Book To Celebrate The Journeys’ Of Women Trailblazers In Kenya Launched

As part of the International Women’s Day celebrations over 2,000 stakeholders from government, the private sector, academia, and media convened at the Kenya School of Government to launch a landmark Coffee Table publication titled Pioneers & Transformers: The Journeys’ of Trailblazers in Kenya.

Published by the Kenya Yearbook Editorial Board, a state corporation within the Ministry of Information, Communication, and Technology (ICT), the book is a careful compilation of the stories of 205 women who have fearlessly broken barriers and blazed new trails in their chosen fields, and opened new frontiers for those coming after them.

“Through a series of well-told stories, the book recognizes women who have paved the way in their communities and society at large, fighting for their voices to be heard in the face of adversity. It records their sacrifices, victories, defeats, and achievements demonstrating how their hard work, tenacity, and sacrifice has impacted the Kenyan society” said Edward Mwasi Chief Executive Officer and publisher of the inaugural edition of Pioneers and Transformers series.  

“This book is momentous and timely. It tells the story of how Kenya has evolved to the respected nation through the individual contributions of the pioneers and transformers who are the pillars on which our nation stands” added Prof. Margaret Kobia, Cabinet Secretary Public Service, Youth and Gender Affairs.

The event was jointly organized by the Ministry of Public Service, Youth and Gender Affairs in conjunction with ICT through its agency the Kenya Yearbook Editorial Board and graced by the First Lady of the Republic of Kenya, Her Excellency Margaret Kenyatta.

In her speech, Her Excellency lauded both Ministries for their efforts in developing the book emphasizing that women play a pivotal role in development.  She added, “the launch of this first volume of Pioneers and Transformers does not only mark the beginning of celebrating achievers but also documenting rich accounts of these Pioneers and Transformers that will shape future generations. The theme for the event was; Gender and the Big Four Agenda.

Through the stories of the highfliers drawn from over 20 industries, every story seeks to impart, inspire, and impact future generations of Kenyans – women and men alike.  Produced through an extremely

consultative process that was in itself life changing for the editorial team as they got to interact with the lives of these prolific women.

Pioneers and Transformers includes a mix of features written from exclusive first-hand accounts given through one-on-one interviews and short vignettes that highlight and summarize an achiever’s accomplishments including recipes or tips for success from those featured.

Joe Mucheru, Cabinet Secretary ICT noted that there are opportunities to continue to share the transformative stories on various platforms such as the internet, film, TV or radio – so that Kenyans everywhere, now and in the future, can access stories that have the power to transform society.

“Pioneers and Transformers: The Journeys’ of Women Trailblazers will soon be made available in retail outlets including an online version”, added Mwasi