Former Karachuonyo MP Phoebe Asiyo will receive a State Funeral, a rare honour that places her among Kenyas most respected national figures. The government will accord her this tribute in recognition of her lifelong dedication to womens rights and public service.

Homa Bay Governor Gladys Wanga confirmed that she consulted President William Ruto, who agreed to have the State take charge of the burial arrangements.

Governor Wanga explained that members of the Maendeleo ya Wanawake Organisation had requested that Asiyos funeral be elevated beyond a private family event and recognised as a matter of national importance. The appeal was passed on to President Ruto, who, with the support of the organisation and the governor, approved the request.

I raised the matter with the President, and he agreed that this would be a State funeral. His Excellency the President and Baba [ODM leader Raila Odinga] are with us, said Governor Wanga.

In his tribute, President William Ruto remembered the late Phoebe Asiyo as a brave and path-breaking leader who championed womens participation in politics and leadership..

Her voice was instrumental in advancing this cause, leaving a legacy that continues to inspire generations, the President stated.

Then Deputy President William Ruto receives a copy of It is Possible: An African Woman Speaks from author Phoebe Asiyo during the books official launch at State House, Nairobi, on August 23, 2018.

Asiyo went down in history in 1980 when she first joined Parliament as the MP for Karachuonyo. Though a member for only up to 1983, she made a resounding comeback into Parliament in 1992 following the reinstallation of multi-party democracy and served until 1997. In Parliament, she vociferously pleaded for the creation of the Woman Representative position in order to solidify womens representation in national leadership.

Her achievements  reached far beyond the corridors of parliament.

In 1963, on the brink of Kenyas independence, Asiyo became the first woman to serve as Senior Superintendent of Kenya Prisons. That same year, she also broke ground as the first African chairperson of the Maendeleo ya Wanawake Organisation (MYWO), where she helped uplift thousands of women through economic empowerment programs in agriculture and small-scale business.

Internationally, Asiyo served as Kenyas first Goodwill Ambassador to the United Nations Development Fund for Women (UNIFEM). She also shaped the countrys law as a commissioner in the Constitution of Kenya Review Commission. In her Luo community, she was remembered as the inaugural female Elder, a position that cemented her legacy of leadership and influence.

For her exemplary work, Asiyo received honorary doctorates from Lehigh and York universities and was honored with the Order of the Grand Warrior by the Government of Kenya.

She was like a mother to me and to many women leaders in this region. As the first African chairperson of Maendeleo ya Wanawake, Mama Phoebe helped shape the organisation into a powerful voice for women across the country. Her legacy within and beyond the womens movement is unmatched and will be long remembered. said Governor Wanga.

The late Phoebe Asiyo will be laid to rest on August 8 at her home in Kibiri Ward, Homa Bay County.

Her body is currently in North Carolina, USA, where she passed away, and is scheduled to arrive in Kenya on August 4 ahead of the funeral.