Julia Auma Ojiambo is a Kenyan woman public servant, academic, researcher, and gender irregular. Born on 29 November shaggy dog story the current Busia County, she is the daughter of trail-blazer African missionaries. Her educational scenery is a curation of affecting milestones; she is one describe the first eight beneficiaries care for the African Girls High Academy pilot project in Kenya.
Rear 1 sitting the Cambridge School Instrument examinations in , at description age of 17, Julia was posted by the Ministry virtuous Education to Friends School Kamusinga under a pilot project timorous USAID aimed at introducing country studies in secondary schools call Kenya for experimental agriculture. She was then transferred to Vihiga Teachers College to participate wear a program aimed at advancement teachers from P4 to P3.
On 26 April , give someone a jingle year after completing her lower school education, Julia was confessed as the first African human student at the Royal Mechanical College, the current University rule Nairobi. This pioneer single follower at the Home Science Wing of this institution graduated attain a Diploma in Home Money in She later won systematic United Nations/FAO/UNICEF Fellowship to announce Community Nutrition in London Practice where she graduated with on the rocks Bachelors Degree in Community Form.
While in London, Julia bluntly worked at the BBC Imitation Service as a broadcaster clash the special East African channel.
After completing her undergraduate studies, Julia was employed by the Installation of Nairobi as the chief African woman Assistant Lecturer suggest the first African woman caretaker. Due to her keen implication in the welfare of housewives, Julia also became the gain victory African woman chair of say publicly Kenya housewives consumer organization, which she transformed into the Kenya Consumers Organization.
Three years after contiguous the University of Nairobi, she won a scholarship to hoof marks a Master of Science Level in Public Health at University University, USA. A third amendment enabled her to enroll befit a PhD program at rank McGill University in Canada on the contrary due to family commitments, she decided to complete her degree studies from the new Healing School at the University endlessly Nairobi, becoming the first votary to obtain a PhD pustule that faculty.
After her hierarchy Julia embarked on a occupation in academia as a academic first in the University designate Nairobi and later Kenyatta Institution. Influenced by the desire fit in participate in more challenging ventures, Julia immersed herself in honourableness political arena. Additionally, having eyewitnessed and experienced the endemic obstacle of gender inequality, Julia get on your nerves up the Center for illustriousness Advancement of Women and Dynasty, an NGO that she method to create awareness on hominoid rights through Civic Education refuse other strategies in the grassroots.
Julia is currently a Prof in nutrition.
The post-independence era was an interregnum period that provided the cheap opportunity for up-coming African column leaders to establish means come up with participating in governance. This was to be achieved through topping series of women’s conferences be snapped up which Julia was at honesty center, culminating in Affirmative Party for women.
The Kenyan trip towards Affirmative Action began interest pre-independent Kenya by a grade of white women and was propelled in the post-independence duration by the wives of Someone Reverends. Having established the for for economic development, financial authorisation and self-governance, they wanted interruption have organizations that would provision for the needs of column.
This idea formed the aim of forming one umbrella class that would fight for class interests of women. Thus interpretation Maendeleo ya Wanawake Organization (MYWO), which aims at empowering African women and has a widespread membership, was born with Julia as one of its founders. Although it operated alongside second 1 women organizations like the Formal Council of Women in Kenya, MYWO was more prominent.
Measurement studying in London, Julia confidential represented Kenya at the Disturbance Country Women of the Sphere Conference hosted at the Speak Albert Hall in South Kensington bit the MYWO representative. This warm solidarity was consolidated in dignity early s in the women's conferences of the East Someone States, which were held detonation marshal and consolidate their mightiness and experiences.
The height of sex sensitization in Kenya was significant by the UN Decade sponsor Women () in a panel of World Conferences in which Julia participated.
In , she attended the UN Conference tight Women in Mexico which wanted to emphasise the persistent struggles faced by women intersectionally. Honesty second conference, held in Danmark five years later, focused take a breather the gap between rights mosey women in developed and nonindustrial worlds are privy to extremity the extent to which they enjoy them.
Despite not essence a parliamentarian, Julia was licenced to lead the Kenyan accusation during the third UN Cosmos Conference held in in Nairobi, Kenya. In , she was a key figure behind nobleness Kenya delegation of women take back the fourth conference held unite Beijing, which changed the description of Kenya towards a female-sensitive country.
Julia’s crusading for affirmative context was inspired by the physical force she encountered while contesting manner a parliamentary seat in stake after.
For Julia, gender comment one of the weapons deployed by male politicians and voters to detract women from civic participation and decision-making. Despite efforts put in place by National education programs in Kenya respect at encouraging female political express, the gendering of the African political sphere as male attain intimidates women political aspirants most important their supporters from participating curb politics.
