PhD-Final Year

Two years ago, during this time, my mind was tried and troubled. It was also excited and found life fully captivating. I awaited my LLM-International Law results that I had completed n September 2005 in deep suspense. And when they finally came, the hills of Sheffield seemed to light up. I had just graduated with a Distinction and attained an Award of Academic Excellence from the University of London. Even though I believed it, this moment in time confirmed all that I ever dreamed of when I was a child: that amidst life's daily struggles, pain and endless enduring hurdles, there exists colour and beauty and that the world is both colourful and beautiful.

And now, here I am in my final year of PhD. This is it! Everyday, the moments before I close my eyes to sleep, my long showers and my long walks to and from home are full of reflection and thoughts of what lies ahead. Before I left Kenya, many women and men sang and danced, full of blessings. Their farewell at the airport made me feel as if I was being sent for our Cause. Obviously life is short and some have passed on.

But as I left Kenya from my last holiday, my dad whispered to me something that really touched me. He said that a lot is expected of me! A lot will always be expected of me. For now I know that my external examiner at my viva will expect that the work produced for my PhD. must fundamentally be original and significantly contribute to knowledge. Grand and intimidating as it may seem, I say, Bring it On!!

Why did embark on a PhD? Life is full of challenges. I strongly believe in broadcasting values that should shape our world. The PhD is stepping stone to fulfilling that inner most desire to be a player, and not a spectator, in local and world affairs. It will serve to enhance my legitimacy to speak as well as give back to the community. Knowledge is amounts to nothing if it is not shared. My PhD touches and concerns the lives of 800 million citizens and their interaction with each other and the world. Africa will find its place in the 21^st century. And I am lesser than a drop in the ocean. I am only a part of the network that will effect change. Change is coming!

My Dear Sister, Back to Sheffield and the Commonwealth Law Conference

Celebrating Success

I have heard many blessings in my life! Today I speak of my sister’s birthday which was yesterday on Oct 1^st. My own birthday is today, 3^rd October. This means that on every 2^nd day of October, my dear sister and I are exactly the same age. I also wish to talk about my appearance at the Commonwealth Law Conference (2007) where I spoke to the world on the Darfur conflict.

But first, I should report that I am now back in Sheffield and now in my final year of PhD. It is a strenuous exercise, sometime a familiar journey into the unknown. It’s full of trials and challenges. Nevertheless, I am in great shape and look to the day that I will successfully defend my thesis. While that will mark the end of my studies here in Sheffield, it will form the beginning of a new chapter. I will go out to the world, well equipped to fulfil my destiny.

Franciska Wanja is my sister and she studies in Malaysia. Our birthdays are literally one day apart and only 12 months separate us. Nature has its own way of doing things and it is fascinating to look forward to that one day that we are exactly the same age. It only happens once in a year!! Our birthdays remind us how young we used to be and the dreams we have shared over the years.

Wanja is named after my grandmother, my dad’s mother. I recall when I was young, my big brother and I made it a duty to go sit alongside grandmother’s fire place. She would make very hot tea and would remove the red-hot cooking pan with her bare hands. No one dared sit on her sit. She had a pipe which my brother and I used to blow in order to keep the fire alight. She would tell us stories of grandfather and the days that the Mau Mau rebellion took place. My grandfather was a freedom fighter; he fought the British and upheld the dignity of the African. It reminds me of my thesis which in many ways does the same. They fought with arms, we fight with our minds!

Wanja in many ways represents a commitment and duty to mankind. She is very caring, will always have your back, she is very strong and courageous. She brightened my world during my many dark days. She stands out, in a family of eight siblings, as a dedicated daughter, sister and friend. Wanja is very special to me and always will be and I look to working with her in the near future. Happy birthday and God bless!!

She also remembered to wish me the very best in my address to the Commonwealth Law Conference that brought together over 2000 lawyers from around the world. This was a landmark and definitely a first for me. For the very first time, the prestigious conference was held in African since 1980.And for Nairobi, the city stood out as the best place to hold the conference. For me, it was going back home and using my country as a platform to address the issues that concern many voiceless people in Darfur and Africa.

I told the world that indeed, despite the notable efforts, things remained the same. In the aftermath of the Rwandan Genocide, the peoples of Africa continue to suffer while the international community stands in a mixture of murmurs and silence. The United Nations, the African Union, the Commonwealth need to do more for the people in Darfur. I cannot emphasise this as I have elsewhere but I was happy to hear people, including distinguished persons asking how they can help. I was happy to speak at the conference, and most of all happy to pay tribute to the presence of my own father who was part of the audience. Today I am humbled by my sister’s grace and the light that she sheds on our family and the world. That I spoke alongside the world’s leading lawyers has definitely left a distinct mark in my life. Indeed there is more to come!!