Grace Monica Akech Onyango (26 June 1924 – 8 March 2023)
Was a formidable African woman and a great politician from Kisumu County.
She achieved several firsts in post-independence Kenyan politics, as the first female to climb up the ranks of the political system, defying cultural barriers.
She was the first Kenyan female Mayor, after she replaced Mathias Ondiek as the Mayor of Kisumu in 1965.
Onyango was also the first female Member of Parliament in post-independence Kenya after she was elected to represent Kisumu Town Constituency in 1969.
In Parliament, Onyango was the first woman to sit in the speaker’s chair as temporary deputy speaker, and served as Deputy Speaker from 1979 to 1983.
Her political career ended after she lost her parliamentary seat in 1983 and retired from active politics. Onyango also served as the first female secretary-general of the Luo Union.
