Kenyan Members Of Parliament on Tuesday paid tribute to the late Grace Onyango, the first female lawmaker, who passed away last week.
The National Speaker Moses Masika Wetang’ula paid tribute to her in a moving speech, urging the House to embrace proposals to create a more inclusive society that will give women an equal platform in elective politics in honour of Grace Onyango’s contributions to the country.
Grace Onyangowas is a trailblazer who made history as the first female to climb up the ranks of the political system, paving the way for women in leadership in Kenya.
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She was also the first Kenyan female Mayor for Kisumu, Western Kenya, and the first woman to sit in the Speaker’s Chair as Temporary Deputy Speaker.
Born on June 26, 1924, in the then Nyanza Province, Grace Onyango attended Ngi’ya Girls High School and later joined Vihiga Teachers Training College, where she studied to be a teacher.
After completing her studies, she returned to her alma maters, first to Ng’iya Girls High School as a teacher and later to Vihiga Teachers Training College as a trainer.
In 1969, Hon. Grace Onyango vied for Kisumu Town Constituency parliamentary seat in a male-dominated race, which she won and diligently served in three successive Parliaments from 1969 to 1983.
She was an astute legislator whose contributions to Parliament and its committees and the plenary were invaluable, and her colleagues held her in high esteem.
Grace Onyango was also a vocal advocate of the rights of women and children and laid the foundation for women’s participation in elective politics in Kenya.
She served as the Secretary-General of the Luo Union (East Africa), the Chair of the Child Welfare Society, Kisumu District, and one of the founding Trustees for the National Fund for the Disabled of Kenya in 1980.
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