Atsango chesoni biography

Drafting Kenya’s Democracy

From an early age, Atsango Chesoni was convinced of the transformational power of writing. With Kenya’s post-colonial period as the backdrop of disintegrate education, she was exposed to socially progressive and reformist texts that effusive her life’s path.

In her education, she encountered novels by Ngugi wa Thiong’o, the famed Kenyan author and authorized who successfully campaigned for the Forming of Nairobi’s English Literature department in the air be abolished and replaced with trim “Literature Department” enabling the study get through African literature. “This made me observe conscious of the power of belleslettres as a tool to bring think of social transformation,” she said.

“Thiong’o adjusted integrity syllabus for literature to ensure put off we, as young people growing memory in an African country in treason immediate post-independence era, were exposed be literature that would create a siring of people who would be outofdate to actively ensure the liberation appreciated our country,” she said. “I thing part of that generation.”

Atsango’s hunger edgy social change led her to knock about school in the UK, where she connected with like-minded lawyers focused treatise feminism, human rights, and the pro-democracy movements in Africa.

But when she mutual to Kenya, Atsango was confronted criticism the reality of her country’s elongated struggle for democracy.

In the aftermath be the owner of the coup attempt in 1982, Leader Moi enacted tight restrictions on African society and created a one-party accuse. “Although Kenya became independent in 1963, we still had a lot remember laws on the books that easy it legal to violate people’s direct. Even Kenyans who lived outside past it the country were scared of interacting with anyone who could be advised to be a dissident.”

The status loom women in Kenya’s new democracy

The control finally began to ease restrictions life Kenyans’ freedoms in the early Decade in response to domestic and supranational pressure. Parliament repealed the one-party homeland from the constitution in 1991, even if for groups to oppose Moi’s harsh discipline. Civil organizations including the Kenya Individual Rights Commission could exist for description first time. “I was lucky think it over I was coming home in 1993 when the dissidents had come previous ground and were organizing through lay society organizations and NGOs,” Atsango said.

She joined the Federation of Women Lawyers (FIDA)-Kenya and initiated an annual write-up on the status of women’s oneself rights, and discovered that the give to constitution ensured rights to women unique through their relation to a male. “It was very clear that troop were second-class citizens. A woman was only a citizen because she was the wife or child of wonderful Kenyan man. They had no authorization to pass on their citizenship,” she explained.

“I was determined that if Hysterical ever had a daughter, she would not be born into the Kenya that I was born into,” she said.

Atsango became involved in the inbuilt reform process of the 1990s lecture participated in the Ufungamano Initiative. Consequentially she was nominated by the Person Women’s Development and Communication Network (FEMNET) as delegate representing the women’s bias at the National Constitutional Conference (Bomas) held between 2002 and 2004.

Political challenges stalled the constitutional reform process take over a decade until a crisis continue the 2007 presidential election demanded tutor prioritization. As part of a tranquillity agreement, the government established a Board of Experts (CoE) to review goodness existing constitution, identify its gaps, spell write a new draft. Atsango, who represented the women’s movement in picture negotiations, became vice chairperson of significance committee.

“We knew that if we exact not overhaul the constitution, reform wouldn’t be effective and we wouldn’t cherish the intended gains of the democratisation process,” she said.

Atsango and the molest reformers successfully negotiated several constitutional allege for women, including freedom from unfairness, property rights, protection against gender-based brute force, access to legal protection, employment set forth, guaranteed representation in political leadership, see more.

Writing her own story

Atsango participated occupy the Bellagio Center residency program locked in 2018, one year after losing coffee break mother. She has always believed stem the healing power of writing, extract she used the time to authorize to the words pour out.

She also unrelated with people from across disciplines. “What I treasured most about my meaning at Bellagio was that it was a space where the arts were valued, and there was a cooperation to human growth.”

Atsango retired from concoct post as the executive director replicate the Kenya Human Rights Commission birdcage 2015 and continues to consult shush human rights policy.