Scolastica Omina Ingwali
Scolastica Omina Ingwali is the co-founder of Alakara for Women and Youth Support in Teso South, Busia County, representing the indigenous Teso people of our community and dedicated to improving their livelihood.
I was born in 1990 in Kenya’s Busia County and attended Olekasasi High school in Kajiando County.
From 2017 to 2019, I worked as the assistant manager of the Sunset Beach Hotel in Watamu, a tourist center along the Kenya’s Indian Ocean coastline.
I am also an experienced farmer having raised maize and poultry for commercial sale in Busia County.
The Teso people comprise a small indigenous minority in the westernmost county of Kenya.
Traditionally, Teso were pastoralists whose livelihood depended upon herding their animals over a wide territory, including Northern Uganda and the western borderlands of Kenya.
Most recently the Teso women have turned to farming and aquaculture, the raising of fish for trade. Many young Teso have migrated from the countryside to urban centres for a better living. This change presents challenges to our traditional way of life.
The goal of Alakara is to support Teso women and youth by finding ways of improving our lives without losing the special qualities of our people. My dream is to introduce young Teso to today’s opportunities in a rapidly changing market place, one that values our enterprise, skills and traditions.
Elias Ochodokol Iteba
I am Elias Ochodokol Iteba, aged 32, born at Akituk Are Village, Apatit sub-location, Kaliwa location Amukura division, Teso South sub-county, Busia County in Kenya. I am a typical Iteso from a clan of Ikajaoro and Christian by religion. I am fluent and eloquent in speaking Ateso, kiSwahili and English.
I attended Moru Kamosing Primary School before joining St. Pauls Amukura High School in the year 2008-2011. Later on, I went to Nairobi and joined Emanex College where I did computer packages and at the same time I attended Voice of Prophecy Discover Bible College where I did a diploma. In 2013 I proceeded to join Nairobi Aviation College where I graduated in 2015 with a diploma in journalism and mass communication.
I have worked in several media houses as a correspondent and presenter. (Kenyatta University radio: presenter; Radio Sahara: correspondent and a Teso program presenter, Radio Samba: correspondent; Busia Border Radio: correspondent and a Teso program presenter.) While working in these media houses, interacting with audiences through fans clubs has always been my pleasure which has built a positive ground for my profession. I also worked with the Journalist for Girl Child organization in 2014 as a field officer.
I am also the current communications officer for the Eastern Prime Minister in the office of Emormor, the Iteso cultural king.
Michael Stanley-Jones
Michael Stanley-Jones formerly served as Programme Management Officer with Poverty-Environment Initiative and Poverty-Environment Action for Sustainable Development Goals, joint projects of United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP). He was based in Nairobi at UNEP Headquarters from 2014 to 2022. He currently serves as Senior Advisor to the Circular Research Foundation, in Parabita, Italy, and is a consultant at the United Nations Institute for Training and Reseach (UNITAR).