
Inside Samburu’s Women-Only Village
Mid 2016, I watched a video that had been constantly popping up on my recommended YouTube videos. What I had expected to be a typical story ended up being one of the most mind-blowing discoveries! It was the tale of Umoja Village, a women’s only village in Archer’s Post, Samburu, that was a safe haven for women in the region battling the patriarchy system. It was founded in 1990 by an astounding lady known as Rebecca Lolosoli, who in 2010 won the Global Leadership Award in Washington D.C. How was such a perplexing initiative happening in my backyard and I had no idea about it? I added a visit to this village on my bucket list and moved on. About a year and a half later, I made it happen!
Last weekend, I tagged my friends along on a five-hour drive from Nairobi to Archer’s post. I’ve never been one for staying awake on road trips but the scenic view of Kenya’s changing landscape kept me wide awake. It was breathtaking. Who knew taking a ride out of Nairobi would be so fulfilling? I’m sure most of you did so let me move on. Now I know.
The Samburu are a tribe in Kenya, most similar to the Maasai, with a very rich history and culture. The tribe is quite small and is estimated to have around 150,000 people. You can notice the scarcity of the people as you approach the village. The area is characterized by sandy soil, scattered bushes, manyattas and some solid structures here and there. A few minutes past the town center and we were there!
With no bells to ring or doors to knock we weren’t sure whether to just enter the village or wait for someone to notice four random young ladies looking out of place. Luckily, they had been informed of our visit and a young girl clothed in Samburu embroidery approached us and welcomed us. A group of women then followed suit and engaged us in song and dance which was quite catchy and exciting, to say the least. We were living the tourist life.

Roselyn, the young lady, ushered us into a tour of the village. We later came to learn that she’s a form three student who’s been born and raised in Umoja. She is extremely knowledgeable about the Samburu culture and meticulously responded to our numerous questions as we were seeking to gain a better understanding of the lives of the women in the village.

Founded in 1990 by Rebecca, the village houses women and their children only. These women left their homes in a bid to escape physical abuse and an extensive patriarchal culture that did not allow them to grow or flourish. As one of them said, they simply wanted better lives for themselves and better futures for their children. However, once their sons get to eighteen years of age, they are expected to leave the village and join their fellow men.
Today, the village is home to over 45 women with numbers growing each day and an estimated 2 children in each household. The women have a great sense of community, sharing their manyattas, food and even chores such as building and repairing of the houses and also cleaning. They also have a big Umoja school that provides education facilities for them and the community at large.


Being the woke women that they are, they have invested time and resources into being sustainable. Here is a list of some of the activities they are involved in:
- Farming. Through different donor aid initiatives, the women have two greenhouses, a passion fruit farm and open-air farm where they employ the use of an underground tunnel irrigation system. We were lucky to get a tour by Susan Ngapaten, a very jovial 70-year lady who maintains the plants and the systems as taught by the different institutions/NGOs which set them up. They also have a solar water pump that saves them from walking kilometers to fetch water, which had become unsafe for them.



- Animal Keeping. The women keep goats and chicken. However, at the time of the visit, they had none as a result of a recent raid by men from neighboring communities into the village three months prior.
- Tourism Activities. This is ideally their main source of income. Using beads purchased in Nairobi, the women make different beautiful jewelry items (some from porcupine quills!) which are sold to tourists visiting the village and the aforementioned museum. Also, a tour of the village has a small charge which goes directly to the women.
As we were about to leave we marveled at the beauty of their sense of community and the desire for their children to be and have more than they do. Roselyn told us that once she’s done with school she would love to become a teacher and return home to empower the next generation of children. Her dedication to her community touched a special place in our hearts and we can only hope that her dreams do come true.

Next time you’re looking for a weekend plan, why not make your way to Umoja Village and experience the beauty of the diverse cultures that make up the 254. #TembeaKenya #Volunteers4Kenya
Godspeed.

