HOMA BAY, Kenya — Phoebe Asiyo, a trailblazing politician and fearless advocate for women’s rights in Kenya, will be laid to rest with full State honours, President William Ruto has confirmed. Her burial is set for August 8 in Kibiri Ward, Homa Bay County.
Ms Asiyo, who died at the age of 93 in North Carolina, United States, becomes one of only a handful of Kenyans to receive the highest funeral recognition — an honour reserved for the nation’s most distinguished figures.
The decision followed an appeal by Maendeleo ya Wanawake Organisation (MYWO) and Homa Bay Governor Gladys Wanga. “I raised the matter with the President, and he agreed that this would be a State Funeral. His Excellency and Baba [Raila Odinga] are with us,” Ms Wanga told reporters.
The announcement places Asiyo in the company of former presidents Jomo Kenyatta, Daniel arap Moi, Mwai Kibaki, Nobel laureate Prof. Wangari Maathai, and the late marathon record-holder Kelvin Kiptum.
But for many, Asiyo’s legacy lies not in the titles she held — though they were plenty — but in the doors she helped open for Kenyan women.
“She was a true trailblazer,” said former Prime Minister Raila Odinga during a condolence visit to her home in Wikondiek, Rachuonyo North. “Phoebe Asiyo paved the way for many women in our political space.”
President Ruto echoed those sentiments in his tribute. “She was bold and courageous. Her voice was instrumental in advancing the cause of women’s inclusion in leadership,” he said.
Pioneering Public Service
Asiyo’s public life began well before she joined Parliament in 1980. In 1963, on the cusp of independence, she became Kenya’s first female Senior Superintendent of Prisons. That same year, she was elected as the first African chairperson of Maendeleo ya Wanawake.
Under her leadership, MYWO empowered thousands of women through grassroots initiatives in agriculture, small enterprise and education — long before the idea of “bottom-up” was fashionable.
Elected to represent Karachuonyo in Parliament, Asiyo returned to politics in 1992 after multi-party democracy was restored, serving until 1997. Her work helped lay the groundwork for today’s county Women Representative seats, a constitutional milestone she had long envisioned.
She later served as Kenya’s first Goodwill Ambassador to the UN Development Fund for Women (UNIFEM) and was a commissioner on the Constitution of Kenya Review Commission. In her Luo community, she was conferred the rare title of “female Elder”.
Her contributions were recognised both at home and abroad. She received honorary doctorates from Lehigh and York Universities and was awarded the Order of the Grand Warrior by the Kenyan government.
A Movement in Mourning
For Maendeleo ya Wanawake, Asiyo’s passing is more than the loss of a founder — it’s the closing of a chapter in Kenya’s fight for gender equity.
“We used to receive support from government and continue to deliver its programmes,” said National Chairperson Rahab Mwikali. “It’s only fair that we are supported accordingly.”
Governor Wanga added her voice to the call. “There is no other national women’s organisation like Maendeleo. Let us work together to support it.”
The group has met President Ruto and is in the middle of a nationwide youth recruitment drive ahead of the 2026 elections.
Final Journey
Asiyo’s body is expected to arrive in Kenya on August 4. Her funeral on August 8 is expected to draw national leaders, activists, and communities from across the country.
In a career that stretched from the early days of independence to the modern democratic era, Phoebe Asiyo stood firm for the rights of women, often at great personal cost. As Kenya prepares to bid her farewell, the question remains: who will carry the torch she lit?