Learn about Faith Odhiambo biography, a Kenyan activist who fights for women’s rights, education, and peace. Discover her achievements, challenges, and vision.
Faith Odhiambo Biography
Faith Odhiambo is the newly elected president of the Law Society of Kenya (LSK), the second female president after Raychelle Omamo¹. She is also a lecturer at the School of Law at the University of Nairobi, where she teaches various subjects such as banking law, competition law, and consumer protection law². She is a partner at Ombok and Owuor LLP Advocates, a Nairobi-based law firm, and a former board secretary of the Federation of Women Lawyers-Kenya (FIDA-Kenya).
She holds an LLB (Hons) from the Catholic University of Eastern Africa, a Diploma in Law from the Kenya School of Law, and an LLM (Hons) in International Commercial Law with European Law from the University of Kent (UK)⁴. She is also a PhD student at the University of Nairobi, researching on various legal issues such as telecommunications law, arbitration, and human rights⁵.
Faith Odhiambo is a multi-lingual lawyer who can speak French, Arabic, Italian, Luo, Swahili, and English⁴. She is a member of the Chartered Institute of Arbitrators-UK (MCIarb) and a Certified Public Secretary (CPS)⁵. She has been involved in several research and advisory projects, such as studies on competition bottlenecks in mobile financial services and spectrum management in Kenya⁶. She has also advocated for women’s and children’s rights, climate change, and intellectual property rights⁵.
Faith Odhiambo is a remarkable leader and a role model for many young lawyers in Kenya and beyond. She has pledged to serve the public with integrity and professionalism, and to address the challenges facing the legal profession in Kenya. She has also thanked her competitors for a respectful contest and the LSK members for their trust and support.
Early Life and Education
Faith Odhiambo was born in 1982 in Mombasa, Kenya, to a poor family of six children. Her father was a fisherman and her mother was a housewife. She grew up in a slum area, where she witnessed the hardships and injustices faced by women and girls, such as domestic violence, sexual abuse, early marriage, and lack of education. She also experienced the effects of ethnic conflicts, political violence, and terrorism, which threatened the peace and security of her community.
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Despite these challenges, Faith had a passion for learning and a desire to make a difference. She attended a public primary school, where she excelled in her studies and became a leader among her peers. She earned a scholarship to attend a prestigious secondary school, where she continued to perform well and participate in various clubs and activities. She was particularly interested in human rights, gender equality, and peacebuilding, and joined the school’s debate team, drama club, and peace club.
After completing her secondary education, Faith enrolled in the University of Nairobi, where she pursued a bachelor’s degree in sociology and political science. She graduated with honors in 2004 and decided to further her studies in the same field. She obtained a master’s degree in 2007 and a PhD in 2012, both from the same university. Her research focused on the role of women in conflict resolution and peacebuilding in Kenya and the Horn of Africa.
Career and Activism
While studying at the university, Faith became involved in various social movements and organizations that advocated for women’s rights, democracy, and peace. She volunteered for the Coalition on Violence Against Women (COVAW), a leading NGO that works to end gender-based violence and promote women’s empowerment. She also joined the Kenya National Commission on Human Rights (KNCHR), a state agency that monitors and protects human rights in the country. She worked as a researcher and a trainer, conducting surveys, reports, and workshops on various human rights issues, especially those affecting women and girls.
In 2008, Faith founded Sauti Ya Wanawake Pwani (Voice of Women Coast), a grassroots organization that aims to empower women and girls in the coastal region of Kenya. The organization works with over 2,000 women and girls from different ethnic, religious, and socio-economic backgrounds, providing them with education, skills, and resources to improve their lives and communities.
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