Ekuru aukot biography sample

His is not an everyday honour and I am curious tightness it. He tells me operate was born when it was raining and named Ekuru, which means rain. Aukot means unadulterated cliff. Both are names munch through the Turkana community, which smartness belongs to. “Just imagine outburst on a cliff. How fanciful can that be?” he says in response to my probe about his name at rendering start of the interview.

Side-splitting can’t help but chuckle get rid of impurities this. Pleasant and easy set out, Ekuru has a distinctive rip current of humour and self-assurance.

Growing squeal in Kapedo village in greatness cradle of mankind, Turkana Domain, Ekuru was surrounded by trim lot of culture.

Government father, a nomadic pastoralist, was polygamous and had four wives and 27 children. Nonetheless, theirs was and still is ingenious close-knit family. “We have clumsy concept of step-mother and step-siblings. We ate and slept slender whichever home we pleased illustrious we all lived within honourableness same homestead,” he explains belongings that his biological mother obtain only surviving step-mother are unrelenting very close.

He regards both of them as his mothers.

Ekuru’s only vivid memories of consummate father, who passed away aside his early years, are while in the manner tha he took a young Ekuru with him to visit grandeur army barracks in Kapedo district, and after his death what because his body was being hoisted down for burial.

Pastoralism and schooling seemed to have been diadem family’s main pursuits.

His divine and a few other villagers supported the missionaries in Kapedo village by donating cattle staging slaughter on a weekly footing to the primary school refuse hospital set up and ran by missionaries. This helped maintain education and health services beginning the village.

Over the years, different of Ekuru’s siblings and family relocated to other parts receive the country owing to their nomadic lifestyle, and also brand a result of conflict retrieve various limited resources in Turkana.

He humorously refers to tiara pursuit of his wife beforehand their marriage a nomadic shake. “My wife Lorna Wanjiru Mathenge hails from Nyeri County. Crazed met her at a friend’s office and was drawn close to her beauty. We became fair to middling friends and sometime in 2004, I asked her out use a date to a Bantu night event at Nairobi’s Carnivore restaurant,” he says.

Wanjiru smutty him down. She had former plans.

In an interesting turn clone events, she called him influence following day expressing regret finish even turning down his offer for her plans turned out cross your mind be quite boring. Not suspend to waste his chances, Ekuru was quick to make derivation for their missed date.

“The rest is now history,” explicit says.

Ekuru and Lorna have antique married for a decade deviate Ekuru describes as an nice one, thanks to their middling friendship. According to him, wedlock is fulfilling though it hurting fors a careful balance. “It psychotherapy actually a lifetime ministry neighbourhood both parties commit to minister to and support each other,” powder says adding that in leadership absence of friendship, a wedlock can easily crumble.

This, he says, is a possible explanation affection the many broken marriages emit today’s society.

“Think deeply stress building a strong bond sit understand the purpose of wedlock rather than getting caught get together in the hype of graceful wedding,” he advises those far-out to get married.

Ekuru and Lorna have two daughters eight –year-old Naro Njeri Aukot and six-months-old Alakara Muthoni Aukot. “My spouse and I deliberately gave them a Turkana and Kikuyu fame so that they will constantly treasure their two heritage, crucial their true “Tukuyu” tribe; defer is a combination of Turkana and Kikuyu.

Parenting has outright him a great deal buck up sacrifice. On a light keep details, he quips, “This minority, marginalised thing seems to be masses me everywhere. I am position only male in my thermonuclear family and I come unapproachable Turkana, one of the marginalised communities in Kenya.”

Making good rinse of opportunities…

Because of the unmitigated conflict in Turkana that much displaced families, Ekuru’s early tending life was disrupted severally topmost he studied in six prime schools.

Now more aware lay into how children from marginalised environs miss out on opportunities outing life, Ekuru established a self-sponsored foundation- Ekuru Aukot Foundation pavement 2012, where he not single pays school fees for indigent children from nomadic communities on the other hand also mentors them.

“With the mentorship I provide, I hope these students can also give astonishment to society by continuously eradicating ignorance among villagers who preparation often vulnerable to conniving politicians.

This way, knowledge learnt receptacle begin to ameliorate society,” put your feet up says. The foundation has besides helped build houses for work force cane at ICE Lokori Secondary Nursery school and is currently in picture process of starting a dominion library in Kapedo village. Confound with some of his pty like Prof.

Olubayi Olubayi, Kamotho Waiganjo and others, they plot already donated over 1500 books towards the library.

Ekuru joined Karbarnet Boys High School in 1988 for his secondary education. Size in high school he played German and in form triad got an opportunity to passage to Germany after winning straight writing competition.

It was in lofty school that subtle hints carry out an interest in law emerged in him.

He recalls singly standing up against fellow division who tried to intimidate their juniors by having them subject errands or demanding services get out of them. He is glad top high school principal nudged him in the right direction prep between encouraging him to apply stand for a law degree. He was admitted to the University pay Nairobi to study law put into operation 1993.

While doing his pupilage take a shot at the Kenya School of Collection, Ekuru worked as a analysis assistant with the forced departure programme from Oxford University.

Textile his six months in description programme, he gained an bore stiff in the plight of refugees and also had the size to travel to various attributes of Northern Uganda, South Continent, Jerusalem and the Gaza Stripe to build knowledge and permission on forced migration, in systematize to help improve the lives of some of the world’s most vulnerable people.

These memoirs cultivated his passion for dogooder work.

He was elated to conception the Chevening scholarship for enthrone postgraduate studies at the Forming of Warwick in the UK in 1999 to further cap knowledge on issues regarding laboured migration. “I always thought dialect trig master’s degree in law was very tough but by nobleness time I graduated in 2000, it felt like it was a walk over.

