NAIROBI, Kenya Aug 6 – Tributes continue to pour in for trailblazing politician and women’s rights champion Dr. Phoebe Asiyo, who will be buried this Friday at her home in Wikondiek Village, Homa Bay County.Her distinguished service to the country in various capacities lives on, with the Child Welfare Society of Kenya (CWSK) honouring her legacy as a pioneer of child rights.Asiyo, who passed away on July 16 at the age of 90 in North Carolina, USA, served as the Chief Executive Officer of the Society from 1969 to 1980. She succeeded the late Pamela Mboya, who stepped down following the tragic assassination of her husband, Thomas Joseph Mboya, on July 5, 1969.The CEO and Managing Trustee of the Child Welfare Society of Kenya, Irene Mureithi, described Mama Phoebe Asiyo as a towering figure in the field of child care and protection, noting that she played a pivotal role in the development of child welfare systems in Kenya.Ms Mureithi highlighted that Asiyo’s visionary leadership significantly expanded the Society’s reach to vulnerable children across the country.“If one were to crown a person as the embodiment of love, protection and unwavering concern for the welfare of Kenya’s children, Dr. Phoebe Muga Asiyo would wear that crown with unmatched grace” she said.“We honour and celebrate the life of a distinguished and devoted life member of Child Welfare Society of Kenya (CWSK), colleague, and mentor. Dr Asiyo dedicated herself whole-heartedly to the Society’s mission to promote and secure the rights of children and vulnerable young persons, enabling them to realise their full potential”, she mourned the revered public servant.She highlighted her deep commitment to orphaned, abandoned and at-risk children helped shape Kenya’s adoption and family-based care frameworks that laid the foundation for progressive child protection.“She personally received children from across the country, addressed their needs, including helping to place some of them in families. She also served as Guardian Ad Litem (representing children interests in court) for many of them”, she revealed.One of the key milestones under her stewardship, Ms Mureithi states, was the approval of CWSK as an Adoption Society, mandated to provide adoption, guardianship and foster care services on behalf of the government.“She was a strong advocate for the sector and actively lobbied for increased government funding for children’s services, including a personal appeal to then President Mwai Kibaki to increase funding for CWSK—an appeal that was effected in the 2010 national budget”, she said.Dr Asiyo’s zeal and advocacy for children rights shaped the Society’s early policy and advocacy efforts the organisation emphasizes brought compassion and boldness to her role, often challenging societal norms and legislative gaps that left children and women unprotected.“Her vision was simple, yet profound: every child deserves a safe, nurturing, and loving home. Even after transitioning into the demanding world of politics, her commitment to the wellbeing of Kenya’s children remained unchanged” she adds.Long after her tenure at CWSK, Dr Asiyo continued to be a guiding presence mentoring me personally and steadfastly championing her bold, compassionate vision for the welfare of children.“As we reflect on her extraordinary life, we are reminded that true leadership is selfless service to humanity. Mama Phoebe served with grace, wisdom and purpose” she said as she extended her heartfelt condolences to her family, friends and all whose lives she touched.She will also be remembered for giving thousands of disadvantaged children families and temporary shelter from the Coast at Mji Wa Salama in Mombasa to Eastern at the Children’s Homes in Isiolo and Embu.From the Rift Valley she opened the Nakuru’s Arap Moi Children’s Home to Kanduyi Children’s Home in Bungoma, Western Kenya; from Mama Ngina Children’s Home in Nairobi to Nyanza at Kisii Children’s Home and Mama Ngina Children’s Home, Kisumu.“You gave thousands of disadvantaged children not just care, but a reason to live. Many of them are now accomplished men and women in Kenya and beyond, while others are still being nurtured in the very institutions you helped build—places rooted in your values of professionalism, compassion and love”, Ms Mureithi said.