A remarkable and visionary woman. One ready to lay down her life for service and leadership. The RoundTable magazine had an interview with her on her political journey, her past experiences and future ambitions. She is the National Chairperson of KANU Women Congress. She came into limelight after winning the Ms President Reality Show Contest Nairobi County in the year 2019. Miss President Reality Show was on air from 2018-2019 and Betty Adera emerged as a finalist representing Nairobi County. It was a competition among women, that saw almost 1000 women show interest in the Show, however only 70 were invited to the academy. Betty, ended up in the top 5 finalists, hence being crowned Ms President Nairobi County. According to Miss Adera, the Contest was a learning journey for her, as the participants pictured themselves as Presidents and acted as them, this therefore gave them insights into how it feels to be a head of state. Earlier this year, Ms Adera was in the race for the Nairobi Gubernatorial seat on KANU ticket. The seat fell vacant when the senate upheld the impeachment of the then governor, Mike Mbuvi Sonko.
In her manifesto, Adera had pledged to: Build wealth and security through home ownership, Promote Quality and Affordable health care especially for mothers to stop women from giving birth in the streets, establish a Return to School Fund to support child mothers to go back to school, provide sustainable income generation for young people and Enhance Cohesion by uniting Nairobi County. Due to the post-election pact between the Jubilee Government and the KANU party, the parties reached an agreement with the Deputy Governor being given the mantle to carry on. However, Hon Bey Adera, was later appointed as the Chair of the KANU Women Congress by the Party Leader, Hon Gideon Moi. In the interview she expressed her gratitude to the KANU patron for trusting her with the position. This, has been a great stride in her political journey, and another step in the ladder of politics.
Who exactly is Hon Betty Adera? She wears so many hats, from being a mother, to a philanthropist/humanitarian of this generation, to a terrific leader. As per the time of this interview, she is a public Health and financing specialist. Besides, she occupies an International Global Advisory role within Africa, Asia, Middle East, South America as far as HIV/AIDS issues and Women & Youth empowerment are concerned. She is also the Founder and Chief Executive Officer of Betty Adera Foundation located in Kenya and Tanzania that seeks to put an end to the surging Gender Based Violence cases. The foundation also identifies naive people within the community and tries to build their confidence for Leadership and Social Skills. More programs in the Bey Adera Foundation include Artist programs to empower the artists, sports, climate change and Economic empowerment programs. In her exemplary style of leadership and for her humanitarian actions, Hon Bey has won both local and international awards which include The Global Icon Award famously known as Passion Vista Global Icon Award 2019 for her efforts towards peace building and her philanthropist work. She was awarded the First Anniversary Edition of Passion Vista Global Icon Award in December 2019 at Los Angeles. She is also the awardee of the Mentor of the Year Award and the CEO of the Year.
Award owing to her mentorship skills at the Bey Adera Foundation. In matters mentorship, Betty says ‘Young people need mentorship that is why to the extent possible, I do what I do and I am committing to be one of those who will open doors for other young people to walk in the way I will hopefully walk in myself and to show them how to navigate through some things in the political spaces.’ Being a product of mentorship, the iron lady says that she is willing to go out of her way to help the young people navigate through challenges and achieve their dreams. The CEO has also served as a National Clean Content Ambassador by the Kenya Films Classification Board and responding to the current state of content by the young people as well as possible reforms needed for clean content creation she calls upon the parents to take up their responsibility of being the first mentors. Parents or care givers are not there for their children as most of them have put their work before their families and have obligated their care giving duties to their teachers. She also empathizes with the young people as she believes they are under-siege as sometimes the content they come up is to be interpreted as a cry for attention or support or love and care. On whether the youth perceive politics as a shorter route to fame and money by the young people she relates that to The Principle of Head of Gold Feet of Clay which she says is eating young people away. She further adds that, ‘They want the good life but they don’t have a foundational basis. Even though the ultimate pursuit of life is happiness, but if we get into leadership spaces with intention of acquiring wealth it becomes misleading and short lived. The law is there and it will come to bite you.’ However, she also agreed that this is the best time for young people to venture and get into the political spaces unapologetically.
As at the time of the interview, some reports had indicated that Hon Bey Adera will be vying for the Nairobi Gubernatorial post in the upcoming 2022 elections but she has since confirmed that she will vie for the Westlands Parliamentary seat under a KANU ticket. THE ROUNDTABLE Magazine wishes her all the best in her candidature
Lenah Mati is a Legal and Governance Analyst who brings clarity to political, constitutional, and governance issues. She is recognized for offering insightful analysis on political, legal, and governance issues, both in advisory roles and as a frequent commentator on television discussions on politics, governance, and citizen participation.
With a background in law and public policy, Lenah is passionate about strengthening democracy, promoting accountability, and fostering dialogue between citizens and leaders. Her commentary is known for being practical, engaging and focused on youth-based issues.
