Isiolo County, Kenya| Nasibo Wario, the visionary Chief Executive Officer of Girl Concern Community-Based Organization (CBO), has been conferred the highly respected Leadership Integrity Award by Transparency International Kenya in recognition of her outstanding ethical leadership and unwavering commitment to protecting the rights of girls and women.
The award, presented during a ceremony in Nairobi, celebrates individuals who demonstrate exceptional integrity, transparency, and courage in public service and community leadership.
For Nasibo Wario, the honor underscores more than a decade of tireless grassroots advocacy in one of Kenya’s most challenging regions for gender equality – Isiolo County and neighboring pastoralist communities.
A Lifelong Mission Against Harmful Cultural Practices
Under Nasibo’s leadership, Girl Concern CBO has become a beacon of hope and resistance against female genital mutilation (FGM), child marriage, gender-based violence, and systemic discrimination that continue to threaten girls across northern Kenya.
The organization has established safe houses and rescue centers that have provided refuge to hundreds of girls escaping forced cutting and early marriages.
Through sustained community sensitization campaigns, Girl Concern has succeeded in markedly lowering FGM prevalence in many targeted villages.
Nasibo and her team have trained hundreds of local champions—including religious leaders, elders, and young morans—who now actively advocate for girls’ rights from within their own cultural frameworks.
Girl Concern has forged strong partnerships with law enforcement agencies and county governments to ensure better enforcement of the Prohibition of Female Genital Mutilation Act (2011) and the Marriage Act (2014).
At the same time, the organization offers scholarships, mentorship, and psychosocial support, enabling dozens of at-risk girls to remain in school and build brighter futures rather than being married off at a young age.
“Nasibo has shown that integrity in leadership is not just about avoiding corruption – it’s about having the moral courage to challenge deeply entrenched harmful practices, even when it risks personal safety and social backlash,” Transparency International Kenya stated in its citation.
Why This Award Matters in the Fight for Gender Equality
In a region where cultural norms have long upheld early marriage and FGM as rites of passage, Nasibo Wario’s approach stands out for its rare combination of cultural sensitivity and uncompromising defense of human rights.
By turning traditional leaders, religious figures, and warriors into allies, she has fostered lasting change from within communities rather than imposing solutions from the outside.
The Leadership Integrity Award places Nasibo alongside Kenya’s most distinguished anti-corruption crusaders, environmental defenders, and human rights activists who have received the same honor in previous years.
A Beacon of Hope for Pastoralist Communities
Originally founded to protect girls in arid and semi-arid lands, Girl Concern has grown its reach into parts of Marsabit, Samburu, and Garissa counties.
Its comprehensive model—encompassing rescue, rehabilitation, education, and sustained community dialogue—has become a blueprint for organizations working in Kenya’s pastoralist regions.
“Receiving this award is not just a personal honor,” Nasibo Wario said after the ceremony. “It is recognition of every girl who has found the courage to say no to FGM and early marriage, every parent who chose education over tradition, and every community leader who stood with us. The fight is far from over, but together we are proving that change is possible.”
Looking Ahead: Scaling Impact Across Kenya
Buoyed by this national recognition, Nasibo and Girl Concern intend to push for increased budgetary support to end FGM and child marriage at both county and national levels, broaden digital literacy and economic empowerment programs for adolescent girls, and strengthen cross-border collaboration with Ethiopia and Somalia to combat cross-border FGM and child trafficking.
Transparency International Kenya emphasized that leaders like Nasibo Wario embody the ethical, people-centered leadership Kenya needs to achieve Sustainable Development Goal 5 (Gender Equality) by 2030.
As the country continues striving for a more just and equitable society, Nasibo Wario’s journey reminds us that profound change often begins with one resolute individual willing to lead with unwavering integrity.
Congratulations to Nasibo Wario and the entire Girl Concern family for this richly deserved recognition. Your light continues to guide Kenya’s girls toward a safer, brighter tomorrow.
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