Winnie Opiyo carved herself a niche in history books after she was elected the first female chairperson of the Masinde Muliro University Students’ Union (MMUSO) in March this year.
She also stands as the second elected female to lead a students' body in a public university in Kenya, after Rose Gakuo of Laikipia university. The 22-year-old attended City Primary school in Nairobi to class seven and then moved to Kariobangi Adventist School where she sat for her Kenya Certificate of Primary Education.
Opiyo, who was born and brought up in Nairobi, experienced a difficult early life as her father passed on when she was just three years old and so her mother had to singlehandedly provide for her and her brother.
She joined Buruburu Girls High school for her secondary education and in the year 2013, joined Masinde Muliro University of Science and Technology where she is a third-year criminology student.
“I was a class prefect and later was appointed as the assistant head girl at City Primary school. I also led several clubs at Kariobangi Adventist school,” she said.
The confident Opiyo observes that she has a natural urge for leadership and that is why when the student elections were called at the university this year she entered the race for the union chairperson where she trounced her male opponents.
She said that the secret to her winning the elections was determination and willpower that enabled her to attract overwhelming support from the student fraternity making her the first ever female to be elected to the governing council.
“The traditional stereotype that woman should not be entrusted with leadership have no place in the current society. The ability to lead is not dependent on gender but rather individual capacity,” she asserted.
She says Mbita Member of Parliament Millie Odhiambo is her role model citing courage, charisma, eloquence, ambitious and confidence as some of the traits she admires in the legislator.
The student leader is calling on young women seeking leadership positions to remain focused on their goals and scheme effectively to realise them.
She also advises her female colleagues to keep off drugs and involvement in immoral activities which are counterproductive to their education. She intends to establish a kitty into which donors will channel their contributions for assisting the needy students in the university.