endured beatings and social stigma. She eventually convinced her grandfather, a Maasai elder, to allow her to escape 'the cut' and continue her schooling. Through him, the rest of the elders were persuaded, and the village of Noomayianat abandoned the practice altogether. Today, Nice works with Amref Health Africa Kenya, supporting communities like hers to transition away from FGM/C.
Thanks to Nice and advocates like her, more than 17,000 Maasai girls in Kenya and Tanzania have been able to continue their schooling, deciding for themselves if and when to marry and start a family.
Nice's work has been recognised globally and she was voted one of TIME magazine's most influential people of 2018. She was also a recipient of the 2016 Mandela Washington Fellowship for Young African Leaders.
Thomas Mwiraria
Thomas Mwiraria is a journalist, author, Pan-Africanist and social rights enthusiast who produces engaging and important human stories. He believes in the power of bold, ethical, humanised and solution-based storytelling for change and his approach blends human-centred design, multi-media journalism, data journalism and solution-based reporting using the mobile-phone (mobile journalism).
He started his Journalism career in 2017 with Daily Nation Newspaper and Mobile Journalism Africa as a regular contributor and has to date, contributed to numerous International media and journals.
Thomas specializes in health, youth and innovation, culture and heritage, climate, wildlife conservation and trafficking reporting, environmentally sustainable agriculture, migration, underrepresented voices (including the homeless community), refugees, stateless people, undocumented communities, indigenous people, youth, and people living with disabilities.
He was part of "I belong", a campaign that resulted in the Makonde people being granted Kenyan citizenship. He also used his stories to fight for the Shona people's rights to be granted birth certificates.
His work has earned him numerous accolades including the Thomson Foundation Journalism Now Scholar Prize Winner, Africa Leadership Institute Fellow 2019 (AFLI), YALI RLCEA Fellow (2019), Water Journalists Africa-Infonile Fellow and Grantee (Conservation and Wildlife Reporting), Climate Tracker Fellow (Sustainable Diets and Agriculture), Facebook and Agakhan University Mobile Journalism Fellow. In August 2018, Thomas was awarded an Eco-Warrior Award by Eco-Tourism Kenya for promoting People, Culture and Heritage through literature and Journalism. In December of the same year, he was named by African Youth Awards as one of the most influential youths in Africa.
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