Overcoming Gender Discrimination While Leading Health and Justice

My name is Jane Wairimu Kahura, County Secretary of Kiambu CHPs and a proud CHP serving in Kahawa Wendani, Kiambu County, Kenya. I have worn many hats over the years – as a mother, grandmother, paralegal, Nyumba Kumi cluster leader, Land Board member, ward climate change committee member. I am also a grassroots woman under GROOTS Kenya. But above all, I am a woman driven by love for my people and a deep belief that health, justice, and dignity must reach even the last person in the village.

The Journey Began from Struggle

The journey began from a place of struggle. I raised four children as a single mother, often surviving on very little. At times, I made difficult choices just to keep the family going. I have walked through debt, shame, and regret. But from that fire, I emerged stronger. I realized that if I could survive and learn, then I had a duty to walk with others through their own storms.

I was inspired by the brokenness I saw in my neighborhood – children sick without care, women trapped in cycles of violence, families torn by land disputes. I wanted to be more than a bystander. I wanted to be a voice. And when I got trained as a CHP, my journey of transformation and service truly began.

Building A Stronger Community​

In my role as a CHP, I go door to door listening, educating, and linking people to services. But my work often goes beyond the normal duties.

I have rescued neglected children – including a 19-month-old baby suffering from vaginal infection and a 9-year-old boy who had been locked up alone. I ensured they received medical help and were taken to a children’s home. The mother was later arrested and supported through the system. I have also handled sensitive cases of sexual abuse, including between children. I work closely with the chiefs and other relevant officers and safe houses to ensure survivors are protected and perpetrators face justice.

I have walked from house to house educating hesitant parents. I simplify the science and remind them that prevention saves lives. I do this by being present, patient, and persuasive.

I sit on our Land Control Board, ensuring women’s voices are heard in land transactions, especially where inheritance and family land are concerned. I advocate for widows, orphans, and women in polygamous setups who are often denied their rights.

I have helped organize women into groups to save, farm, and understand their land rights – to inherit land, to register joint titles, or to apply for loans. I have used my training from GROOTS Kenya to conduct civic education on the Matrimonial Property Act.

In the Ward Climate Change Committee, I push for gender-sensitive adaptation strategies, especially since women farmers and the elderly are affected most by drought, floods, and poor soil health.

In Nyumba Kumi cluster, I mediate disputes, address security concerns, and promote peace.

Overcoming Gender-Based Discrimination

My path has not been easy. I have faced resistance from traditional elders, threats from abusers I have reported, and even ridicule for being “too vocal for a woman.” Some public officers dismissed me as just a volunteer, not realizing the burden we CHPs carry. I have also struggled with burnout, financial lack, and emotional exhaustion.

But I overcame through faith, training, and networks. GROOTS Kenya has and continues to mentor me. WGH gave me a platform to learn, advocate, and be seen. My community, once skeptical, now respects me. And my story continues to inspire other women to rise.

Key lessons I’ve learned:

• Grassroots women are experts in their own lives. Listen to them.
• Health begins at home – and the CHPs are the bridge between homes and systems.
• Power grows when we partner. No one can change a community alone.
• When women lead, health systems listen, communities heal, and justice moves forward.

Today, when I walk through my neighborhood, and children run to greet me, when women whisper their secrets and ask for guidance, when local leaders consult me before making decisions, I know I have not labored in vain.

I am not just leading health. I am leading change.