Lesuuda: The day male politician questioned the presence of 'young girls' in the Senate

Despite dipping her toes in beauty contests and auditioning for acting roles in film while still pursuing her degree in communication and community development at Daystar University, Josephine Naisula Lesuuda's passion for broadcast journalism remained unwavering.

After graduating in 2007, she literally pitched camp for about two months outside the gates of the Kenya Broadcasting Corporation (KBC) in Nairobi, hoping to catch the attention of senior officials who could potentially offer her an internship.

“When I was young, I admired top journalists like the late Catherine Kasavuli; they were sharp and smart and I wanted to be like them. At home, I would sit and imitate TV newscasters. By the time I was at Sing’ore Girls’ High School, I was sure I was going to pursue journalism,” she says.

Ms Lesuuda, who is currently in her second term as the Member of Parliament for Samburu West, believed that pursuing an internship with the national broadcaster was the most certain path towards realising her dream.

“I stayed with a relative in Nairobi. Every morning, I would wake up, get dressed, take a matatu and go stand outside the gates of KBC, persistently trying to get in. Initially, the guards prevented me from entering.

“I maintained this routine for nearly two months, and eventually, they relented and granted me access. I explained my situation, and they provided me with a form to complete. Finally, I was offered an internship opportunity,” she recalls.

Unlike some of her fellow interns, who had a habit of arriving late and idly spending their days in the 'interns' corner' waiting for a recommendation at the end of three months, Lesuuda set herself apart by actively engaging with experienced journalists.

Support for interns

It is this experience that pushed her to draft the Public Service Internship Bill, 2022, which seeks to ensure interns in public institutions not only earn a stipend but also be entitled to personal accident health cover. Ms Lesuuda wants interns to be given mentors or supervisors who will ensure they acquire skills for the job market.

The Bill, which has already undergone the First reading in the National Assembly, also provides that interns should receive sick leave and maternity or paternity allowances.

“Currently, interns in some public institutions are being paid some stipend, but I want it to be anchored in law,” she says.

The opportunity to become a newscaster presented itself when KBC announced auditions for the positions, and she was selected, beginning her career in news reading while still a news reporter. Later, when a vacancy opened on the Good Morning Kenya show, she was picked to step in and subsequently became one of its hosts.

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Even after landing her dream job, Ms Lesuuda found herself troubled, as there was no news from Samburu (her home region) in the media.

“I once questioned the editor about the absence of correspondents in Samburu. I was told that there was no news in Samburu and that is why no media outlet had journalists in the area.”

Determined to change this, she managed to persuade the editor to allow her to find a correspondent from Samburu who could send them footage for broadcasting. She enlisted the help of a resident who ran a photography shop and funded him out of her own pocket each time he provided footage.

Troubled region

“As KBC started airing exclusive news from Samburu and its surroundings, other media houses took notice and quickly stationed their correspondents in the area. Even though much of the content was focused on negative aspects like banditry and famine, it sparked the interest of Kenyans, who began following the developments in the region and triggered action,” she says.

However, reading news about the ongoing killings in bandit-prone areas, including Samburu, on TV plunged her into a deep state of concern.

“After the bulletin, we were driven home in a van, and I would sit in the back and cry uncontrollably,” she recounts.

“The relentless violence in the North Rift compelled me to write a letter to the Head of Public Service at that time, Mr Francis Kimemia, requesting a time out in 2009. I wanted to return home to Samburu and engage with the community on finding ways to foster peace with their neighbours and put an end to the tribal clashes.

“I met with leaders from Samburu and stressed the importance of local professionals coming together to engage in discussions on the peace process. Subsequently, we convened meetings with leaders from neighbouring communities and began travelling back home to promote peace, taking the role of negotiator.”

Ms Lesuuda says the negotiations she took part in helped silence the gun for a decade until recently when bandits started killing again, maiming men, women and children.

“Currently, there is no talking and people are killing each other, the gun is doing the talking. I still believe that dialogue is the solution to the banditry menace in the North Rift. As an MP, I have done everything possible to restore peace, but insecurity is still rampant.

“In my constituency, we have GSU and KDF camps, police posts, and police reservists. I have realised that for communities to live together, security alone is not enough – we need dialogue, education, water and improved amenities,” she says.

