By Beatrice Njenga
Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) is a male dominated field. As we celebrate successful students in the field, meet Maureen Atieno a Kenyan from Siaya County aged 24years. She completed craft Certificate in Road Construction at Kenya Institute of Highways and Building Technology (KIHBT) which hosts the Regional Flagship TVET Institute in Highway Technology.
Upon graduation, Atieno was employed in the road sector rising to the position of supervisor. She currently supervising road construction work on a half kilometre road in Imara Daima Estate for Maasai Enterprise Company which was contracted to undertake the construction.
She is a third born in a family of two girls and one boy. Maureen lost her parents at a tender age, and she had to live with her immediate relatives.
She therefore grew up with her male cousins who were pursuing Civil engineering and Quantity surveyor. “Both of them were attached to a local road construction project near our homestead and I would sneak from home to go watch them work.”
“The technical field is male dominated and I vowed to challenge myself and put my best foot forward.” It’s at this point that her passion towards acquiring a technical skill started sprouting from.
“I made a decision to pursue civil engineering, but I had to start from a craft Certificate in Road Construction,” she said.
Maureen completed her craft certificate and she’s now a supervisor on a half kilometer road in the estate.
She applauded the support from the Kenya Institute of Highways and Building Technology and that of her male peers for creating a conducive environment for her and other female students to study.
“Working at the site is a great experience because it’s an opportunity to learn more and to put the knowledge acquired in school into practice,” she said.
However, she has had a fair share of challenges as majority of her male counterparts at the site are yet to appreciate that women can be experts in a technical field and have valid views on technical matters.
The Writer is a Communication Officer for EASTRIP at Kenya Institute of Highways and Building Technology (KIHBT)
