Page 30 - EdSource Issue No02

30 One on One

THE STEADFAST

CHAMPION OF WOMEN

IN EDUCATION

INTERVIEW: BENTA OPANDE
The Editor had the pleasure of meeting Ms. Benta Opande, Chief Executive Officer of the Kenya Women
Teachers Association - KEWOTA. A warm and amiable person, her story is one of passion, bravery and resil-
ience. “I think realizing that you’re not alone, that you are standing with millions of your sisters around
the world is vital.” – Malala Yuafzai So this quote by Malala Yuafzai is befitting and resonates very well
with her journey from the classroom to CEO, of the largest Women Association in Kenya.

Ms Benta Opande is a teacher
by profession, trained at Kenya
Science Teachers Training College,
KSTC. A career that started 35 years
ago, she remembers fondly her first
posting in 1989 to Parklands Boys
Secondary School, where she began
by teaching Chemistry, Biology and
Sports. But it is in teaching sports
where her passion for inspiring
people to excel and push the limits
was born, and was solidified when
she became the first female coach
of the school hockey team.

She recalls that when she started
coaching the boys, the team was
performing poorly but soon after,
the performance began to improve,
and by the time she left, the team

had gained recognition and was winning accolades in the National sports arena. It had become the team to beat.

This impressive performance enabled her to get her next posting to Buru Buru Girls High School, where in
addition to Hockey, she introduced Basketball. However, sports remained pretty much extracurricular activity,
with her main responsibility being teaching biology and chemistry.

This went on for some time until her excellence in managing the BuruBuru girls’ sports department was
recognized when her fellow teachers in Nairobi elected her as an executive committee member of the Nairobi
Secondary Sports Association.

EdSource Quarterly | Oct-Dec l 2021