Enid Moraa Onkoba is a lady on a journey and firmly believes that virtue is possible. That she is a virtuous woman works well to highlight her already-present beauty and elegance. Every single time I met her, except for one occasion, she was travelling out of town. Kitale, Meru, and some town in Tanzania – those are the only ones I remember. She always seemed to be going somewhere interesting. With all her travels, missions, and her profession as a microbiologist, few would imagine that Enid actually has found time to pursue one of her greatest passions, music. She is a member of Sifa Voices, headed by renowned Kenyan musician Reuben Kigame, who also happens to be her spiritual and musical mentor, father and friend. For a few weeks, Enid and I had planned to exchange samples of this one passion we share (aside from Christ),  but each time, something came up – we either forgot or were unable to meet. Finally, she remembered – and instead of giving me an Imation CD, which is what I expected, she presented a professional, wrapped album that was complete and ready for sale. I was impressed.

When I ask why she sings, Enid says, “I can’t seem to stop even if I wanted to,” and smiles. Then she continues, “No, seriously, it’s the one thing that make me truly happy and keeps God around. He dwells in the praises of His people, remember? I like to keep Him around – it helps. No matter how low I am, singing about Him lifts me right out of it.” It is when she asks, “Would you stop singing?” that I realize I know exactly where she’s coming from and agree with her entirely.

Enid grew up in Kitale, a small town in Western Kenya. “There,” she says, “everybody knows you and you know everyone, it’s one big family and your neighbours’ parents had the right to spank you if caught being naughty. My immediate family, however, has five members.” Her mother, Janet, loved to farm. “My most memorable childhood memories are of harvesting maize. No one could escape that. We’d come back home tired and bruised and my mom would nurse every single scratch, only to put us to the same task the very following day. [I'm] glad she finally gave up farming. We also had tiny vegetable gardens my mother made us keep, at first, we did it begrudgingly but we learned to love it.”

Her father, David, read the family Bible stories every night. “I really loved that,” Enid says. “He would read with an animated voice and the effect was spectacular. Thanks to him I can still remember intricate details of most bible stories.”

Enid has two brothers, Abraham and Sam, and is the only girl. Her family members are her greatest fans and they help keep her spiritually grounded. She is confident that it is by God’s grace and by their support that she is where she is today. Her busy schedule is no excuse for her to escape the chores whenever she goes home. “Every day I spend with my family is the happiest moment of my life,” she says. “For most people, that is unimaginable but for real, you should meet my parents and brothers then you’ll know exactly what I mean.”

Enid, who worships with the Pentecostal Evangelistic Fellowship of Africa, knew what she was doing when she got born again on 5^th December, 1997, a date she clearly remembers. “I grew up in a Christian environment and the things of God were firmly implanted in me from a tender age so my decision to receive Christ was a very natural transition. The road has been rough, to say the least, and like every Christian I have had my fair share of struggles, sometimes to a point where I find myself asking God ‘why do You let me struggle with this, yet You have the power to simply take it away?’ He has on occasion spared me so much pain and suffering but most of the time He has reminded me His grace is sufficient and it has been more than sufficient for me.”

God’s grace was sufficient even during the violence that rocked Kenya in the months after the 2007 elections. Enid lost everything she owned. “I can’t begin to tell you what exactly I went through but I learned that it doesn’t matter how much wealth we amass. It can be lost in a second. We all need to learn to treasure God for who He is and not what He can do for us or what we can get from Him.”

The story behind Enid’s album, Wewe ni Bwana (You are Lord), is an interesting one, wrought with struggles, persistence and endurance. She recorded the album at Reuben Kigame’s studio while still pursuing her Bachelor of Science in Microbiology at Moi University in Eldoret, Kenya. She had to align her priorities and plan her time. Wewe ni Bwana, the title song, was written last. “I had almost run out of ideas – writer’s block maybe. But I remember telling God I need Him to give me one more song. Two days later, I wrote the song Wewe ni Bwana start to finish without editing anything and it’s amazing how God has used that particular song for His glory.”

I ask Enid about “Yakuti” issues like I call them. I try to get her definition of beauty. “I would generally describe beauty as a property that makes the subject in question irresistible.” She explains, citing the late Mercy Kigame as an example. “In the years that I got to know and interact with  her, even on her very bad days I knew without a doubt I wanted to be just like her in every way. If other people can be encouraged to be better people just watching you live your life – that’s beauty, baby! Looks do not make the woman. What lies within eventually comes to the surface and it’s in your best interest if it is something nice like kindness.”

We venture into dressing and make-up and she gets stern in her classic, funny way. “Hii maneno ya kuvaa nguo juu uliona nani amevaa na anakaa poa (this business of wearing something just because so-and-so wore it and looks nice) needs to stop. Find out what works for you and what you are comfortable in – you are going to be in it all day.”

Her advice to us? “The African woman is beautiful in every way. God has given us beautiful skin that isn’t prone to disease, curves that are the envy of many… we need not worry and focus too much on the outside, it’s there already. Why not spend that time doing the important stuff like being better Christians, better employees, wives, sisters, friends, and mothers?”

How do I know that Enid believes virtue is possible? All I had to do was ask her.”Being a woman of virtue is not unattainable as perceived by many neither is it easily achieved,” she responded. “It takes daily commitment and conscious effort but the results are so worth it. How do you know you are there? People won’t be able to shut up. Mercy’s been gone two years and I still talk about her.”

Enid used to play very good netball “till I discovered French fries. However, I have one solid belief. I can excel at anything I set out to do. God promises it and I have seen it to be true in my life.” In her free time, she plays the piano, listens to music, swims, or reads scientific literature. “When I don’t feel like doing any of the above… I sleep.”

Her journey is not about to end. She is not done studying, and would like to further her education. She says, in closing, “I am not where I want to be in regard to virtue but I am determined to get there and I will. Watch this space.”

I’m definitely watching prayerfully! Let’s keep Enid in our prayers, ladies!

POSSIBLY RELATED ARTICLES:

1. Lessons in Virtue for 2009 by Cynthia Banda. It is already almost a year since we talked about having a virtuous 2009. Time has truly...
2. Beauty Inside Out Oh the joys of being chic and glamorous! To walk into a room and bam! silence, all eyes on you...
3. Zippy Okoth: Beauty and Brains Getting to interview a very busy Zippy Okoth was such an adventure, but we are glad we can finally feature...

5 Responses to “ASK Enid Moraa, a Woman on a Journey”