Member of Parliament Judy Pareno: Uplifted by love

As a young girl growing up in the heart of Maasailand, Judy Pareno walked barefoot to and from school, not minding the long distance of 15 kilometres every morning and evening.

On weekends, she looked after her father's cattle and helped to milk the more than 700 head of cattle in their homestead.

After driving the livestock from the grazing field, she says everyone was held accountable for any lost sheep or goat.

"We had to count all the animals before leaving the grazing field. It was a tedious task," she adds.

Now a mother of four, Judy says she chose to teach her children about the lifestyle that made up a huge part of her childhood.

"We lived with cattle since the time we were young, and I saw it was not wise to abandon this practice despite the fact that we are now urbanised. I am still a livestock keeper but the only thing I have done is improve the quality. Each of my children has a cow. I believe that the best gift I could give to a child is a cow since they are interested in cattle," says Pareno.

Unlike other pastoralists who practice nomadic pastoralism, Pareno has taken the venture a notch higher by rearing improved breeds imported from South Africa.

Despite the semi-arid nature of the region, Pareno has dared to venture into crop farming, and she is the renowned successful farmer in Mashuru, Kajiado where she cultivates tomatoes, beans and watermelons in green houses.

"I am an all-round person and I go to my farm during my free time to do my gardening and farming," she adds.

Having come from a community where people depend on livestock for their livelihood, Pareno believes that people should focus on such to grow themselves economically instead of focusing on retrogressive cultural practices like female circumcision and early marriages.

Judy says she was lucky to escape the noose of these retrogressive practices, thanks to her father.

Though her father was a polygamous man, she says he did not marry off his girls, but instead took them to school, educated them and allowed them to choose their husbands, going against the culture, which saw girls being forced to marry old men against their wishes.

"My father gave us a chance to go to school and make our own choices," says Judy.

The first born in a family of six - three boys and three girls, Judy was introduced to the book and pen culture in Enooretet Primary School in Mashuru before proceeding to Kipsigis Girls High School. She later joined University of Nairobi to study Law.

After enrolling in Form One, life took a new turn for her. Her father passed on. Her dreams to pursue education were almost shattered. Her mother, a housewife, could not pay her school fees.

"My father died shortly after I joined Form One but luckily, he had left many animals; cattle sheep and goats. My step brothers took care of me until I completed my studies in university," she adds.

While sitting her final exam in university, Pareno says she gave birth to her first born child. This is when she faced myriad challenges as she was striving hard to excel in her exams, and look after the child without any income.

But Judy overcame the challenges she faced and emerged a stronger woman.

Today, she has practised Law for 17 years, and has made a name for herself. This is a great achievement for a woman from a marginalised community where girls are denied education and married off at a young age. She is a role model to many girls from the community and also a shining light to her people.

In her community where women were earlier viewed as lesser beings who could not raise their voices, the locals appreciated her work and this earned her respect, prompting them to pick her to chair boards in learning institutions in Kajiado and beyond.

All these experiences have gained her recognition, which has in turn, translated into her being elected as a Member of Parliament representing Kenya in the East African Legislative Assembly in 2012.

She is perhaps one of the first female lawyers from the Maasai community. And besides that, Judy Pareno has battled her way to the legislative assembly. Politics is also another career under her belt, given she is a Member of Parliament representing Kenya in the East African Legislative Assembly.

She has made history by being the first female MP from the Maa community to be elected to the legislative assembly in Arusha, Tanzania.

Pareno counts herself blessed. She says earning a good name in a community is not an easy task.

"People have a negative perception about women in politics, but all these has not stopped me from taking care of my family and giving my career the best," she points out.

Though she says her work requires a lot of travelling, especially to Arusha; she always finds time to spend with her family.

"Despite how long I am away from home at a particular time, I always find time to make it up. When I am away, I know my husband will be there to take care of the home and the law firm we run together," adds Pareno.

Given the heavy responsibilities women in her community carry such as trekking for miles in search of water, Pareno hopes to ease the burden by ensuring they have water.

"I have already sunk boreholes in some homes in Mashuru, and I intend to put up a biogas project to lessen the dependence on firewood," she says.

"Though I may, at times, go for two weeks without seeing my family, I feel bad but I always create time for them," she adds.

As a way of giving back to the society, Pareno has relieved Mashuru women the burden of travelling long distances looking for water and she has sunk boreholes in many homes in the region.

"The next project I am planning to introduce is biogas equipment so that the women can engage in other productive activities instead of spending time fetching firewood," Pareno adds.

She has also donated books to primary schools in Mashuru District, and has purchased sanitary towels for girls in the best performed school in Mashuru each year.

Pareno believes that each person was born for a purpose, and they should make a positive difference in the world.

"We should work towards achieving what we have been called to do. We should make use of our talents," she says.

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