The Maendeleo ya Wanawake Organization (MYWO) has paid a glowing tribute to its Patron. The late Hon. Dr. Mama Phoebe Asiyo is recognized as a fearless trailblazer in Kenya’s women’s movement and a national icon of leadership, unity, and social justice.
Speaking during a solemn memorial event, MYWO National Chairperson Mrs. Rahab Muiu delivered an emotional tribute. She described Mama Phoebe as “our compass and our conscience,” and “a towering figure who shaped the cause of women’s participation in public life.”
Muiu emphasized that Mama Phoebe’s leadership was not just symbolic but foundational in the fight for women’s empowerment and representation in decision-making spaces.
“She was our first African president of Maendeleo ya Wanawake. A role she pursued with passion because she believed only an African woman could tell our story authentically,” Mrs. Muiu recalled. “She reminded us constantly that unity among women is non-negotiable. Even in her final call to me in April, she insisted that Maendeleo must remain united in service.”
A legacy of courage and firsts
Moreover, Phoebe Asiyo, who passed away recently at the age of 92, has been widely mourned across the country and celebrated on digital platforms for her pioneering role in advocating for women’s rights, constitutional reforms, and affirmative action.
According to Mrs. Muiu, Mama Phoebe led a historic women’s delegation to Kapenguria in 1960 to visit the country’s founding father, Mzee Jomo Kenyatta, then still imprisoned. It was a symbolic journey made in a Land Rover on unmarked roads, where they brought traditional gifts, including vegetables and flowers, which left a lasting impression. “She told me that was the real beginning of women’s presence in national political dialogue,” Muiu said.
Pioneer of affirmative action
Phoebe Asiyo was also credited with laying the foundation for Kenya’s current affirmative action framework. In 1997, she tabled the first motion on affirmative action in Parliament, though it failed. Her efforts inspired future legislators, and by the early 2000s, Hon. Beth Mugo and other women leaders revived the motion, which eventually passed unanimously.
Former Senator Hon. Beth Mugo, also in attendance, described Mama Phoebe as a leader “whose influence transcended gender.” She revealed how Mama Phoebe personally encouraged her to run for Parliament, a decision that launched Mugo’s long and impactful political career.
“She walked into my international house office and said, ‘Beth, we want you to contest.’ I thought it was a joke. But her insistence and belief in me changed my life,” Mugo recounted. “She did not push people loudly, but her quiet persuasion moved mountains.”
A global legacy of women’s empowerment
Mugo further credited Mama Phoebe for her support in the founding of Kenya Women Finance Trust and her historic role as Chairperson of World Women Banking. A global UN-affiliated body that promotes women’s economic empowerment.
“Mama Phoebe stood for the children, for women, for the grassroots, and for unity,” Mugo added. “She influenced generations. And her legacy is global.”
Mama Phoebe Asiyo was the first female Senior Superintendent in the Kenya Prisons Service. Also the first woman to represent Kenya at the UN Commission on the Status of Women, and a former MP for Karachuonyo. Her memoir “It Is Possible” was launched in Nairobi with full state honors, graced by former and current presidents, senior national leaders, and dignitaries, a testament to her enduring national stature.
As the nation prepares to bid farewell to one of its most respected daughters, the message from those who spoke was clear: Kenya must honor her legacy by advancing the causes she fought for, women’s leadership, national unity, and empowerment of the marginalized.
“A star has gone before us, but it has not vanished,” said Mrs. Muiu in her closing. “It lights the path for the rest of us. Let us walk it faithfully and courageously.”