Josephine Sinyo
First Kenyan blind lawyer and politician
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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.
University of Hull (LLM)
Josephine Sinyo OGW, EBS | |
|---|---|
| Member of Parliament, Nominated | |
| Assumed office 1998 | |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Kenya |
| Party | Safina Party |
| Alma mater | University of Nairobi (LLB) University of Hull (LLM) |
| Occupation | Lawyer, politician, disability rights activist |
Known for | First blind Member of Parliament in Kenya |
Awards | Order of the Grand Warrior (2006) Elder of the Burning Spear (2017) Excellence Service Award (2015) |
Early life and education
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
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
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
- Environmental Law and Women, 1993[6]