Josephine Sinyo is a Kenyan lawyer, politician and disability rights activist. She is a member of Kenya's parliament, having become in 1998 the country's first blind person to be elected an MP.

Early life and education

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Josephine Sinyo is blind since having measles when she was three years old. She studied for her bachelors (LLB) at the University of Nairobi and a masters (LLM) at the University of Hull in England.[1]

Career

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Experiences she had after giving birth to a child pushed her towards disability rights activism and she became chief executive officer of the Kenya Law Reform Commission (KLRC).[2] She is also a trustee of the National Fund for People with a Disability.[3]

In 1998, she was nominated for member of parliament by the Safina Party and was elected, becoming Kenya's first blind person to be an MP.[4][1] She has also worked at the High Court of Kenya and the attorney general's office.[1] A former MP, Dt Oki Ooko Ombaka]] had become blind during his service.[5]

Awards and recognition

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Sinyo has received a number of state awards including the Order of the Grand Warrior (OGW) of Kenya (2006), the Excellence Service Award (2015) and the Elder of the Burning Spear (2017).[1]

Publications

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  • Environmental Law and Women, 1993[6]

See also

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References

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  1. ^ a b c d pm, Ezra Manyibe on 21 January 2020-1:43 (21 January 2020). "Ambitious Woman Who Was Kenya's First Blind MP". Kenyans.co.ke. Retrieved 2021-02-26.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  2. ^ Obiria, Moraa (21 December 2020). "I was blindly accused of stealing a baby". Nation. Retrieved 18 January 2022.
  3. ^ "World Rowing - Kenya rows in East Africa Regional Rowing Championships". World Rowing. Retrieved 2021-02-26.
  4. ^ "Kenya: Joy as blind woman is nominated MP". Daily Nation. 28 October 1998. Retrieved 18 January 2022.
  5. ^ "Kenya: Moi Formalises Nomination Of Blind MP". Daily Nation. 13 November 1998. Retrieved 19 January 2022.
  6. ^ Sinyo, Josephine (1993). "Environmental Law and Women in In: Women in Development and Environment Network. Proceedings of the Kenya Assembly of Women and Environment 'Partners in life'. Nairobi: Women in Development and Environment Network". {{cite journal}}: Cite journal requires |journal= (help)