She later joined the University of Nairobi, where she faced the challenges of navigating a new environment while assuming responsibilities as a mentor to fellow freshmen. Her transition to student politics in 2002 was a leap of faith marked by fear and uncertainty. Despite warnings from her father, Caren embraced the opportunity that she believed had knocked on her door.
"My friends went ahead and got nomination papers and went around collecting signatures. They later told me to submit the signatures to the election committee," she says.
Though not fully persuaded, her father asked her to give it a try but to be cautious. Through persistence and determination, she secured a leadership role within the student body, a stepping stone that would prepare her for the days ahead. The following year, she courageously contested and won the position of Gender Secretary at the university,
"I didn't have money then, I was getting HELB and sending it back home to pay school fees for my younger siblings. I also used to get sales jobs to take care of myself and my siblings. So, my friends contributed money and made posters for me."
While her involvement in student leadership deepened, she recognised deep-rooted corruption within these circles. The brazen corruption disturbed her, and she decided to vie for a position that would make her in charge of student funds.
"There had been no female vice chair before, and I faced serious challenges. One of my competitors even sent goons to warn me to step down and offered me money. They even spread some propaganda to put me down; the campaign was crazy." Caren was forced to arrange for her own security as she knew things could get nasty.
"I won and became the first female vice chair of the Student Organisation of Nairobi University and this inspired many women to vie for the position," she says.
"We even later had a woman as chair of SONU," she adds.
Caren's journey extended beyond the confines of campus. She became a representative of young people in the National Youth Council, advocating for meaningful youth participation in governance. Her political aspirations encountered obstacles, but these setbacks fueled her resolve to empower others with the tools necessary for effective leadership.
"Before this was success after success. No failure, everything I wanted came to be, but after vying for a political seat and going to the ground, I realized I needed money to mobilize people. My father advised me to go back and practice journalism as politics is for people who have retired. I dropped out of the race, I felt shattered, and I didn't have a plan B"
After realising life was not stopping for her to recover from her loss, she went back to working with the youth in the slums and got elected as the chair of the youth congress in Kariobangi where she advocated for youth representation and participation, especially in government programmes.
During her time at the African Peer Review Mechanism (APRM) she was voted to be the youth spokesperson at the African Union summit. This propelled her to the global stage. She recalls an APRM meeting in Ethiopia in 2012 that changed her life.
"Liberia was being admitted to be APRM compliant, and President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf was there, and I wondered why in a whole continent we could only produce one woman president," she says.
"If we could have more women presidents, I believe Africa would be less corrupt," she adds.
She came back and founded the Emerging Leaders Foundation (ELF). This endeavour was not without its challenges, bureaucratic hurdles and financial constraints tested her resilience.
"I thought if I had mentorship I could have joined politics with better awareness so would other women. Before this, I had gone through a whole journey of identity crisis and low self-esteem and I wanted to support other young people to know who they are."
Undeterred, she began mentoring female student leaders in her one-bedroom apartment in Nairobi estate.
"As we looked for funds some people would ask for kickbacks, but I refused as I was establishing an organization based on integrity," she notes.
Things got tough in 2015 and Caren was forced to look for a job to survive. All along, she had been holding up thanks to consultancies here and there. The dreams she had for the organisation were getting dimmer by the day. At some point, a donor pulled out and even recalled the computers he had donated to the organization
"Had I known the challenges I was going to face for almost six years, I might not have begun the journey. I was writing proposals year in and year out with no success."
Despite the arduous journey, Caren's efforts began to bear fruit. She later got her first funding that expanded the organisation's reach, formalizing its programmes and developing a curriculum on good governance and youth mentorship.
ELF-A impact extended to nurturing ethical civil servants, politicians, social entrepreneurs, and grassroots organizations. Caren's dream of a dignified society, built upon the shoulders of ethical leaders, came into clearer focus.
"My dream is for us to have a society that lives in dignity, and that will be achieved from the leaders that we nurture."
Her advice to aspiring leaders is that the pursuit of money should not overshadow the pursuit of integrity and purpose.
Caren's philosophy reflects her belief that leaders are moulded within their families, how children are loved and honoured is what they replicate or do to people when in leadership positions.
"Children who are not loved or taken care of well, when they get to senior roles want to be felt seen, heard, and worthy and feel like the more money I have, the more respect I command yet value is innate in every human being."
She draws inspiration from her mentor, President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf.
"At ELF-A we believe in storytelling and also run modules where we support young people in telling their stories and mentorship. As a young person, if you believe in yourself there is nothing that you can't do, you will meet setbacks along the way but you will be able to navigate that."