Dr. Purity Ngina, the CEO of the National Gender and Equality Commission (NGEC) has climbed up the corporate ladder in a short period garnering accolades and drawing attention from the public, including the President. 

Acknowledging the strides she has made in her career, she was recently awarded The Moran of the Order of the Burning Spear by President William Ruto, last year, 2024, during the annual Jamhuri Day celebration. This award is often given to public dignitaries for distinguished services. To Dr. Ngina, it symbolizes her resilience and commitment to serving the community.

Sailing Through the murky waters

At the young age of 34 years, one cannot help but wonder where it all began. Dr. Ngina carved her path into the spotlight when she first made headlines for being the youngest PhD holder in Biomathematics in Kenya at the young age of 28, an accomplishment that earned her the much-coveted STEM Award at the African Women Diplomatic Forum in Canada in the year 2019. 

“When I was graduating with my PhD, I was just graduating like any other student. My cousin decided to post a congratulatory message on his Facebook where he highlighted that I could be the youngest PhD holder in Biomathematics in the country. This caused a buzz on the internet as people went on a search spree just to confirm the above statement and true to his words, I was the youngest PhD holder in Biomathematics in the country.” She vividly remembers. 

Her thesis which focused more on the modeling of HIV was inspired by the infections that had been looming around the country when she was still young. “At that time, when I was around 10 years old, we didn’t have ARVs and  it was sad to see people die!!!” She reflects.

Despite being celebrated for her outstanding academic record, Dr. Ngina admits that her journey through school was not a walk in the park. Having done her KCPE in 2002, she got 235 marks, a grade that did not meet her expectations, upon her mother’s persuasion she re-sat the exam and ended up scoring 369 marks. “My Mother always believed in me, and she believed in the power of education.” She recalls. 

Dr. Ngina was later admitted to Tumutumu Girls High School, a school that nurtured her love for sciences. However, in stark contrast, she struggled with languages. “I was very shy, I didn’t talk much. You know when you have a heavy accent you struggle to express yourself fluently and sometimes your friends laugh at you, so I wasn’t as vocal.” She adds. This did not stop her from burning the midnight oil, she faced her challenges head-on and leveraged the exposure she got from school to fuel her ambitions. 

Untrammeled by her shyness, she did exemplary well in her KCSE and successfully got admission to pursue a Bachelor of Education Science and then gradually proceeded to pursue a Masters in Applied Mathematics.

Dr. Ngina’s Strathmore Journey

Upon completing her Master’s, a former colleague who had interacted with Strathmore University introduced her to the Institution. Following this recommendation, she decided to enroll for her PhD at the institution, where at first, she admits she was bewildered by how different the Institution was run, the culture shock was crippling, to say the least.

“It was my first time seeing a Vice Chancellor eat with students.” She fondly recalls. The hospitality between the students and lecturers was something that remained ingrained in her memory. Interestingly, her biggest takeaway was the dress code. “Up to date when it comes to dressing, I like to keep it Strathmore.” She admits with a broad smile on her face. 

While pursuing her PhD, she went through a major setback, she lost her mother. “Losing my mum was a very painful experience, I honestly wished she was around to see me graduate.” She reveals. With the unwavering support of the Strathmore mentoring team, she navigated this challenging season with grace. “Strathmore helped me; I will forever be grateful. I wouldn’t have graduated had they not intervened.” She admits with gratitude.

Reflecting, Dr. Ngina’s pride in her affiliation with Strathmore stems from the qualities she gained throughout her education journey at the institution; she attests that she has since seen the same values with other Strathmore alumni. “It’s like a reflection in a mirror.” She emphasizes.

According to her assessment, Strathmore students’ overarching virtues are: Integrity, accountability, and discipline. “Strathmore Students are a different breed.” She re-affirms.

Service to the Community

Having been an active member of society since her time on campus, it was only a matter of time before she cemented this growing passion.

At a Wings to Fly event hosted by Equity Bank, she solidified her true calling as a mentor “ Dr Monica Juma and Dr Mwangi commended me for my speech, this gave me the affirmation I needed to mentor more young people.” She shares. This moment of recognition validated her passion, igniting her determination to inspire and guide the next generation.

Looking back, she believes her experience, having been raised by a single mother, played a vital role in shaping her compassion towards the female gender. This ignited her passion to speak out for women, challenge the status quo, and advocate for change. “Women can inherit land, the law sees both men and women as equal, however, what actually happens is that women are denied these rights. It’s very sad.” She argues.

Previously, at Zizi Afrique Foundation, where she served as the regional manager, she spearheaded projects that supported the improvement of learning outcomes for children and youths. Dr. Ngina’s strong conviction on the importance of values-based education, has enabled her to be at the forefront in advocating for holistic education. “Holistic Education is the best tool to address inequalities.” She states.

Leveraging on her research and writing skills, she has co-authored a book titled, ‘The contextualization of 21st Century skills’. In chapter 5 of the book,  she discusses in depth about how self-awareness and respect are understood by adolescents, parents and communities in East Africa, and the implications of this on the development of assessment tools, cementing her passion to  enlighten the youth.

Emphasizing on the importance of education, she believes education is integral to both our learning and in our day to day lives. “It is important for us to search for the truth.” She re-affirms. To our Strathmore Students Purity Ngina’s advice is “Our Stories of where we come from do not define us.” To our alumni, her brief yet impactful message is “Let’s all speak equality and Inclusion.”