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Defying culture to stand tall against violations – Meet Florence Achuya
For Florence Achuya, her day is incomplete if she fails to defend the vulnerable in society and ensure justice is served for them.
She has been doing this for the past 11 years despite her daily family activities. She is financially constrained but says she is ready to soldier on.
“I like being a fighter. I represent Women Justice Centre in Vihiga County. I am a defender by nature.”
In her, she says, there exists a spirit of changing lives in any challenging situation that comes her way. This being an election year, she says she is upscaling her resolve to penetrate the political terrain in protecting the rights of women and the vulnerable ahead of the August 9 polls.
As a result, she has been picked as an election monitor and has her job cut out. She began by monitoring the registration of aspirants by the Intendent Electoral and Boundaries Commission, an exercise that saw her move from one office to another assessing the clearance process.
“I fight for women, girls and even boys. I feel that the boy child has been neglected. I am happy being a defender. I feel happy when I succeed in defending people because it leaves me with fulfilment and satisfaction that someone has received justice as a result of my effort.”
But the challenges she faces could be heavier. She, for instance, cites difficulties in reaching survivors and victims, amid financial constraints. She says is if she would be financially empowered, her reach and scope of duty would be widened and she would make more positive impacts on lives.
She got her training in human rights from the National Coalition of Human Rights Defenders, Kenya, and notes that this has equipped her with more information and technical know-how in handling her resolve professionally.
The objective of the National Coalition for Human Rights Defenders, Kenya, is to champion the safety, security and well-being of human rights defenders.
The body is a national organisation that is incorporated in Kenya as a trust. Its mission is to strengthen the capacity of human rights defenders to work effectively and to reduce their venerability to the risk persecution.
t currently has 3,456 members and has trained 2,504 human rights defenders from 14 networks, according to the information on its website. Ms Achuya says the training she got from the coalition is the reason she has been approved as an election monitor by the IEBC.
She says she feels monitoring the election process will place her right at the centre of getting access to first-hand information on the planning of the forthcoming general election. She believes this will also sharpen her skills in championing the rights of women before, during and after the election.
“In the process, we are able to campaign for peace and peaceful coexistence.”
To beat the financial constraints, Ms Achuya says she and a group of other defenders are involved in soap making, handcrafts and farming to boost their earnings and fund their daily activities.
But this is not enough. She appeals to well-wishers to support their activities to ease their movement and communication.
“Despite the constraints, I keep going because I feel I must do something to its logical conclusion,” she concludes.
This story was first published by Nation Media Group. This is not a reproduction but an amplification of the message.
Read the article of Nation Media Group page here https://nation.africa/kenya/news/gender/vihiga-woman-relishes-rights-advocacy-despite-hurdles-3848958