Nyiva Mwendwa

"I consider herself lucky in this regard, because my two children, Kavinya and Maluki, were aged 19 and 17 respectively when their father died. I ensured that they pursued their education overseas uninterrupted."

"I take credit for advocating for women’s rights during the Beijing women’s conference, but regrets that the lot of women has not improved to the levels anticipated in the conference objectives, especially in areas of water, food security and poverty. Successive governments have failed to address women’s needs."

"Do not accept a ‘come-we-stay’ arrangement. I dismisse wife inheritance as …a good thing overtaken by time and circumstances."

"When we passed the new Constitution, I was sure that the position of the County Women’s Representative would serve to address the plight of women right from the village level, but things have not changed, especially because the position is not supported through funding."

"I advise widows to remarry for the sake of the children if they feel they cannot manage on their own."

"Keeping aloof will break you. Share your problems with other widows. Mama Ngina Kenyatta (Kenya’s pioneer First Lady), Pamela Mboya and Mrs Argwings Kodhek (both widows of Cabinet Ministers in the Kenyatta government) were close to me and I consulted them a lot."