Prof. Leah Marangu: The Academic

On 23rd August 2018, a state function was presided over by President Uhuru Kenyatta in recognition of outstanding services rendered to the nation by a select number of its female citizens. Among the recipients of the State Honour of Order of the Burning Spear award (OBS) was Professor Leah Marangu for her contribution to the field of education. This is not the first state accolade she has received, having already been decorated with the Moran of the Burning Spear (MBS) and the Silver Star of Kenya (SSK) by former Presidents Daniel arap Moi and Mwai Kibaki respectively. But well before Leah Marangu began making strides in the education sector, she had chosen a different career path for herself… 

Career Setbacks

When growing up in South Imenti, Leah was certain that she wanted to become a nurse. After completing her studies at Kaaga Girls’ High School, she trained as a public health nurse and midwife at Maua Methodist Hospital. Leah then went on to work briefly at both Meru and Nkubu Hospitals. During this time she got married and shortly after moved to the US with her husband. Little did she know that what was meant to be a positive change in her life would be used to hinder her from progressing in her career. 

Leah wanted to acquire additional nursing skills, but her request for admission into nursing school was denied simply because she was married. She was downcast at the idea of not being able to tend to the sick. Her next best option was home economics since it would allow her to work with patients on their nutrition and diet. Even though this was more of preventative care as opposed to recovery care which was her preference, Leah focused on the simple fact that she would still be within the health sector, doing what she loved. With this perspective, she enrolled into Olivet Nazarene University for her undergraduate studies, after which she joined Northern Illinois University for a postgraduate in the same.  

Embracing Change

Leah was a remarkable student who was adept at her studies. Even after her first postgraduate, she kept the ball rolling and enrolled for a second degree in environment and home management at Iowa State University. She then went on to receive her doctorate in home economics from the same institution. The school environment was one that Leah grew accustomed to, so after completing her doctorate in 1975, she chose to go into teaching. Her ambitions had changed along the way, and she embraced the new path that she had unknowingly carved out for herself. She taught at several universities in the US before her return to Kenya in 1977, where she got a job at Kenyatta University as an associate professor teaching home economics. 

Soon enough, Leah was creating ripples in Kenya’s education landscape. Her hard work was rewarded in 1983, when she was appointed to chair the board of directors at Jomo Kenyatta Foundation. This was the first gender barrier Leah broke as she became the first woman to head a parastatal in Kenya. More was in store for her as she rose through the ranks to become the departmental head of home economics at Kenyatta University in 1988. That same year, she was appointed a full professor, thus becoming the first woman in East Africa to accomplish this feat.  

Delving Deeper

Even with all her achievements by that time, Professor Marangu did not slow down. The next year, she won a Fullbright Scholarship that saw her return to the US as a visiting international professor at Central Michigan University until 1995. She then returned to Kenya and became one of the founding members of the Commission of Higher Education (now Commission for University Education), as well as a member of the task force that created Egerton University.  

In January 1996, Professor Marangu was appointed the vice chancellor of Africa Nazarene University (ANU), which was two years into its founding. What is today a modern complex with a student population of over 4,000 was nothing but a few makeshift structures that hosted 62 students when the professor took up her position. The university has grown by leaps and bounds during her tenure, a testament to a capability.  

On 21st October 2017, the ANU fraternity gathered for a cerebration dinner that marked Professor Leah Marangu’s retirement from office. She has inspired a whole generation of learners, with one of her charges being yet another #KeFemaleFirst – Professor Olive Mugenda.  

Asante sana Prof, for teaching us to embrace the winds of change and for your contribution to the field of academia! 

#KeFemaleFirsts