Mrs. A. Kirambi

THE STORY OF A SELF MADE LADY:

MRS ALICE MUHONJA KIRAMBI

Corporate Secretary of Peace of the World International Board of Directors

Alice Muhonja Kirambi was born on 27th July 1955 at Vuyiya Village, Viyalo Sub-location, Igunga location, Sabatia Division, Vihiga District, Western Province in Kenya. She is the last born in the family of the late Jacob Nyabera and Risper Andia Nyabera. She grew up in a family of 6 girls and 5 boys.

Muhonja began her basic education at Vinyalo Primary School and later joined St. Stephen High School, Kisii where she obtained her ordinary level East African Certificate of Examination. (E.A.C.E). As a young girl, Muhonja cherished Christianity, moral integrity, honesty and responsibility as well as the care for others, especially the orphans and vulnerable children.

She grew up in a Christian environment among the Friends Quaker Church, where she has continued to serve up to the present time. Muhonja has an emotional attachment and memory about the historical foundations of the Friends’ Church, which was a peace-making mission that was recognized and respected worldwide. It has been her long-term mission and goal to contribute to the restoration of the lost glory of her Church through the various development initiatives that she has participated in. It is Muhonja’s conviction that the world will never be at peace if there is no justice and honesty and hence her inclination to the universal principals of transparency, accountability and the respect for human rights and dignity for all regardless of age, gender, socio economic status, political affiliation, race, religious ideology and cultural background.

Muhonja’s humble background could not deter her from advancing her education and professional career. Even in her adulthood as a wife, mother of four (4) children and a widow, she has relentlessly struggled to upgrade her educational status. This drive to success made her enroll for a diploma in management and community development in Zimbabwe and Swaziland. She passed her diploma education with flying colors; specializing in governance, urban and community development and human rights subject areas.

Muhonja’s journey in the world of work saw her work with the American Life Insurance as a Senior Executive Secretary between 1979 and 1980. She worked as an Administrator with all Africa Conference of Churches (AACC) based in Kenya, where she worked as an Assistant Editor to publications known as, The Boabab and Tam Tam, respectively. While at AACC, Muhonja rose to post of a Development Officer within the Department of Research and Development.

She held that position until the end of 2001. In the year 2002, Muhonja joined Christian Partners Development Agency (CPDA) as its Executive Director. This is an Organization she diligently worked hard to establish as part of her solidarity with the poor. The Christian Partners Development Agency (CPDA) under Muhonja’s leadership has grown to become one of the leading civil society organizations, not only in Kenya, but the entire African Region. The alternative leadership project through the neighborhood assemblies has given local communities a platform for their voices to be heard as they strive to influence structures of governance and development from an informed perspective.

Muhonja is credited to have been among the active members of Soroptimist International, the Kenya Chapter, where she served as a secretary, coordinator of Human Rights on the status of women and rose to become it’s the founder President of the Kenyan Union. She has widely traveled and exposed to different cultures the world over. This has not only expanded her cognitive map, but also her worldview and critical thinking capacity.

Needless to mention that Muhonja was a long-term chairperson of the Breast-Feeding Information Group – Kenya, whose main goal is to improve early childhood and reduce child mortality rate in the country.

Muhonja has been on the forefront of lobbying and advocacy for a conducive policy environment for the enjoyment of basic rights of children, women, men and the elderly. This has been demonstrated through a wide range of her representation and participation in human rights forums, governance and development programmes locally, regionally and internationally. For instance, together with others, Muhonja was involved in the initial processes that led to the formulation of the Children’s Act in 2001 in Kenya. She, earlier on, participated in the preparation of children to participate in the United Nations Conference on the rights of a child. Today, Kenya is among the few countries with a children’s cabinet that has the capacity to articulate issues related to children’s rights and freedoms, including the right to basic needs, like education, food, shelter, water and security.

Muhonja joined the Elimu Yetu Campaign in lobbying for universal free primary education in Kenya in line with the World Declaration at Jomtien in 1990 and the Dakar platform in 2000. As a result of this sustained advocacy, over one million-school going children have joined education institution under the free education program in the Country.

Muhonja participated in the Fourth -World Women Conference at Beijing China. She was among the four hundred Kenyan delegates that attended this conference, which came up with the twelve critical areas of concern affecting women’s human rights and freedoms. These among others include; feminization of poverty, inadequate participation in politics and decision making, lack economic independence, negative cultural practices based on patriarchal ideology, lack of access relevant and appropriate information.

Muhonja has been one of the greatest champions of mainstreaming Gender in development and Governance structures at the local, national, regional and international levels. For instance in 2004, she participated in international conferences for mainstreaming gender and disaster management in Germany and in Hawaii. She also presented a learning paper on mainstreaming Gender in the Millennium Development Goals at the United Nations Conference in June 2005.

She has served on a number of Boards of different primary and secondary schools in Kenya. Currently, Muhonja is a patron of two primary schools in Western Province of Kenya. She is a founder member of the Council for Economic Empowerment of Women in Africa (CEEWA), she served on a committee of the Ministry of Social Services, Gender and Sports-working on the Development of policies for the elderly persons and gender mainstreaming.

During the National Constitutional Conference at BOMAS of Kenya, Muhonja joined other pro-children individuals and lobby groups to push for a directive principle on the rights and freedoms of children and women in the proposed new constitutional order for the Country.

Muhonja is the current Director and Chairperson of the Vihiga Water Amatsi Company under the New Water Act of 2003, that seeks to guarantee access to and utilization of safe drinking water to all citizens. This responsibility complements her initial efforts to protect water springs and construct water tanks in several communities and institutions within Vihiga and Kakamega districts in Western Province and Makueni District in Eastern Province of Kenya.

Muhonja believes that if she cannot do great things, she can do small things in a great way. She is ambitious, courageous, focused, hardworking, creative, innovative, a good listener, a good mobilizer and a good manager. The sky is the limit in her endeavor to make a difference in the life of children, women and other vulnerable groups in the society.

It is her conviction that justice and peace are the critical pillars of God’s covenant with mankind. And that every government established on the basis of democratic principles and the will of the people must strive to promote happiness for all children, women, disabled, young and old.