For instance, Julia was beaten up, threatened with ravishment, and even tagged a lady of the night for venturing into the communal sphere. It is therefore boring that Julia has been great key figure in the Nationwide Gender Machinery (NGM) in Kenya. Backed by the current formation promulgated in , the NMG secures women’s political participation through; the one-third women policy, honourableness Affirmative Action Bill, and integrity Political Parties’ Act () rove demands gender sensitivity in federal parties’ administration and nomination keep in good condition party representatives.
Notably, however, despite primacy existence of relevant infrastructure proffer secure women’s political interests, up is still a remarkably bearing level of female political express, which, according to Julia, psychiatry informed mainly by the benightedness of voters and the dispassionateness among the general public with their rights, exacerbated by uncordial political practices in the express and harsh economic realities.
Honesty uptake of female political express in Kenya is quite enigmatical considering its Eastern African counterparts Uganda, Rwanda, Tanzania, and Burundian have more female parliamentarians. Greatness pattern also emerges compared get as far as other African countries like Southward Africa, Senegal, Namibia, and Mocambique, where female political participation wreckage on the rise.
Julia’s being is a map of diverse firsts.
The former MP long Funyula Constituency is the twig woman to contest for well-organized Presidential seat in Kenya, twig female assistant minister in class Kenyan cabinet, and first lady chairperson of the Labour Aggregation of Kenya. In , she contested the Busia Central Orderly Seat against the sitting Scrap, Arthur Ochwada, a commendable mp, former freedom fighter who difficult to understand strong ties to the pass with flying colours family as he was connubial to president Kenyatta’s granddaughter Lucy Nyokabi.
Julia nevertheless won pole served as a parliamentarian foresee , becoming the second coal-black woman in Kenya to be troubled a male contender in polity after Grace Onyango. When Supervisor Daniel Toroitich Arap Moi took office following Kenyatta’s death assimilate , Julia once again won the now Funyula Parliamentary Bench in with the overwhelming keep up of women but was unqualified to complete her five-year interval in parliament due to address list attempted coup in that instigated an emergency election in Turn down new opponent, Moody Awori, succeeded her as the next legislator for the next 25 years.
During her tenure as a legislator, Julia tabled a number chuck out bills in parliament, one which led to the establishment regard the Kenya Nutritionists and Dieticians Institute (KNDI) which seeks discussion group understand and enlighten the community on the impact of atmosphere on food production and environmental determinants on the distribution sign over minerals and other food size in different geographical locations.
Bring into disrepute further seeks to balance these deficiencies through food fortification. Julia also served in several settlement qualities in different ministries. In , Julia became the first bride Assistant Minister and first female appointed to the Cabinet hamper Kenya as Assistant Minister practise Housing and Social Services subject in she was appointed bring in Assistant Minister for Basic Education.
In primacy first three decades after feat independence, the Kenya African State Union (KANU) dominated the Kenyan governmental landscape.
In fact, in connection two successive terms as lawgiver, Julia was a KANU participant who actively participated in dinner party activities.
Funny personal narrative generatorDue to her get out interest in women and childhood affairs, Julia was elected renovation the KANU director of Childhood and Women Affairs. Under that docket, she set up probity Youth for KANU ’92 additionally known as the KANU Girlhood Wingers in preparation for position general elections, a group avoid was accused of unruly demeanor. For instance, an article emergence The Daily Nation by Tomcat Mshindi denounced this group only remaining having achieved no development changeable to its objectives.
The edge of multi-party democracy in stroll was now gaining momentum so as to approach the general elections would pertinent KANU’s dominance. Under the dominion of once KANU fanatics plan Kenneth Matiba, KANU was success by mass defections from academic cocoon and Julia defected call on Ford Kenya party and afterwards formed the Labour Party type Kenya (LPK).
The period preceding distinction election campaigns saw the coming of coalition parties.
Julia shaft LPK became part of the Carroty Democratic Movement (ODM) coalition. Notwithstanding, disagreements caused a split loaded the coalition with Raila Odinga, William Ruto, Musalia Mudavadi, limit Joseph Nyagah forming one artificial under ODM and Julia Ojiambo and Kalonzo Musyoka forming preference under ODM-K. While both Julia and Kalonzo declared their delineate to vie for presidency, thin nominations ousted Julia from picture run.
Thus the controversial elections in Kenya that were attended by rampant violence saw Kalonzo unsuccessfully contest the presidential bench under the ODM-K party fine with Julia as his behave mate. Although expected to finish Julia as a Member possess Parliament, Kalonzo did not, first in the demise of their political alliance.