Born in Nakuru County, Regina Utita Opondo is the Executive Secretary at the Constitution and Reform Education Consortium (CRECO), a position she’s held since August 2013.
Regina attended Loreto Convent Secondary School and later on joined St. Mary’s School Nairobi. After high school, Regina was privileged to join the University of Leeds in the United Kingdom, where she undertook her undergraduate course and later on, solidified her studies at the University of Bradford, where she pursued her masters in Gender and Women Studies.
Regina comes from a close knit family of four. Two brothers and a sister are the rocks of her life. When her soul is restless and the will to face daily challenges fizzles out, her siblings come in handy to provide comfort. A bond she cherishes and promises to honour forever.
After high school, Regina moved to Nairobi, where she has lived in different neighbourhoods; Madaraka, Kenyatta and South C.
Witty and charming, Regina vividly recalls her first day in nursery school. On the very day, a day that could shape and mark her future; her dad had dropped her off in school with a promise to come back in a few minutes as he had gone to pick her mum. That was never to be. She wailed all day and the only comfort she could get was from her nursery school teacher, Sr. Emilia Paris who held on by her side until her dad came to pick her up at lunch time.
At some point in life, Regina wanted to be a nun, but Sr. Edel advised her that by doing so, she might not be able to take up political posts. The young Regina aspired to be among top change makers in the country, she shelved those plans. Here she is now, loving what she does best. However, Regina ranks Religious Sisters and Nuns as the people she admires most because they silently work on justice and peace issues without receiving any recognition or appreciation from the society.
"I love working with communities, and my motivation and inspiration comes when communities I have worked with are nurtured and empowered enough to handle arising issues on their own," she emphasises.
In her day-to-day bustle, Regina has worked as a Programmes Coordinator/ Deputy Executive Secretary for 1 year and 5 months. For four years, she worked as the Programme Officer - Governance and Democracy/Parliamentary Liaison at the Kenya Episcopal Conference - Catholic Justice and Peace Commission.
Her vision for our country is to have a Kenya where our preamble is not just a lofty aspiration but a reality, that each and every Kenyan strives to achieve and maintain daily. “Am I the only one who gets emotional reading the preamble of COK 2010?” she poses.
"I wouldn’t be where I am today, were it not for the angels that have held my hand and continue to guide me through my journey in life. Friends, mentors, colleagues and family have been pillars and have helped shape my career path," she says.
Besides working towards the realisation of a better Kenya, Regina’s hobbies include watching TV and movies. She loves mystery series, Sci –Fi, comedy, cooking shows and documentaries on pop culture. She also adores cooking and eating. To keep her body fit and healthy, Regina swims and works out occasionally.
"I have an eye on art. I paint and does crafts. Art is supposed to be my side way of making that extra coin given the harsh economic condition in the country, but unfortunately," she goes on, "I am not very good in business. But I am still flirting with the idea of becoming a fully fledged artist someday."
5 random things people don't know about Regina Utita Opondo
• She has previously worked as a waitress and a cleaner;
• She has 6 names she is Catholic and African;
• She used to sit on the board of a Community Based Organisation called Street Child Alliance that works with youth that are at risk, to keep them in school; (My term Ended 6th April 2015)
• She has two God- Daughters who she’s proud of; One is a doctor and the other started nursery school last year;
• Her favourite food is her mum’s Athola stew with Osuga and brown Ugali.
CRECO Trust is a network of civil society organisations that belong to the broad human rights, governance and democracy category of NGOs. CRECO was founded in 1998, even though its history dates as far back as 1992 when NGOs involved in human rights, democracy and governance begun to proliferate. CRECO’s membership comprises 23 CSOs united in the vision of a just society. CRECO is committed to promoting constitutionalism, democratic governance and institutional excellence through coordination and capacity building of CSOs.
CRECO membership is drawn from both urban and rural-based NGOs working in 47 counties of Kenya. The composition of the membership is multi-sectoral, with organisations that deal in sectors such as youth, women, workers, and pastoralist communities in Northern Kenya, ethnic minorities in Rift Valley, Coastal communities, urban and rural squatters among others.
Jukumu Letu is one of the initiatives that Regina has been involved in. The initiative works with, CSOs, artists and media, to mobilise Kenyan citizens to take action on the implementation of the Constitution of Kenya (promulgated in August 2010). Jukumu Letu also exercises the eternal vigilance to its full implementation. This involves the creation, with community groups and persons, of innovative and relevant traditional and new media interventions that become the hall marks of citizens’ mobilisation for action.
Website
http://www.crecokenya.org/
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