A Kenyan woman Huldah Momanyi who has been supporting girls’ access to education back home has made history by winning the Minnesota House of Representatives seat with 64.78% of the vote.
Momanyi is the founder of SaniNaps, a nonprofit organization that was launched in 2014 to provide sanitary napkins and school supplies that include books and bags to girls in rural Kenya.
She becomes the first Kenyan-born immigrant to hold office in the United States of America. Former President Barrack Obama had his ancestry in Kenya but was born in the US.
Vying under the Democratic Party banner, she has become the first black woman to represent Minnesota.
Momanyi was born in Nyamira County in 1985 before moving to US nine years later. She has a Master’s degree from Bethel University, Minnesota.
Her academic background has equipped her with a strong foundation for her current political aspirations in the USA and community service initiatives.
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Her campaign focussed on key issues such as equitable housing, safety and accessible healthcare for everyone in the US.
She has also been focussing on support for women to access education through her foundation.
“With an education, a girl can change her life, her family, her community, and her world. With an education, she has the power to break the cycle of poverty,” Momanyi said during an event to distribute sanitary pads.
The organization brings women’s health expert to educate girls on what it means to be a woman from a scientific point of view. When they distribute the kits, they tell the girls that they’re responsible for their own health; that they have the power to stay in school despite their periods.
Momanyi served as a senior privacy analyst in the medical industry and she has been deeply involved in community advocacy.
She also served as the president of Mwanyagetinge, an organization supporting Kenyans in Minnesota, and has received honours such as the Morrill Hall and Rachel Tilsen Social Justice Award for her commitment to social justice.
By Obegi Malack
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