Joseph Lekuton
Encyclopedia
Joseph Lekuton is a Kenya
n politician. He belongs to the Kenya African National Union
and was elected to represent the Laisamis Constituency
in the National Assembly of Kenya
since the Kenyan parliamentary election, 2007
.
He comes from the village of Karare. In his early twenties, Lekuton left for America to study Government, Economics and History at St. Lawrence University
in upstate New York
. He taught at The Langley School in McLean, Virginia
, before leaving for Harvard University
where he earned a Masters degree in International Education policy at the Harvard Graduate School of Education
. Joseph Lekuton is a prolific writer and a gifted public speaker. His book Facing the Lion: Growing Up Maasai in the African Savanna was published by the National Geographic.
His book is about his life as a Massai child up until the point of him graduating college.
Over the years Lekuton has sought to improve the education stardards among his nomadic community believing that this is the surest way to upward social mobility. Through Nomadic Kenyan Children Education Fund (www.nkcef.org) and the Boma Fund Inc and number of Kenyan children have a descent shot at better life through education. For his hardwork and tireless efforts Lekuton was recognized by the Kenyan government - he is the youngest recipient of the presidential honor.
Kenya
Kenya , officially known as the Republic of Kenya, is a country in East Africa that lies on the equator, with the Indian Ocean to its south-east...
n politician. He belongs to the Kenya African National Union
Kenya African National Union
The Kenya African National Union, better known as KANU is a political party which ruled Kenya for nearly 40 years after its independence from British colonial rule in 1963, until its electoral loss at the end of 2002...
and was elected to represent the Laisamis Constituency
Laisamis Constituency
Laisamis Constituency is an electoral constituency in Kenya. It is one of three constituencies in Marsabit District. The entire constituency is located within Marsabit County Council area. The constituency was established for the 1988 elections....
in the National Assembly of Kenya
National Assembly of Kenya
The unicameral National Assembly of Kenya is the country's legislative body.The current National Assembly has a total of 224 members. 210 members are directly elected in single member constituencies using the simple majority system...
since the Kenyan parliamentary election, 2007
Kenyan parliamentary election, 2007
Parliamentary elections in Kenya were held as part of the Kenyan general election on December 27, 2007; presidential elections were held on the same date....
.
He comes from the village of Karare. In his early twenties, Lekuton left for America to study Government, Economics and History at St. Lawrence University
St. Lawrence University
St. Lawrence University is a four-year liberal arts college located in the village of Canton in Saint Lawrence County, New York, United States. It has roughly 2300 undergraduate and 100 graduate students, about equally split between male and female....
in upstate New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
. He taught at The Langley School in McLean, Virginia
McLean, Virginia
McLean is an unincorporated community and census-designated place in Fairfax County in Northern Virginia. The community had a total population of 48,115 as of the 2010 census....
, before leaving for Harvard University
Harvard University
Harvard University is a private Ivy League university located in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States, established in 1636 by the Massachusetts legislature. Harvard is the oldest institution of higher learning in the United States and the first corporation chartered in the country...
where he earned a Masters degree in International Education policy at the Harvard Graduate School of Education
Harvard Graduate School of Education
The Harvard Graduate School of Education is one of the graduate schools of Harvard University, and is one of the top schools of education in the United States. It was founded in 1920, the same year it invented the Ed.D...
. Joseph Lekuton is a prolific writer and a gifted public speaker. His book Facing the Lion: Growing Up Maasai in the African Savanna was published by the National Geographic.
His book is about his life as a Massai child up until the point of him graduating college.
Over the years Lekuton has sought to improve the education stardards among his nomadic community believing that this is the surest way to upward social mobility. Through Nomadic Kenyan Children Education Fund (www.nkcef.org) and the Boma Fund Inc and number of Kenyan children have a descent shot at better life through education. For his hardwork and tireless efforts Lekuton was recognized by the Kenyan government - he is the youngest recipient of the presidential honor.
External links
- TED Talks: Joseph Lekuton tells a parable for Kenya at TED GlobalTED (conference)TED is a global set of conferences owned by the private non-profit Sapling Foundation, formed to disseminate "ideas worth spreading"....
in 2007 - http://www.nkcef.org for more about his background and contributions to education in Kenya
- http://www.gse.harvard.edu/news_events/ed/2007/winter/features/lekuton.html in Ed. magazine, Harvard Graduate School of Education.