The Kenyan Spreading Joy

Rachel Ruto, the Second Lady of Kenya, has for the last seven years pushed for the economic empowerment of women in the country building capacity and strong communities

- Laura Rwiliriza

Fondly referred to by those who know her as Rael, Rachel Ruto, the Second Lady of Kenya, sits behind an imposing office desk, and as she rises and approaches us, greets us with a warm smile that immediately brightens up her office and its lilac-colored walls.

She is just back from a marathon trip to Taiwan.

The mother of seven exhibits no signs of jetlag in her dusty pink suit even as her personal assistant Joan whispers, “her stamina is unparalleled”.

As she sits us down to piping hot tea and healthy snacks, she asks us to bow our heads in prayer over the tea.

Ruto then immediately launches into what will be an interesting conversation about the seven-year-old Joyful Women Organization (JOYWO) she founded.

She harks back to 1997 when she embarked on the campaign trail with her husband William Ruto, Kenya’s Deputy President since 2013, as he vied for the position of Member of Parliament for Eldoret North, a former electoral constituency in Kenya.

She traveled from village to village meeting with women voters and during these trips, was struck by the levels of poverty amongst these voters.

One thing she noticed, however, was the ‘joy’ these women exuded regardless of their circumstances. She recalls in particular an elderly lady, whose bare feet and emaciated frame did not disguise the heartfelt joy she felt at being part of the empowering voting process.

The “joyful” seed was planted and thus began the quest to find “something sustainable, something that could propel itself and run itself” as she says it; something she could bring back to the poor yet joyful ladies of Eldoret North.

Two more election terms passed and though she had made no promises to the women voters, her husband was reelected to two more successive terms as Member of Parliament as well as appointed to different government ministries.