The Mayor of Kibera

I met Kennedy for the first time the same day I asked him to come and speak in class. I read about him in the Wesleyan Connection because he was just about to go and speak about his initiative in Kenya for The Kibera School for Girls at a conference hosted by Bill Clinton. Kennedy started an organization called Shining Hope for Communities in his homeland Kenya to combat the way women are treated. He set out to give purpose to women and his community – the Kibera slum of Nairobi, Kenya. Many of you heard about the hit movie Slumdog Millionaire. Well, did you ever think about the people who actually lived in the slums? Slum tourism is an actual business in some places – tourists literally go and see how people live in these areas. These are humans we’re talking about, not animals. Kennedy made this known in his recently published op-ed article in the New York Times: "Slumdog Tourism." 

The Kibera School for Girls is meant to change the position of women in his community; educating women will give them better skills to work, and is argued to reduce violence toward women since they will be more respected because of their educational attainment. It will remove the stigma of men as being the primary breadwinner because men are physically stronger and will demonstrate that women have just as much will as men do. It is also argued that educating women will also reduce the amount of violence in these places – preventing the formation of terrorist groups like al-Qaeda. Kennedy calls this gender equality.

Inspired by Kennedy’s story, I immediately asked him to come and be our third guest speaker of the semester – mainly to talk about where he’s come from and how he's led the formation of his organization in Kenya. I knew we'd be inspired, I just didn’t know how the stories would stick with me forever.

I can count about five times that Kennedy mentioned how great it is that in America you can take a shower whenever you want. Kennedy discussed that he became a street boy after he ran away from home when he was young. He earned $1/day working in an unsafe factory. Somehow along the way he figured out how to speak six languages. People would speak with Kennedy and they’d say “Kennedy, your English – you speak like a white person.” There was no clean water, no school, and he joined the street gangs – it was survival of the fittest, whoever could scrap for food and water survived. Talk about toughening up right? What have you complained about today – how the food at your dining hall was horrible? “I came to this country and for the first time I had food laid out for the taking, as much as I wanted. Wes Wings is not for me, I don’t like their options!”

Kennedy emerged as the unofficial Mayor of Kibera. He read about Nelson Mandela, Martin Luther King Jr., and Marcus Garvey and ideas for change started to stir in his head. He realized that gun shots and eating every two or three days was not normal. To his people, these things were accepted in everyday life. Kennedy recognized this and he connected with them. He explained how much better life could and should be. He brought people together and he got through to them. Kennedy explained that it is hope that brings his people together. They share a common struggle, but he demonstrates to them how much better life will be. There are undertones of leadership here – igniting a fire in people and letting them believe in things that they otherwise wouldn’t. Also, the Paradox Concept – believing that things will only get better, and inspiring this vision.

Kennedy’s definition of leadership is how the leader is able to influence others. Leadership to Kennedy happens when you don’t do it for yourself. You can’t force it. A leader is a person who can connect with people and a good leader is someone who “leads from behind.” When things are bad the leader takes the blame and he shoves attention away to the members of the group when times are good. It’s familiar to Jim Collins’ “Looking Through the Window and into the Mirror” concept. Kennedy explained that leadership is not easy. Leadership is a responsibility (Coach Whalen talked about this when he came in to speak) and leaders don’t have to know everything, but they have to be able to work with what they have. Good leaders inspire hope in people who have no hope in life. Leaders make their team members, constituents, or Kenyans in Kennedy’s case feel like they own the movement. They give them that purpose.

“What you dream is what you get” Kennedy said. Where Kennedy comes from there is no dream of college. Wesleyan has become a family to him. He described that what is great about America is that when people in the United States grow up in poverty and find success they are a hero. Where Kennedy comes from this is almost impossible. He didn’t understand this phenomenon, the American Dream if you will, where Americans appreciate the struggle that you went through to achieve success. What makes Wesleyan great he says is that you don’t know anyone’s class. In fact, if you are different they celebrate it here.

Kennedy wants to go across Africa and give hope to women. He wants to give them purpose. I think he gave all 15 of us a story and message that will stick with us forever. I have made friends with people at Wesleyan from around the world, Job (also from Kenya) and Sid from India and I have been blessed with them coming into my life and teaching me. Now I know what Kennedy means when he says that Wesleyan is his family.