Joseph Lemasolai Lekuton (born 1968 or 1969) is a Kenyan politician. He belongs to the Orange Democratic Movement (ODM) and was elected to represent the

Laisamis Constituency Laisamis Constituency is an electoral constituency in Kenya. It is one of four constituencies in Marsabit County Marsabit County is a county in Kenya. Covering a surface area of 66,923.1 square kilometres. Marsabit is the second largest count ...

in the

National Assembly of Kenya The National Assembly of the Republic of Kenya is one of the two Houses of the Parliament of Kenya. Between 1966 and 2013, it served as a unicameral house. In 2013 ( 11th Parliament), it became the lower house when the Senate was reestablish ...

since the

2007 Kenyan parliamentary election General elections were held in Kenya on 27 December 2007. Voters elected the President, and members of the National Assembly. They coincided with the 2007 Kenyan local elections. Incumbent Mwai Kibaki, running on a Party of National Unity (PN ...

and reelected in 2013. He joined

Kenya Kwanza Kenya Kwanza ( Swahili: "Kenya First") is a Kenyan political alliance currently headed by William Ruto. The political coalition currently forms the majority side in both the National Assembly as well as the Senate of Kenya. It was formed in the ...

after being elected in the 2022 Kenyan general election.

Early life and education

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 New York most commonly refers to: * New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York * New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States New York may also refer to: Film and television * '' ...

. He taught at The Langley School in

McLean, Virginia McLean ( ) is an unincorporated community and census-designated place (CDP) in Fairfax County in Northern Virginia. McLean is home to many diplomats, military, members of Congress, and high-ranking government officials partially due to its proxim ...

, before leaving for

Harvard University Harvard University is a private Ivy League research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Founded in 1636 as Harvard College and named for its first benefactor, the Puritan clergyman John Harvard, it is the oldest institution of higher le ...

where he earned a Master's degree in International Education policy at the

Harvard Graduate School of Education The Harvard Graduate School of Education (HGSE) is the education school of Harvard University, a private research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Founded in 1920, it was the first school to grant the EdD degree and the first Harvard school ...

Career

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

National Geographic ''National Geographic'' (formerly the ''National Geographic Magazine'', sometimes branded as NAT GEO) is a popular American monthly magazine published by National Geographic Partners. Known for its photojournalism, it is one of the most widely ...

. The book is about his life as a Maasai child up until the point of him graduating college. Over the years, Lekuton has sought to improve the education standards among his nomadic community, believing that this is the surest way to upward social mobility. Through the Nomadic Kenyan Children Education Fund (www.nkcef.org) and the Boma Fund Inc, a number of Kenyan children have a decent shot at better life through education. For his hard work and tireless efforts, Lekuton was recognized by the Kenyan government – he is the youngest recipient of the presidential honor. In October 2015, Hon. Lekuton was recognized by the President of Kenya during the

Mashujaa Day Heroes' Day or National Heroes' Day may refer to a number of commemorations of national heroes in different countries and territories. It is often held on the birthday of a national hero or heroine, or the anniversary of their great deeds that m ...

celebrations and awarded Chief of Burning Spear, First Class (CBS).

References

External links

* *
"A parable for Kenya" (TEDGlobal 2007)

for more about his background and contributions to education in Kenya

1960s births Living people Kenya African National Union politicians Members of the National Assembly (Kenya) Harvard Graduate School of Education alumni Place of birth missing (living people) {{Kenya-politician-stub