Early Life and Education
Phoebe Muga Asiyo was born on 12 September 1932 in Kendu Bay, Homa Bay County, to a Seventh‑Day Adventist pastor. She attended Gendia Primary School and Kamagambo High School in South Nyanza District. She later trained at Kangaru Teachers College in Embu.
Early Career and Social Work
Asiyo began her career as a teacher and later worked as a social worker with the Nairobi Municipal Council. She brought vulnerable children to Edelvale Home, then the only children’s home in Nairobi.
In 1953, she joined Maendeleo Ya Wanawake Organisation (MYWO) and became its first African woman chair in 1958. Under her leadership, MYWO promoted economic empowerment for women, better maternal health, and participation in governance.
Breaking New Ground: Prisons and Child Welfare
In 1963, Asiyo became the first Kenyan woman Senior Superintendent of Prisons, leading the women’s prison wing. She later served as Chief Executive Officer of the Child Welfare Society of Kenya from 1969 to 1980, expanding child protection programs and contributing to adoption, guardianship, and foster care frameworks.
Political Career and Women’s Empowerment
Asiyo entered politics in the late 1970s and was elected Member of Parliament for Karachuonyo Constituency in 1980. She returned to parliament in 1992, serving until 1997. In 1997, she tabled a motion calling for affirmative action to increase women’s representation to 33 percent, laying the foundation for later reforms in the 2010 Constitution.
International Work and Constitutional Reform
Between 1988 and 1992, she served as Kenya’s first Goodwill Ambassador for the United Nations Development Fund for Women (UNIFEM). In 2001, she was appointed Commissioner for the Constitution Review Commission. She later chaired the Caucus for Women’s Leadership and in 2018 launched her memoir, It is Possible.
Cultural Leadership and Honours
Asiyo was the first woman among the Luo to be elevated to the status of Elder. She received honorary doctorates from Lehigh University and the University of York and national awards including the Order of the Grand Warrior of Kenya and Chief of the Burning Spear.
Death
Phoebe Asiyo passed away on 16 July 2025 in North Carolina, United States, at the age of 92. Her legacy includes advancing children’s welfare, championing women’s rights, and creating pathways for women in leadership across Kenya.
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