Fahima Araphat: Who is the 33-year-old elected as IEBC Vice Chairperson?
From the scenic shores of Shela village in Lamu County, Fahima Araphat was destined for success despite living in a patriarchal society that prioritized educating the boy child over the girl.
Her successful career at a fairly young age in Kenya thrust Fahima into the national scene, not just after President William Ruto chose her among the nine nominees for IEBC commissioners presented to him, but also her recent election to become the commission’s vice chairperson.
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During her grilling in Parliament, Fahima disclosed that she was born in 1992, grew up in Lamu, and schooled and worked mostly there despite having done her tertiary education in Nairobi.
KU and UoN alumni
The IEBC Vice Chairperson said that she graduated from Kenyatta University in 2014 with a bachelor’s degree in commerce before returning to the University of Nairobi, where she also graduated with a master’s degree in project planning.
Upon graduation, Fahima was quickly absorbed into the newly formed county government system, where she served as a ward administrator for her hometown of Shela from 2014 to 2017.
In the second five-year term of devolution in 2017, Fahima was promoted to become a County Executive Committee Member (CECM) in Lamu County, where she served in various dockets at a fairly young age.
Impressed JLAC
In her submissions before the Justice and Legal Affairs Committee (JLAC) in Parliament, Fahima revealed that she served in the lands, infrastructure, energy, finance and economic planning, tourism, trade investment and industrialization, agriculture, fisheries, livestock cooperatives, and blue economy dockets in Lamu County.
After exiting the CECM roles, she disclosed that she was appointed to serve at the Lamu County Public Service Board. It is while serving in this role that she revealed that she had the time to advance her studies.
“I have gained enough experience that will enable me to hold this national position at this juncture,” Fahima told JLAC during her vetting.
She equally wowed the committee members, who were impressed by her achievements at a fairly young age and her ability to respond to complex questions with ease and poise.
“I know it is not easy to make it this far, especially coming from a small marginalized community at the far end of Kenya. You are an inspiration to many girls and ladies all over this country, and it is not something that we are going to take lightly considering your age,” JLAC committee member Zulekha Harun remarked during the vetting.
