By Ben Leshau
Girls in the Maasai community face many challenges among them teenage pregnancies, Female Genital Mutilation (FGM) and forced early marriage.
The future of a girl child in the community is always very bleak because very few complete primary school education.
It is therefore heartening to learn a young woman has beat all odds to become the first architect from the community.
Irene Nailantei Leperes, 26 from Ololung’a village in Narok South is a holder of two degrees one in architectural studies and a bachelor’s Degree in Architecture from University of Nairobi.
She is now set to undertake a Masters Degree programme in Real Estate Development at the prestigious Columbia University in the United States.
Unlike majority of the girls in her village who hardly proceeded past secondary school education due to retrogressive cultural practices, Leperes remained steadfast in her pursuit for education.
She is now a testimony that given opportunity, Maasai girls can excel in academia and become successful women in the country.
She sat for her KCPE examinations at Masaantare Primary school, in her locality, where she garnered 377 marks out of possible 500 marks in the year 2007.
That earned her a place at Tengecha Girls in Kericho where she excelled in her studies and scored grade A in the O level exams that gave her an opportunity to study architecture.
“I chose the male-dominated course to proof to my Maasai community that a girl’s place is not to undergo FGM and to get married,” she said.
Her thirst now will only be quenched through becoming a successful architect to become a role model to girls in her Narok y county and across the country.
Her quest for education has however not been a walk in the park due to financial constraints after her father who was the sole breadwinner died of cancer just when she was about to join form one.
Due to her brilliance, a Good Samaritan came to her rescue and
sponsored her education in high school all the way to university where she completed her second degree last year.
He passion for higher education saw her apply to study at the prestigious Columbia University, where she was accepted but lack of school fees amounting Sh1.3 million is now threatening to cut her dream short.
She was supposed to report to the New York-based University June this year but the Covid-19 pandemic disrupted and the intake was pushed to September.
“I am supposed to report to Columbia University in September but I do not have the money. I risk losing this opportunity should I fail to report,” she said.
Leperes appealed to Kenyans of good will for assistance to enable her study at the university that has been my childhood dream.
Her mother Naanyu Leperes a mother of five, describes her second born child as a brilliant and visionary girl who is the family’s sole savior.
“I sold all the cattle I had and land to treat my late husband and when this girl joined high school I had nothing left.
She thanks God that a Good Samaritan came through and educated her to university but now she now needs more assistance because she has no money.
Narok is the leading county in teenage pregnancies in the country with 40 percent as per the Demographic Health Survey (DHS).
In a bid to educate girls on importance of education Leperes has been holding communal mentorship programs with other local female professionals.
“The challenge girls have been facing is lack of role models and that is why I have been visiting schools challenging girls to value education other than marriage,” says Leperes
She believes that once she completes her education and gets a good job many girls will be inspired by her.
Area Chief Partoip ole Nchoko is proud of Ms Leperes as she has remained an inspiration to the local girls.
“She is a unique girl who has abstained from early marriage which is common in our culture and instead chose to pursue her education.
She is the first woman to do architectural course in the county,” said Mr Nchoko.
He also called on the government and other philanthropic Kenyans to chip in and assist the young scholar to realize her dreams. “Should she manage to study in the US she will fly the Kenyan flag internationally,” said Nchoko.
