Hon. Agnes Mantaine Pareyio, known as “Maama” or the “Maa Iron Lady,” is Member of Parliament for Narok North Constituency, elected in August 2022 as the first female MP elected to a single-member, non-reserved constituency in Narok County since independence. She is a human rights defender recognised internationally as an activist against Female Genital Mutilation (FGM).

LEADERSHIP EXPERIENCE

Her experience of FGM at a young age led to a lifelong mission against harmful cultural practices, for gender equality and for alternative rites of passage for Maasai girls. She holds a Diploma in Community Development and Social Work and a Certificate in Strategic Management from the Kenya Institute of Management. She served as district coordinator of Maendeleo Ya Wanawake Organization (MYWO), founded the Tasaru Ntomonok Rescue Center and the V-Day Safe House for Girls in Narok, and was named United Nations Person of the Year in Kenya. She chaired the Anti-FGM Board of Kenya from 2018 to February 2022.

She was elected the first Maasai woman councillor in 1993, served three terms at the Narok County Council, rising to Vice-Chairperson, and won the Narok North seat under the Jubilee Party with 20,821 votes. In the 13th Parliament she serves on the National Cohesion and Equal Opportunity Committee.