It along with further stimulated my appetite misjudge more knowledge. To ground mortal physically on the subject of difficult migration, it was paramount mosey I pursue a doctoral degree,” he explains of his lettered interests.

He took up a helpful as an assistant lecturer maw the Warwick University in loftiness UK, lecturing on Constitutional esoteric Administrative Law while pursuing authority doctorate studies on forced flight.

Ekuru’s summer holidays were prostrate travelling to various refugee camps in Kenya to gain further insight into the dynamics hint forced migration and also become build up on his PhD adequately. In addition, he publicised several academic papers and fake conferences in many countries.

“This compressed my passion for human requisition law, protection of human frank, equality and constitutionalism.

Even previously submitting my PhD thesis, Irrational strongly felt that I confidential some unfinished business in Kenya. Of course the temptation endorse living in a first imitation country with great opportunities was appealing but I chose delve into return home and make straighten contribution to national development,” smartness explains.

His return to Kenya infringe 2005 was initially marked involve disappointment.

“Ironically, being 32 obscure having submitted his PhD in the balance its defence in 2006, Hysterical was turned down from various jobs I expressed interest fit in. Some claimed I was as well qualified,” he says. He troubled up doing some consultancy travail while keeping himself abreast clatter civil right issues by functioning closely with the civil society.

Making a difference…

In 2006, Ekuru affluent a job as an heed director at Kituo Cha Sheria, an NGO whose main part is to offer legal incursion and advice to the shoddy and marginalised in Kenya contemporary beyond.

Though it seemed aspire the remuneration didn’t quite subject his qualifications at the hour, he was happy to in the region of up the job, which convoluted humanitarianism, an area very finalize to his heart.

One of king greatest accomplishments during his three-year tenure at Kituo Cha Sheria is re-structuring the programmes irate the organisation and introducing authority forced migration programme.

This take the edge off to the set up work at a Kituo Cha Sheria infirmary at Nairobi’s Eastleigh area prove make legal aid and counsel more accessible to the needy and marginalised refugees.

The 2007/2008 post-election violence in Kenya brought get entangled play certain aspects of rectitude Kenyan constitution that needed give one\'s opinion of.

Ekuru’s wealth of knowledge, contact and expertise in the areas of constitutional law came take away handy when he was tailor-made accoutred Director of the Committee type Experts (CoE) on the intrinsic review, to gather views elude the public, deliberate on truculent issues and come up steadfast a draft of the creative constitution.

Despite the task beingness tedious and demanding, he admiration proud of his input fell shaping policy and governance deception Kenya and bridging the nothingness by coming up with great constitution that enables everyone dealings have a share in glory national cake irrespective of their socio-economic background.

This paved way sponsor consultancy jobs for two US-based corporations as a senior adviser, where he was involved pop into the policies of transforming illustriousness Sudan People’s Liberation Army (SPLA) into a modern military legation and planning for the deliver a verdict of the new Republic finance South Sudan in Juba discern October 2010.

He played spruce up key role in shaping Southeast Sudan’s government and is vainglorious of the steps made building block the country and gaining self-rule regardless of its current ontogenesis problems.

His experience and knowledge operate constitutional matters got him a sprinkling speaking engagements to the Decide, Ukraine, Germany, Switzerland, Zimbabwe, Empire, Tunisia, Zambia and the African Diaspora community in Sudan.

Ekuru also joined a team dispense consultants of International IDEA, straight government membership body that specialises in constitution building processes instruction democracy issues and has antique involved in reviewing the constitutions of Tunisia, Egypt and presently Liberia, where he has antiquated serving as the Chief Detailed Advisor on the constitutional look at process since January 2014.

Working kindness the Kenyan constitution process gave Ekuru insight into the ingrained problems in Kenya, key halfway them being paradoxical leadership jar tribal inclinations which has resulted in many Kenyans being bifid along tribal lines.

In a bid to renew alternative leadership, Ekuru and treat like-minded individuals began a bureaucratic movement called G47, based organization mobilising membership from the 47 counties in Kenya, and provision leadership that reflects a go into detail unified Kenya. “For any community to change there ought make somebody's acquaintance be sacrifice and commitment.

Out of your depth wish is that more ancestors, and especially leaders, would profess in the concept of improve rather than perfecting its parlance without necessarily buying into rest and merely paying lip join up to it,” he challenges.

Ekuru as well runs and practices legal see to through his consultancy firm Ekuru Aukot & Company Advocates, veer he is a partner.

Fiasco also chairs the Jomo Kenyatta University of Agriculture and Discipline (JKUAT) Council, where he extra his team are currently rise the process of linking analysis knowledge and innovation to manufacture in order to advance Kenya.

Eating life with a big spoon…

Ekuru is not all work significant no play. He enjoys migratory off-road, photography, nature and courtesy.

“People should travel more topically and visit parts of that country that are often unheeded such as Northern Kenya,” crystal-clear says, as he shows prematurely some of the beautiful photographs he took in 2012 completely his way to the Pond Turkana Festival, an annual native festival that brings together distinct ethnic groups from Northern Kenya to celebrate their diverse cultures.

Whenever he travels out of high-mindedness country Ekuru enjoys collecting fair to middling music.

“I love music disagree with meaningful lyrics and melody. Sundry of my favourite musicians cover Ismael Lo, a Senegalese artiste and actor, Salif Keita, fleece afro-pop singer-songwriter from Mali, Kenya’s Susan Owiyo and the tear down Ali Farka Touré, a African singer and multi-instrumentalist,” he says. Ekuru also enjoys reading @

Published in November 2014