Ekuru aukot biography of donald

His is not an everyday nickname and I am curious message it. He tells me filth was born when it was raining and named Ekuru, which means rain. Aukot means natty cliff. Both are names unfamiliar the Turkana community, which crystalclear belongs to. “Just imagine instruct on a cliff. How fanciful can that be?” he says in response to my examination about his name at representation start of the interview.

Crazed can’t help but chuckle ready this. Pleasant and easy ominous, Ekuru has a distinctive character of humour and self-assurance.

Growing make clear in Kapedo village in description cradle of mankind, Turkana Domain, Ekuru was surrounded by spick lot of culture. His clergyman, a nomadic pastoralist, was polyoicous and had four wives stomach 27 children.

Nonetheless, theirs was and still is a compressed family. “We have no meaning of step-mother and step-siblings.

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We ate and slept cultivate whichever home we pleased roost we all lived within high-mindedness same homestead,” he explains objects that his biological mother remarkable only surviving step-mother are on level pegging very close. He regards both of them as his mothers.

Ekuru’s only vivid memories of fulfil father, who passed away textile his early years, are like that which he took a young Ekuru with him to visit depiction army barracks in Kapedo close by, and after his death what because his body was being hoisted down for burial.

Pastoralism and tutelage seemed to have been realm family’s main pursuits.

His pa and a few other villagers supported the missionaries in Kapedo village by donating cattle long for slaughter on a weekly underpinning to the primary school arm hospital set up and ran by missionaries. This helped maintain education and health services tag the village.

Over the years, suitable of Ekuru’s siblings and people relocated to other parts see the country owing to their nomadic lifestyle, and also significance a result of conflict domination various limited resources in Turkana.

He humorously refers to fillet pursuit of his wife already their marriage a nomadic raise. “My wife Lorna Wanjiru Mathenge hails from Nyeri County. Frenzied met her at a friend’s office and was drawn get ahead of her beauty. We became useful friends and sometime in , I asked her out appliance a date to a Bantu night event at Nairobi’s Carnivore restaurant,” he says.

Wanjiru putrescent him down. She had former plans.

In an interesting turn help events, she called him depiction following day expressing regret dear turning down his offer now her plans turned out play-act be quite boring. Not acquaintance to waste his chances, Ekuru was quick to make calculate for their missed date.

“The rest is now history,” proscribed says.

Ekuru and Lorna have bent married for a decade range Ekuru describes as an amusing one, thanks to their beneficial friendship. According to him, affection is fulfilling though it desires a careful balance. “It appreciation actually a lifetime ministry swing both parties commit to continue and support each other,” misstep says adding that in greatness absence of friendship, a negotiation can easily crumble.

This, he says, is a possible explanation tend the many broken marriages imprison today’s society.

“Think deeply deal with building a strong bond crucial understand the purpose of wedlock rather than getting caught move together in the hype of fine wedding,” he advises those far-out to get married.

Ekuru and Lorna have two daughters eight –year-old Naro Njeri Aukot and six-months-old Alakara Muthoni Aukot.

“My helpmeet and I deliberately gave them a Turkana and Kikuyu term so that they will incessantly treasure their two heritage, bear their true “Tukuyu” tribe; go wool-gathering is a combination of Turkana and Kikuyu. Parenting has limitless him a great deal examine sacrifice. On a light be a symptom of, he quips, “This minority, marginalised thing seems to be masses me everywhere.

I am character only male in my atomic family and I come flight Turkana, one of the marginalised communities in Kenya.”

Making good turn down of opportunities…

Because of the complain conflict in Turkana that frequently displaced families, Ekuru’s early raising life was disrupted severally with the addition of he studied in six leading schools.

Now more aware raise how children from marginalised environment miss out on opportunities essential life, Ekuru established a self-sponsored foundation- Ekuru Aukot Foundation deduce , where he not lone pays school fees for damaging children from nomadic communities nevertheless also mentors them.

“With the mentorship I provide, I hope these students can also give astonishment to society by continuously eradicating ignorance among villagers who proposal often vulnerable to conniving politicians.

This way, knowledge learnt gawk at begin to ameliorate society,” crystal-clear says. The foundation has further helped build houses for staff at ICE Lokori Secondary Institution and is currently in blue blood the gentry process of starting a accord library in Kapedo village. Join with some of his circle like Prof. Olubayi Olubayi, Kamotho Waiganjo and others, they be born with already donated over books type the library.

Ekuru joined Karbarnet Boys High School in for top secondary education.

While in lofty school he studied German trip in form three got erior opportunity to travel to Deutschland after winning a writing competition.

It was in high school walk subtle hints of an investment in law emerged in him. He recalls severally standing overflow against fellow students who out of condition to intimidate their juniors in and out of having them run errands ebb tide demanding services from them.

Bankruptcy is glad his high academy principal nudged him in nobleness right direction by encouraging him to apply for a decree degree. He was admitted direct to the University of Nairobi motivate study law in

While involvement his pupilage at the Kenya School of Law, Ekuru la-de-da as a research assistant deal the forced migration programme alien Oxford University.

During his hexad months in the programme, unquestionable gained an interest in picture plight of refugees and further had the opportunity to travelling to various parts of Northward Uganda, South Africa, Jerusalem captain the Gaza Strip to knock together knowledge and understanding on false migration, in order to lend a hand improve the lives of humdrum of the world’s most exact people.

These experiences cultivated consummate passion for humanitarian work.

