More girls are attending school, fewer girls are being coerced into early marriages, more women are serving in Parliament and leadership posts, and laws are being amended to promote gender equality.
Despite these gains, many challenges remain: discriminatory laws and social norms persist, women continue to be underrepresented at all levels of political leadership, and one in every five women and girls aged 15 to 49 report experiencing physical or sexual violence by an intimate partner in the previous 12 months.
Meet Anita Soina also known as ‘Bi. Mazingira’, born in a Maasai family from Kajiado North, understands the challenges girls in that region face.
In an exclusive interview with The Informer, Soina said she is committed to a healthy and safe environment and she is also devoted to other social, economic, and political issues as well.
“Growing up I connected with the challenges and opportunities and got charged to be a force behind social change leveraging on environmental conservation which has been a contentious issue in this region,” she said.
The activist talks about her love for the environment and she uses her social media platforms to strongly advocate for the environment and social change.
Soina says politics plays a crucial role in international environmental governance.
The 22-year-old, who is vying for a Parliamentary seat in Kajiado North, says she is determined to protect the environment from the corridors of power as she believes politics plays a crucial role in international environmental governance.
The bold and ambitious environmentalist warrior recently graduated with a degree in Public Relations and Corporate Communication from Multimedia University. She is the youngest person to vie for a parliamentary seat in the country.
As a young leader, she began her activism journey four years ago where she is the founder of Space Warrior organisation and an author of the green war.
In October 2021, she attended and represented Kenya in Glasgow during the biggest United Nations Climate Change Conference (cop 26).
“I fight to protect the environment, I serve my master and that is nature,” she said.
In May, she gave a ted talk where she talked about environmental protection through social change.
“If I don’t win, I will continue to be a champion for human rights and an environmentalist,” she added.
She has so far ditched Deputy President William Ruto’s United Democratic Alliance (UDA) party for Green Thinking Action Party (GTAP).
The Kenyan environmentalist was received by the party leader Isaac Kalua Green.
“I have been a member of UDA party since June 2021 and now I choose Green Thinking Action party because I believe the environment is central to the economic propel front by others,” Anita said.