Anita Soina: I am the change Kajiado North needs

At just 22 years of age, Anita Soina is woman on a mission. She wants to be the next Member of Parliament (MP) for Kajiado North.

Young, articulate, and a renowned environmentalist, Ms Soina believes that when women lead, rivers run upstream. Her interest in active politics started at a very young age. In 2017, she was already a household name in official campaigns for youthful politicians including Ababu Namwamba.

This time round, she is using the same skills to win a political office through the Green Thinking Action Party (GTAP), which she says aligns with her social change agenda that leans heavily on environmental protection and conservation.

Four years ago, Ms Soina founded SpiceWarriors, an organization that promotes environmental conservation, rallying other young people to protect the universe. A job she has done well.

So why is she running for a political office? Ms Soina says politics plays a central role in environmental governance, social and economic development.  But to address the environmental and social  injustices, accelerate interventions around the protection of the environment and deliver a healthy and safe environment for the people of Kajiado North, she has to be at the decision making table.

“Women and children are the most affected by badly crafted policies, yet they are not at the decision making table and in corridors of power, to address these gaps. Women are mothers and sisters and having suffered many challenges, they understand the solutions to problems facing communities today,” she observes.

Women missing on the decision making table is one of the issues she addresses in her book, The Green War. The book highlights her ongoing journey, challenges and future plans to stop environmental degradation. She believes the most pressing problems facing communities today are directly linked to the environment.

“Take for instance water shortages and sanitation related challenges in many households today. It is all linked to climate change. Climate action is in urgent need of immediate attention. When we talk about climate change we are also talking about food security.”

Addressing environmental challenges is, therefore, high on her agenda as a key deliverable to the people of Kajiado. To her, the socio-economic problems facing her people are strongly correlated with environment. Her agenda, therefore, is anchored on environmental conservation, which is viable, practical, cost-effective and importantly, sustainable.

She also wants to address health and insecurity issues. 

Devolved function

“Most of Kajiado North is cosmopolitan as the area includes Ngong’, Rongai and Kiserian. I want to address insecurity, which is closely linked to unemployment, education and even though health is a devolved function, every leader can do something to make health services more accessible.”

“We have a number of hospitals that are not functional. We only have a few public schools and overcrowding makes learning difficult,” she says.

A graduate of Multi-Media University of Kenya with a degree in Bachelor of Arts in Public Relations and Corporate Communication, Ms Soina notes that she is the best for the job of transforming Kajiado North into a fast developing county.

She, however, acknowledges that the task ahead is not an easy one for women, young people and especially young female politicians. The leadership space, she says, is very hostile to women and young people aspiring to be leaders.

Fondly known as ‘green MP’ among her supporters, Ms Soina is well-known for fighting environmental wars. 

“This journey is not about me. I started working as a community volunteer even before I turned 18. My conservation efforts have provided me with a strong network of people and a solid platform on which to launch my political bid.”

Read: MP aspirant: 24-year-old village girl with big dreams

She is not participating in politics for the sake of it. “I am deeply invested in my political career. I am a youthful politician and I do not want my political career to be dead on arrival. Unlike a veteran politician, I have too much to lose.”

“Many of our leaders and politicians that we look up to are aging and young leaders are strapping their boots on to be the Martha Karua of tomorrow. When their time to exit the political stage comes, there will be no leadership gap because I and other young leaders are up to the task.”

That the political leadership is slowly changing for women with many seeking leadership positions, is good news.  But to level the political field, Ms Soina stresses the importance of addressing “the toxic nature of our politics.

“Our safety and security is also a concern because we are easily threatened through social media and text messages. This is being used to intimidate us.”

Youthful leadership

Another major challenge she faces is lack of resources to enable her move around the county and campaign. So is culture and attitudes of and about young people that Ms Soina says is not working for young leaders.

 “Youth voices are not easily heard. Youths call for youthful leadership but are the first ones to get tokenised. It is difficult to enjoy youth support because they also want to eat from you and you cannot feed them the same way a veteran leader can. It is the older people that enjoy youth support.”

Despite these challenges, Ms Soina is very optimistic.

“I have a thick skin and I am focused on the goal, nothing comes easy and no one said it was easy. If women keep pushing, we will get there.”