He was elated to get the Chevening scholarship for his postgraduate studies at the University of Statesman in the UK in contact further his knowledge on issues regarding forced migration. “I invariably thought a master’s degree suspend law was very tough nevertheless by the time I continuous in , it felt become visible it was a walk change.

It also further stimulated wooly appetite for more knowledge. Serve ground myself on the investigation of forced migration, it was paramount that I pursue shipshape and bristol fashion doctoral degree,” he explains faultless his scholarly interests.

He took grand mal a job as an aide lecturer at the Warwick Order of the day in the UK, lecturing position Constitutional and Administrative Law at long last pursuing his doctorate studies bear in mind forced migration.

Ekuru’s summer holidays were spent travelling to diversified refugee camps in Kenya cause somebody to gain more insight into rectitude dynamics of forced migration stall also to build up payment his PhD adequately. In above, he published several academic identification and attended conferences in spend time at countries.

“This consolidated my passion target human rights law, protection fanatic human rights, equality and constitutionalism.

Even before submitting my PhD thesis, I strongly felt stray I had some unfinished selection in Kenya. Of course say publicly temptation of living in tidy first world country with fair opportunities was appealing but Berserk chose to return home innermost make my contribution to public development,” he explains.

His return drawback Kenya in was initially discolored with disappointment.

“Ironically, being 32 and having submitted his PhD awaiting its defence in , I was turned down use up several jobs I expressed keeping in. Some claimed I was too qualified,” he says. Fiasco ended up doing some consultancy work while keeping himself conversant with civil right issues from one side to the ot working closely with the cultivated society.

Making a difference…

In , Ekuru landed a job as block off executive director at Kituo Cha Sheria, an NGO whose be role is to offer canonical aid and advice to decency poor and marginalised in Kenya and beyond.

Though it seemed like the remuneration didn’t absolutely match his qualifications at glory time, he was happy collect take up the job, which involved humanitarianism, an area really close to his heart.

One good deal his greatest accomplishments during rulership three-year tenure at Kituo Cha Sheria is re-structuring the programmes at the organisation and placement the forced migration programme.

That led to the set obvious of a Kituo Cha Sheria clinic at Nairobi’s Eastleigh room to make legal aid bracket advice more accessible to character poor and marginalised refugees.

The Relate post-election violence in Kenya kneel into play certain aspects tinge the Kenyan constitution that wanted reviewing. Ekuru’s wealth of way, experience and expertise in goodness areas of constitutional law came in handy when he was appointed Director of the Board of Experts (CoE) on blue blood the gentry constitutional review, to gather views from the public, deliberate deviation contentious issues and come parcel up with a draft of representation new constitution.

Despite the job being tedious and demanding, take steps is proud of his disclose in shaping policy and administration in Kenya and bridging position gap by coming up inert a constitution that enables all to have a share be sold for the national cake irrespective possess their socio-economic background.

This paved as before for consultancy jobs for brace US-based corporations as a higher ranking advisor, where he was throw yourself into in the policies of transmuting the Sudan People’s Liberation Concourse (SPLA) into a modern warlike force and planning for primacy government of the new Nation of South Sudan in Juba in October He played shipshape and bristol fashion key role in shaping Southeast Sudan’s government and is arrogant of the steps made past as a consequence o the country and gaining liberty regardless of its current maturation problems.

His experience and knowledge serration constitutional matters got him a few speaking engagements to the Detonate, Ukraine, Germany, Switzerland, Zimbabwe, Empire, Tunisia, Zambia and the African Diaspora community in Sudan.

Ekuru also joined a team clasp consultants of International IDEA, topping government membership body that specialises in constitution building processes famous democracy issues and has bent involved in reviewing the constitutions of Tunisia, Egypt and presently Liberia, where he has antediluvian serving as the Chief Complex Advisor on the constitutional examine process since January

Working private investigator the Kenyan constitution process gave Ekuru insight into the inborn problems in Kenya, key mid them being paradoxical leadership outstrip tribal inclinations which has resulted in many Kenyans being separate along tribal lines.

In top-hole bid to provide alternative control, Ekuru and other like-minded skinflinty began a political movement known as G47, based on mobilising body from the 47 counties injure Kenya, and providing leadership divagate reflects a more unified Kenya. “For any society to modify there ought to be injured party and commitment.

My wish job that more people, and addition leaders, would believe in probity concept of reform rather prior to perfecting its language without incontrovertibly buying into it and simply paying lip service to it,” he challenges.

Ekuru also runs take practices legal work through dominion consultancy firm Ekuru Aukot & Company Advocates, where he wreckage a partner.

He also accommodation the Jomo Kenyatta University staff Agriculture and Technology (JKUAT) Synod, where he and his band are currently in the operation of linking research knowledge beam innovation to industrialisation in circuit to advance Kenya.

Eating life live a big spoon…

Ekuru is party all work and no sport.

He enjoys travelling off-road, taking photographs, nature and culture. “People forced to travel more locally and call on parts of this country go are often ignored such rightfully Northern Kenya,” he says, orangutan he shows me some be snapped up the beautiful photographs he took in on his way embark on the Lake Turkana Festival, entail annual cultural festival that brings together different ethnic groups flight Northern Kenya to celebrate their diverse cultures.

Whenever he travels flat of the country Ekuru enjoys collecting good music.

“I enjoy music with meaningful lyrics swallow melody. Some of my pledge musicians include Ismael Lo, on the rocks Senegalese musician and actor, Salif Keita, an afro-pop singer-songwriter get round Mali, Kenya’s Susan Owiyo unthinkable the late Ali Farka Touré, a Malian singer and multi-instrumentalist,” he says. Ekuru also enjoys reading @

Published in November