Nyakio Kamoche

"Nyakio Kamoche, a first generation American, developed NYAKIO from family beauty secrets passed down through her Kenyan heritage. NYAKIO is a bath and body line that helps to enrich, maintain, and invigorate the mind and body through skin therapy. "

Click here to visit her website

Wangari Maathai Environmental & Political Activist.

Wangari Muta Maathai (born April 1, 1940 in Ihithe village, Tetu division, Nyeri District of Kenya) is an environmental and political activist. She was educated in the United States at Mount St. Scholastica College and the University of Pittsburgh, as well as the University of Nairobi in Kenya. In the 1970s, Maathai founded the Green Belt Movement, an environmental non-governmental organization focused on the planting of trees, environmental conservation, and women's rights.

In 2004 she became the first African woman, and the firstenvironmentalist, to receive the Nobel Peace Prize for “her contribution to sustainable development, democracy and peace.” Maathai was an elected member of Parliament and served as Assistant Minister for Environment and Natural Resources in the government of PresidentMwai Kibaki between January 2003 and November 2005. She is of Kikuyu ethnicity. source

Kenya women stage 'sex strike'

Women's groups in Kenya have started a week-long "sex strike", in an attempt to press the country's leaders to resolve rifts and work together.

Ten non-governmental organisations urged women across the nation to boycott sex with their husbands and partners along with a statement calling for reforms in government and action on promoting women's rights.

Rukia Subow, chairwoman of the Women's Development Organisation, said the group believed the boycott would persuade men to press the government to make peace.

"This is a national boycott to show that the women of this country have resolved to push for reforms," she said. "We want an urgent solution to the political problems facing this country." Continue reading here

Fashion for Peace 2009

Following the huge success of Fashion for Peace 2008 and motivated by the overwhelmingly positive response, FAFA is proud to present Fashion for Peace 2009, a glamorous event which will bring together some of Africa’s top fashion designers and models.

The sit-down gala dinner and fashion show will take place in a magical tent set-up under the stars in the Nairobi National Park on 25 April 2009.

The fashion show will be supported by other creative events such as musical performances as well as a Designer Master classes which will provide an exchange forum to look at innovative ways of developing African fashion and having it further penetrate worldwide markets.

Funds raised support the Alternatives to Violence Project, building non-violence skills and helping people process recent events in affected communities around Kenya. Source

Luo (Kenya and Tanzania)

Dennis Oliech Kenyan football player.

Barack Obama's father Barack Sr is of the luo in Kenya.

The Luo (also called Jaluo and Joluo) are an ethnic group in Kenya, eastern Uganda, and northern Tanzania. They are part of a larger group of ethnolinguistically related Luo peoples who inhabit an area including southern Sudan, northern and eastern Uganda, western Kenya, and northern Tanzania.

The Luo are the third largest ethnic group (13%) in Kenya, after the Kikuyu (20%) and the Luhya (17%). The Luo and the Kikuyu inherited the bulk of political power in the first years following Kenya's independence in 1963. The Luo population in Kenya was estimated to be 3,185,000 in 1994 . In Tanzanian population was estimated at 280,000 in 2001.

The main Luo livelihood is fishing. Outside Luoland, the Luo work in eastern Africa as tenant fishermen, small scale farmers, and urban workers. They speak the Dholuo language, which belongs to the Western Nilotic branch of the Nilo-Saharan language family spoken by other Luo-speaking peoples such as the Lango, Acholi, Padhola and Alur (all of Uganda).
Contents

1 History
1.1 Pre-colonial times
1.2 Colonial times
1.3 Independent Kenya
2 Political influence in the government
3 Culture and customs
3.1 Religious customs
3.2 Marriage customs
3.3 Music

source