Her effort to restore peace not only caught the attention of politicians but also then President Mwai Kibaki, who later awarded her the Order of the Grand Warrior (OGW) for outstanding contribution to peace in the North Rift and other parts of the country such as Kuria in Migori County and Naivasha in Nakuru County during the 2007/08 post-election violence.

In 2011, she was scouted by the United Democratic Forum (UDF) as a communications officer but left the role after the current Prime Cabinet Secretary Musalia Mudavadi took over the party.

In 2012, she was asked by The National Alliance (TNA) chairman Johnson Sakaja, who is now Nairobi governor, to become his deputy. “After wide consultations, I turned down the offer but agreed to campaign for TNA party leader Uhuru Kenyatta, who was vying for president. I became Uhuru’s chief agent in Samburu County,” she says.

TNA nominated her to the Senate – the institution that she says sharpened her political skills. “The first Senate had top cream leaders and scholars such as governors James Orengo, Prof Anyang’ Nyong’o, former Attorney General Amos Wako, the late Yusuf Haji, CS Kithure Kindiki, National Assembly Speaker Moses Wetang’ula, and Mama Zipporah Kittony. I learnt a lot from those leaders,” she says.

“About six women who were nominated in the first Senate got elected in 2017, an indication that we were mentored well.”

One of her challenging moments occurred when a seasoned politician openly questioned the presence of "young girls" in the Senate.

“Another moment that still lingers in my memory is when one of the seasoned politicians read the names of the senators who were to sit on an impeachment committee. When he reached my name, he referred to me as a member who was going to add colour to the committee. I was deeply upset by this statement.”

Elective politics

In 2017, she vied for MP on a Kanu ticket and beat Mr Jonathan Lelelit (now Samburu governor), who was defending his seat on a Jubilee ticket.

“Initially, many people asked me to run for the woman rep seat, but I had immense respect for the incumbent at the time, Ms Maison Leshoomo. I decided to run for the Samburu West MP seat. I knew it was a daring decision as I was young, unmarried, and no woman had been elected MP for a single constituency [in Samburu County].”

She explains that the networks she had established during the peace negotiations and her work through the Naisula Lesuuda Peace Foundation, which she started when she was a senator, had made her a household name.

However, Ms Lesuuda had one disadvantage – she was not fluent in the Samburu language, as she grew up in other parts of the country like Nakuru, Limuru and Nyahururu where her father worked as an Anglican Reverend.

“I grew up speaking Kikuyu and learned Samburu later, so I did not even know the clans in Samburu. Initially, I thought this was a political setback, but it turned out to be an advantage as the electorate realised that I was treating all people equally regardless of their clans.

“I don't believe in tribalism. A tribe is just a language and culture, and that perspective has helped me in my leadership because I don't discriminate against people based on tribe, religion, clan or their social status in the society” says Ms Lesuuda.

“At one time, my opponents sponsored goons to attack me while I was at a radio station. The negative propaganda and such attacks helped me garner some sympathy votes."

She also reveals that Mr Kenyatta advised her to run on the Kanu ticket in 2017 after realising that it would be difficult for her to secure the Jubilee ticket.

Gender stereotypes

While she successfully defended her seat in 2022, she faced another propaganda campaign. Her opponents wanted her to run in Baringo County, where she is married.

“Women face a lot of challenges at the hands of political opponents; when unmarried, it is used against you. When a woman is married, she is asked to run where she is married. When a woman attempts to run for office where she is married, she is referred to as a foreigner. Some time ago, there was propaganda that I was taking money from Samburu West to Baringo, but the electorate realised it was all lies.”

Ms Lesuuda is the current vice chairperson for the Public Investments Committee on Governance and Education and is credited for stopping the government from funding private universities over a lack of accountability.

She also sits on the Budget and Appropriations Committee and has sponsored the Kenya Roads (Amendment) Bill, 2022, which proposes that all public roads have lanes or tracks exclusively for pedestrians and non-motorised vehicles. It also requires urban areas to have parking facilities for bicycles.

“This is intended to reduce road accidents involving pedestrians and motorcyclists.”

The legislator, being the first female elected MP from a single constituency in Samburu, has broken the barrier for Samburu girls and women seeking political leadership.

“Young women have no excuse for not running for any seat. I have shown them that it is possible to go for any seat and win,” she concludes.

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