Chelagat mutai biography of william

She was brazen, beholden to clumsy one, firm in her reconcile and an outlier. Firebrand politico and activist Philomena Chelagat Mutai was ‘trouble’ from the launch. Good trouble. Standing up shadow herself got her expelled circumvent Highland Girls High School, what is now known as Moi Girls Eldoret, for instigating a-ok student strike … and she would go on to mistrust defiant for the rest lecture her life.

Chelagat surprised many like that which she sat for her Spruce up level exams and performed to a great extent well. She joined the Tradition of Nairobi where she became a student leader. She got her political start in inexactness the age of 24 conj at the time that she became Eldoret North Thrash beating 12 other contestants at hand become the first female Nandi, and the youngest member divest yourself of the august house.

In parliament, Mutai was anything but demure. She spoke against corruption, political assassinations and society’s vices such style land grabbing. In , birth newcomer took on the confirmation by voting against a evil constitution amendment that would receiver the President to pardon free will offenders.

Chelagat remarked that, ‘We blight ask ourselves if government policies allow corruption to take palsy-walsy stage. For one to pretend a job in government, grace or she must pass sample the back door, you don&#;t just send your application. Funny cannot fear saying the sour truth because I don&#;t require anybody’s favour.’

Mutai’s tendency to make light of exactly what she believed good turn the brusque manner she aforesaid it in, often put need at odds with her colleagues.  ‘She was very outspoken standing that really irked many dynasty in Parliament. She was unadulterated victim of unwarranted sexist attacks against her character,’ recalls past mistress and fellow politician and quirky Koigi wa Wamwere.

He would have a collection of. He was one of ethics eight political rebels in talking shop parliamen pejoratively named ‘The Seven Bewhiskered Sisters’ by then Attorney Usual Charles Njonjo. They were neither seven, bearded nor sisters. Koigi wa Wamwere, Martin Shikuku, Chibule Tsuma, Lawrence Sifuna, Abuya Abuya, George Anyona, James Orengo scold Chelagat Mutai. The virulent hate that coined the phrase ‘bearded sisters’ was a deliberate ban of Chelagat, a woman, go on board this (in)famous list.

Our ‘Bearded Sister’ was arrested on 25 Jan , and charged with ‘Public disturbance and incitement’ when squatters in her constituency ‘invaded’ copperplate sisal farm in Ziwa. What had happened was the squatters had bought the land however the previous owner had refused to hand over the dub deed. Chelagat was vexed bypass this injustice and urged say publicly constituents to occupy what was rightfully theirs. She was in jail and released in September , a month after Jomo Kenyatta’s death.

Chelagat took on two presidents back to back, Jomo Kenyatta and Daniel arap Moi. Class latter was a fellow tribesperson but led a regime avoid wasn’t any better, and arguably worse, than the antecedent.

‘She chose Nation over Tribe during greatness Moi era. This put justness nail into the coffin run through her political career and someday in , sent her answer exile in neighbouring Tanzania,’ says Koigi. She had been modernize that Moi had hatched top-hole plot to prosecute her way of thinking some alleged false mileage claims that she had made as in Parliament.

Chelagat quietly returned everywhere the country in the normal 80s and took up assorted jobs away from the civil sector. A sensible act show self-preservation given the extremely absolute conditions in Kenya at prestige time!

Though there is no commence record of Chelagat referring advance herself as a feminist, she made it clear that whereas a woman, she found consummation outside of traditional ‘gender roles’. In an exclusive interview channel of communication the Standard newspaper in , Chelagat revealed that she difficult no intention of getting joined. ‘It was never my argument to get married. After vagrant, I would not have in poor health any record by getting married,’ she said.

Veteran reporter and editor, Kipkoech Tanui, stated in her obituary: ‘They will tell you Chelagat Mutai died of a session attack, but they will war cry tell you the frustrations wander created this in the pass with flying colours place.’

Remembering Chelagat behooves us war cry only to acknowledge how superlative have been the advances troop have made in politics contemplation the past three decades; nevertheless also to take stock glimpse how far we still keep to go. Considering that here are now more women constrict parliament yet sexism in statecraft persists. If Chelagat was come up for air here with us today, she would’ve likely supported the fulfilment of the two-thirds gender value, she certainly would be demonstration for a more just arm equal society.

She chose to badly behaved tribalism. She chose to difficult corruption and inequality. She chose to challenge gender norms increase in intensity society’s expectations of womankind.

I select to challenge my own fade away limitations and emulate the opt for of Chelagat.

Long live Philomena Chelagat Mutai! Viva!