Busia: Busia Member of Parliament Catherine Omanyo has been awarded by the Thamani Awards for her exemplary leadership and strong advocacy for girl-child education, a strong signal for her grassroots commitment to changing the lives of the vulnerable in Busia.
According to Kenya News Agency, the Thamani Awards have become a hallmark of celebrating excellence among Kenyan women, once again shining a spotlight on leadership by singling out the most extraordinary leadership skill with massive impact on the society. Omanyo, who was the ‘Outstanding Educationist’ of the year, was honoured alongside her Kirinyanga counterpart Njeri Maina, who was crowned with the coveted ‘Voice of Reason 2025’ award in the female category.
The educationist category has been won by illustrious names, including Professor Leah Marangu, Qabale Dube, veteran politician Phoebe Asiyo, and celebrated educator Enkakenya Ntaya. Omanyo’s win was both powerful and symbolic.
Since her election as Busia Women Representative, Omanyo has championed ending stigma among school-going children through an anti-jigger campaign, which restored dignity and confidence to over 3,000 learners across the county. The program, sponsored by the Omanyo Foundation, helps to treat those infected with jiggers besides buying them shoes and awarding scholarships.
Omanyo stated, ‘The anti-jigger campaign aims at restoring confidence among Busia children besides giving them an adequate chance to compete like other children in the country.’ Through the Omanyo Foundation, over 500 girls, who had dropped out of school due to teenage pregnancies, early marriage, or school fee problems caused by high poverty levels, were given a second chance to return to school and pursue their dreams.
The foundation has also distributed sanitary pads to all public institutions as a measure to protect girls from being lured into unwanted ‘sex for pads’ scenarios. ‘When I assumed office, I wanted to give Busia girls a reason to be outstanding globally irrespective of the dire economic hardship they undergo along the border,’ Omanyo told the press.
Omanyo emphasized the challenges faced by Busia children, who are often fighting poverty, negligence, child trafficking, and child labor, which are rampant in border towns. Through her initiative, the legislator has initiated Nutria-Pro, a program where learners in Teso North, Bunyala, and Samia sub-counties are served with nutritious porridge to sustain them in school.
Omanyo noted, ‘The lunch program is only in arid and semi-arid areas in this country. I lobbied for the program to see that Busia children, who are faced with floods, are also enlisted to benefit.’ Besides the lunch program, the legislator has distributed over 100 water tanks and drilled over 50 boreholes to schools with acute water shortages.
She explained, ‘The reason why I majored in ensuring clean water is available for our pupils is to minimize time wastage and increase school retention as a way to improve performance and control chances of waterborne diseases.’
The two legislators stood as a testament to the impact grassroots-driven leadership can have when driven by passion and purpose. During the awards gala, Omanyo was flanked by her husband, her sisters, the Principal Secretary for Economic Planning, Boniface Makokha, businessman Gor Semelango, and a host of other well-wishers.