Rodah Ireri is a motor vehicle mechanic and she spearheads the Women in Technical Field Association of Kenya (WTFAK). In line with this year's International Women’s Day theme – I am Generation Equality: Realizing Women’s Rights – she spoke to KTN’s Maalika Kazia about her encounter with gender inequality in the technical field, and what they do at WTFAK
I had a chance to join Nakuru High school after my primary education– the only school that allowed girls to do technical subjects. I opted for automotive as I was enjoying the class and found it interesting.
I did not qualify to go to the university as I had hoped and wanted and after my O levels, I joined an institute, DT Dobie Training College. I was the first lady to join the institution as a mechanic and for three years I was the only lady in my class training and working with men.
After my training, I was employed by the same company, DT Dobie and for 17 years, I worked as a mechanic and held several other roles in the company.
Facing Gender Inequality
Being the only female among my colleagues was hectic. At one point, I remember a random old man telling me that he could not have me as his daughter-in-law because of my career. He even added that if his son dared to come home with me as a wife, he would personally take me back to my parents.
One time I was driving home with my husband and we came across a man whose car had stalled. I asked my husband to stop so that we could help him but when we approached, he kept addressing my husband and ignoring me. Not even my husband’s interjection that he should talk to me and not him helped. I walked to the vehicle and worked on the engine anyway.
At the workshop, it was not any different. I worked with men and some of my seniors were not very fair. On one Friday, an old man, who was my supervisor, walked to me and told me point black that I was going to spend the evening at his place, right in front of my colleagues! I had to stand up for myself and I told him off much to the bemusement of my colleagues.
With determination to conquer my journey, all the things that I was being told never really affected my dream. Sometimes people would tell me I won’t make it but that, instead, strengthened me. I drew my encouragement and joy from successfully working on a unit, completing the job and seeing the vehicle literally move perfectly!
Women in Technical Field Association of Kenya
When I told my dad that I wanted to train as a mechanic, he was very furious and he disowned me. It took my sister’s intervention to keep me in school. She encouraged me to continue and pursue my dream and paid my fees.
In 2015, I decided to start an association – the Women in Technical Field Association of Kenya. I reached out to fellow ladies in the technical field and together, managed to form a team of 10 ladies. We talk to young girls encouraging them to join technical training programs. Our focus has been the few unfortunate girls who have dropped out of school, maybe due to early pregnancies, that the society has somewhat given up on. Since they are not able to make it to the university, we talk to them, encourage them and take them to juakali’s and even register them in technical institutions.