Meet the first Samburu woman chief
Joy Lenawalbane has made history in Samburu County following her appointment as the first female chief in the area.
Lenawalbane emerged as the top candidate in an interview panel says her appointment paves way for girls in her community to take up leadership roles in the patriarchal society.
Speaking at her crowning ceremony, the newly crowned chief of Waso west in Samburu county says her main focus will be to tackle early child-marriage, Female Genital Mutilation, and enhance security in the region.
“Women should stop depending on their husbands for everything, that is in the past. They should go out and work,” she said.
Lenawalbane who was forced to sell illicit brew to pay for her school fees following the death of her father while she was in class three adds that she has plans to further her education in order to qualify for a senior position in the future.
‘’When I started, it was very difficult, but now I have grown up, and it has become easier. I will continue to study so that I can go to the next step of my career. I would like to be an Assistant County Commissioner (ACC) in the next two or in a few years,’’ said Lenawalbane.
Before her appointment, Lenawalbane had been serving as acting chief following the retirement of the county chief in 2018.
On the day of her appointment, community elders, all men, cleansed the path leading to the office the chief will now hold. They also conducted rituals and prayers to protect the new chief as she starts her new job.