Approximately 40 kilometres from Garissa town is a small village known as Kamuthe. It is at this village that the 42-year-old Maka Kassim, an industrious mother of six is daring to defy the societies norms to be an area chief.
In Kamuthe area, Fafi constituency, women for a very long time were not considered for the leadership positions due to traditional norms and beliefs.
Speaking to ActionAid Kenya, a global justice organisation fighting for woman rights and empowering those living in poverty, Kassim said she moved into Kamuthe after she was married and although she was an Educated Early Childhood Development Education (ECDE) teacher, she had to quit teaching to take care of her young family as has been the tradition there.
"I got married into a clan where girls were not allowed to go to school, let alone pursuing a career. I had to quit my job to take care of my family," she was quoted by ActionAid Kenya.
It is in Kamuthe that Kassim was agitated by rampant cases of early marriages and Female Genital Mutilation (FGM). She dreams to be in an administrative position in order to fight these menace.
Her fight for humanity and woman rights was met with utmost resistance and was even kicked out by her landlord for her actions against FGM and had to operate from the Chief's office.
"My zeal to fight for women rights has motivated me to apply for the chief's position so that I can help the women get their constitutional rights. I think it will be much easier to do so while in government," Kassim said.
She says although she has applied for the position three times unsuccessful, she is still optimistic that one day she will eventually achieve her dreams.