The Military Wives Association of Kenya (MWAK) Executive Committee recently held a series of strategic meetings.
The meetings, held on 2nd, 14th, and 26th August 2025 aimed to strengthen leadership capacity, align members with MWAK’s mission and strategic direction, and plan for impactful activities and programs for the 2025/2026 fiscal year aligning with the signed Memorandums of Understanding (MOUs) while laying the groundwork for the 2026–2030 Strategic Plan.
The first meeting, held on 2nd August 2025 at DHQ Officers Mess, served as an orientation session for the associations leadership and pillar heads focusing on:
- Deepening understanding of MWAK’s mission, vision, values, policies, and operations.
- Equip members with knowledge to perform their roles effectively.
- Align the team with MWAK’s strategic direction.
- Foster teamwork and a shared sense of purpose.
- Clarify roles and responsibilities
The below mentioned members were assigned roles for successful conduct of the 2025/2026 programs:
Executive Committee
Chairperson: Mrs. Grace Kahariri
Vice Chairperson: Mrs. Hellen Omenda
Secretary: Mrs. Rose Nganga
Assistant Secretary: Mrs. Agnes Muteti
Treasurer: Mrs. Lucy Nyagah
Assistant Treasurer: Mrs. Elizabeth Ikenye
Pillar Heads
- Education: Mrs. Hellen Omenda
- Housing: Mrs. Naomi Mwinyikai
- Partnerships, Collaboration & Funding: Mrs. Fatuma Gula
- Mentorship: Mrs. Jane Rugendo
- Health: Mrs. Knight-Lekolool
- Protocol & Public Relations: Mrs. Annabel Mutuku
- Special Needs: Mrs. Fridah Gatere
- Veteran Affairs: Mrs. Elizabeth Ikenye
- Widows and Orphans: Mrs. Regina Mulwa
- Recreation & Wellbeing: Mrs. Dorcas Kipketich
- Monitoring & Evaluation: MWAK Office Team
The consequent meetings held on 14th and 26th August 2025 at MWAK Office focused on planning the 2025/2026 budgetary activities, aligning them with signed MOUs, thematic areas, ongoing programs, regional needs, KDF welfare initiatives, as well as national and global events.
The committee also laid the groundwork for the development of the 2026-2030 MWAK Strategic Plan.
Key Highlights from the Meetings
- Leadership Insights: The Chairperson Mrs. Grace Kahariri, emphasized the importance of visionary leadership in organizational growth, urging the team to build strong relationships and inspire others toward shared goals. She quoted Ralph Nader: “The function of leadership is to produce more leaders, not more followers.” She also echoed Rosalynn Carter: “A leader takes people where they want to go. A great leader takes people where they don’t necessarily want to go, but ought to be.”
In her own words, she added: “We are not serving because we have been called to serve, but because we believe that our commitment to service will change lives positively, make lives better, and above all, make a difference.” She underscored this with Mahatma Gandhi’s reminder: “Service to humanity is service to God.”
- Membership Fees: The committee unanimously agreed to revise the membership fee from Ksh. 1,500 to Ksh. 500 to facilitate membership card processing and encourage greater participation.
- Partnerships and Collaborations: MWAK’s partnership efforts were lauded, with tangible benefits already being realized with more being promised. The benefits include donations, scholarships, and economic empowerment opportunities for KDF families. Several MOUs have been signed recently with key partners among them:- Safaricom Foundation, BethanyKids Ltd, Kenya Institute of Special Education (KISE), and KCB Bank & KCB Foundation.
- Most recently, on 26th August 2025, the Executive Committee led by Mrs. Grace Kahariri, MWAK held a meeting with Mr. Daniel Ndambuki (Churchill) and Ms. Sharon from Chacho Kids Experience to explore a potential partnership. He expressed his commitment to supporting children’s mentorship initiatives in collaboration with MWAK, focusing on empowering and bringing joy to KDF dependents, particularly children to include those with special needs through a proposed Kids Festival in November 2025.
- The leadership team handed over diaper donated by the Defence Attaché of China to KDF personnel families with special needs children. The donation was symbolically received by two beneficiary families, with Mr. Daniel Ndambuki (Churchill) also present.
- Upcoming Activities deliberations: roll out of activities to be done in consultation with MWAK regional leaders, members and partners.
Among the activities are;-conducting educational mentorship in KDF-sponsored schools, planning of TVET Cohort 4 roll-out, Kids Festival in partnership with Daniel Ndambuki (Churchill) and drafting of the MWAK 2025–2029 Strategic Plan.
Registered and fully paid-up MWAK members will benefit from the planned activities. Wives of serving, retired, and deceased KDF personnel are therefore encouraged to register.
MWAK leadership calls upon all members to join hands in implementing these initiatives and looks forward to a successful rollout of impactful programs for the benefit of its members and KDF families at large.
