Dr. Kakenya had to strike a deal with her father and agreed to face the knife only if he would allow her to continue with her education, not marrying her off. Fast forward, Dr. Kakenya is one of the faces of resilience among the Maasai community and has since rescued hundreds of girls from FGM and empowered them through education and other programs courtesy of Kakenya’s Dream that she founded in 2009.
In the vast and beautiful plains and hills of the southwestern Kenya, lives the Maasai community, where tradition weaves a tapestry of customs that have endured for generations. The Maasai community is one of the remaining indigenous communities in Africa that have strongly held to their beautiful culture and traditions even in the face of changing lifestyles across the world. However, some of these cultures and traditions such as the Female Genital Mutilation (FGM) and child marriages are not only retrogressive but also continue to threaten the future and place of women and girls in the society.
In the Maasai land where, for a long time, women didn’t have a say, Dr. Kakenya Ntaiya emerges and stands tall as a formidable force against these two deeply entrenched retrogressive practices: Female Genital Mutilation (FGM) and forced teenage marriage. Her unyielding commitment to ending these harmful traditions and empowering women and girls reflects a resilience rooted in her journey from a small Maasai village to becoming a beacon of hope and change.
Born in the then small and silent village of Enoosaen in southwestern Kenya and into the conservative Maasai community, where girls often face the harsh reality of FGM and early forced marriage, Dr. Kakenya’s childhood was marked by a stark awareness of the limitations imposed on young women – one of a patriarchal traditional path that every young girl and woman had to walk. However, rather than succumbing to the status quo, she harboured a vision of a different future, a future that would later beam light into the small village making her one of the most adored trailblazers from the Maasai community.
According to statistics from the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) and the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), more than 200 million women and girls have gone through Female Genital Mutilation around the world. A majority of these women and girls come from Africa, where the harmful practice is widespread across 20 countries.
Closer home, much as the harmful culture was banned in 2011, it is estimated that millions of girls still are suffering in the silent villages, like that of Dr. Kakenya’s.
In a reflective conversation with the Global Citizen’s In My Own Words series, Dr. Ntaiya delved into the pivotal moments that fuelled her determination to challenge these practices that, in a large extent, defined her Maasai community which is one of the indigenous communities in Africa.
Growing up, Dr. Kakenya, who regards herself as a daring dreamer, witnessed the devastating impact of FGM and forced marriage on the lives of young girls in her community. She vividly knew that she couldn’t stand idly by – she had to take an action to change the narrative of the patriarchal social norms that awaited almost every girl from the vast Maasai land.
Dr. Kakenya’s, journey began with an audacious dream of education, a dream that clashed with the prevailing norms of her community. She knew pretty well that her path had been charted right from the moment she was born – a path of undergoing the cut and consequently becoming a child bride at puberty.
Dr. Kakenya poses for a photo. (Picture courtesy of Global Citizen).
The Maasai community and others that practice FGM consider this outdated culture as a rite of passage for girls, preparing them for marriage and motherhood. Sadly, it also puts a full stop to a girl’s education, something which Dr. Kakenya wouldn’t harbour in her thoughts even for a second.
In remote communities like the Maasai, it is reported that over 80% of the women have been subjected to FGM.
Dr. Kakenya, who in her early days dreamed of becoming a teacher, had to find a way that would see her stay in school. It is the push that saw her, at only 12 years of age, negotiate with her father to allow her continue with her education. So, a deal was reached – Dr. Kakenya agreed to undergo FGM and her father agreed to let her proceed with her education and would not marry her off as is the culture. It is at that point that her father broke her childhood engagement to allow the daughter continue with her education. However, at the back of her mind, Dr. Kakenya had another fallback plan of running away in the event that her father didn’t keep his word.
Later in high school, another dream sprang up – proceeding to university and getting a degree, probably the first for a woman from the village. Knowing very well that her family along would not be in a position to finance her university education, Dr. Kakenya approached and made yet another deal with the village elders promising to return home and make good use of her education to help her community that only measured the value of a woman by the bride price and the number of cattle that a family fetches on marrying off their daughter.
Dr. Kakenya with a group of Maasai elders in undated photo. (Photo courtesy).
Upon completing her education, Dr. Kakenya returned home and established the Kakenya’s Dream in 2009, transforming it into a commitment to break free from the chains of harmful traditions and creating a new horizon of education and freedom for girls. Basically, she returned to her village not just as a beneficiary of education but as a catalyst for change.
The Kakenya’s Dream, a ground-breaking institution that serves as a sanctuary for Maasai girls, offering education, mentorship, and protection from the perils of FGM and forced marriage, started off with 30 vulnerable girls and has since grown into a non-profit organization working on and around holistic education, health and leadership programs all aimed at empowering girls, and ending FGM and child marriage. Dr. Kakenya has also set her eyes on transforming rural communities in Kenya, expanding from just Maasai land.
Dr. Kakenya in the midst of school children. (Photo courtesy)
The organization has so far not only empowered more than 700 girls, but also reached at least 15,000 boys and girls drawn from southwestern Kenya with tailored educational workshops on health and human rights.
The centre stands as a testament to Kakenya’s vision of a world where girls can pursue their dreams unencumbered by the shadows of harmful cultural practices.
Dr. Ntaiya’s approach goes beyond condemnation; it involves engaging with community leaders, elders, and parents in a dialogue that fosters understanding and awareness. By highlighting the positive impact of education on girls, she seeks to reshape deeply ingrained attitudes towards FGM and forced marriage within the patriarchal structures of the Maasai community.
Through her organization, Kakenya’s Dream, she extends her impact beyond the school’s walls, conducting community outreach programs and advocating for policy changes to protect the rights of Maasai girls.
In the face of resistance, Dr. Kakenya remains steadfast, fuelled by the belief that change is possible. The Kanya’s Dream pioneer class has since graduated from university and established the organization’s alumni network.
Alumni from the Kakenya’s Dream cutting a cake to celebrate the milestone. (Photo courtesy of Kakenya’s Dream)
While she prides in the fact that 100% of girls who have gone through her program have not met the wrath of FGM, Dr. Kakenya admits that the journey has not been a walk in the park but a challenging one.
Kakenya’s Dream has been planting seeds resilience, courage and change that have started bearing fruits in changing her community’s perspective on the value and place of women.
Dr. Kakenya with pupils in class. (Photo courtesy).
Dr Kakenya Ntaiya’s story is not just one of personal triumph but a testament to the holistic transformative power of education and the unwavering commitment needed to challenge entrenched harmful cultural practices. As she continues to be a tireless advocate for the rights of women and girls in the Maasai community, she undoubtedly stands as a beacon of hope for a future where tradition and progress can coexist harmoniously.
This is a publication of Africa Global News.
