About Ledama Olekina
Although Ledama has not had a political career, he has a long history of effective public service. With a strong conviction to improve the lives of fellow Kenyans, he has not only brought awareness to many issues—such as education—but has initiated actual and positive change.
The education of a leader
Ledama Olekina was born and raised in Oloombokishi, a small village near Narok, Kenya on November 11, 1974. He was raised by his parents—Meiteganyu OleNchoshoi and Siminta EnoleNchoshoi—and his grandfather with whom he spent most of his school holidays, taking care of the family cows and goats.
Ledama attended Olesankale Primary School and Narok High School. After graduating from high school in 1994, he was employed as an assistant producer for Reuters, African Journal, a weekly news and current affairs TV programme based in Nairobi.
During this time, he saved money to pay for his first year of college in America. In 1995, Ledama raised additional money through a fundraising drive and attended college in the United States of America, where he studied Political Sciences and English Communication at the University of Massachusetts-Boston and also at Fort Lewis College in Durango, Colorado. Often working both day and night, Ledama held three jobs to continue paying for his study.
During school summer vacations, he travelled to London, where his lifetime mentor Gerrard Williams helped him find jobs as a researcher working for Diverse Productions, Educational Television Network and European Business News in London.
Yet, his thoughts and goals remained on his homeland of Kenya and how to improve the lives of his own people, the Maasai.
The course toward improved education
In April 1999, while in college, Ledama worked tirelessly to improve the education standards of his people, concentrating on conditions in rural schools in Kenya. He founded Maasai Education Discovery, a non-profit education organization dedicated to promoting a bi-cultural approach to education, as well as protecting Maasai women and girls from inhibiting cultural practices such as Female Genital Mutilation (FGM).
Not one just to "talk the talk," Ledama literally "walked the walk." In May 1999, while still in the United States, he started an awareness campaign to bring attention to the current conditions of the Maasai educational system. Dressed in his traditional Maasai clothes, he walked from Durango, Colorado to Phoenix, Arizona—a distance of more than 565 miles (909 kilometers). His second walk took him from Boston, Massachusetts to Chicago, Illinois—1,765 miles (2,826 kilometers). During this trek, he often covered up to 80 kilometers a day.
His goal was—and still is—to raise awareness and funds to create a university in Kenya.
Then in January, 2000, Ledama returned to Kenya to set up the Maasai Education Discovery (MED) project in Narok. With the money raised during his walks, Ledama was able to initiate the Girl's Scholarship Program, which provides up to 1,500 scholarships a year for girls to attend primary, secondary and college-level schools.
Following the success of the scholarship program, Ledama set up an education resource center located in Narok, 80 miles southwest of Nairobi. This is the current headquarters for all of MED's programs. It houses a library, business center, community college and a cultural art center.
Ledama, however, did not rest on his laurels. He partnered with the United States International Development (USAID) Presidential Initiatives—first under President Bill Clinton and later under President George Bush—to provide up to 1,500 girls and 300 boys with scholarships to attain basic education.
Ledama was also instrumental in computerizing schools in Narok and Kajiado districts and bringing the Internet to Narok. Since 2005, he has been involved in several different programs that have promoted education in the Rift Valley, Eastern Province and Nairobi Province. One of the highlights was working to secure full scholarships for three Maasai girls to study medicine in the United States of America. (See the story here.)
In May 2009, Ledama rolled out the first nationwide online and physical library system in Kenya (http://www.library.or.ke). Currently, the library has branches in Narok and Nairobi. In the coming months and years, it plans to open branches in every district and in all eight provinces. Each local library will have a business and career development center to help local communities with positive economic, social and political development. The branches will also bring the Internet into all regions, taking advantage of the nationwide fiber-optic network, which has just been set up in Kenya.
Developing the library has required constructive community involvement—a key element in Ledama's principles of change. His vision for the library system includes encouraging economic development initiatives to help communities contribute to Kenya's food security. These libraries will not only be a place to read but a place to teach communities on the roles each citizen can play—particularly in mitigating climate change, production costs and drought.
For example, in the face of the G8's recent monetary pledge to help African nations' agricultural sector, Kenyan farmers may actually be at risk, struggling to sell their produce at a profit in competition with non-tariff imports, The Library of Kenya can help educate local farmers on methods to reduce costs, consolidate efforts and create long-term efficiencies that protect both the farmer and the farmland.
An ardent student, Ledama knows that the future of Kenya—economically, technologically, environmentally, culturally and socially—hinges on the state of education. His actions as a citizen have enriched Kenyans on both a personal and community level. His actions as President of Kenya will bring positive change nationally.
Economic and technology initiatives
In 2006, Ledama secured a $500,000 (US) grant from Cisco Systems International to install the first wireless network in Narok. Also in 2006, he established the first online investment firm (www.kenyashares.com) to enable Kenyans living in the African diaspora to invest in Kenya through the Nairobi Stock Exchange. To date, the online platform has encouraged many Kenyans overseas to invest and contribute to the economic development of Kenya.
Spurred by his successes in education and economic development, Ledama has been involved with the Narok Town Council as a volunteer consultant in development programs. Through his extensive business network, he has been able to promote partnerships between private entities in the USA and the Narok town council.
He also helped the town council of to increase its revenue collection by 20% within the first three months of 2009. Ledama initiated this increase after successfully acquiring approval from the Kenyan Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Local Government to allow the town of Narok to collect parking fees and charge advertisement fees. (The town council had tried to get approval for many years but was not able to. With Ledama's intervention, the council request was granted.)
The future
Today, Ledama Olekina stands poised to undertake and solve the issues that face Kenyans on a national level. More than a proven leader, he is a proven doer.
As a candidate for the President of Kenya, he also is a keen listener. Working toward success in the 2012 Kenyan elections, he is actively seeking input from Kenyans word-wide on how to improve the future of Kenya by ending the Culture of Impunity in Kenyan politics.
Feel free to share your ideas about what Kenya needs and what we can accomplish if we stand together, united and resolved to bring positive change to our nation.
Read more about Ledama Olekina on Wikipedia.
