From Darkness to Dawn: Cyprine's Journey to Empowering Kenyan Women

Country of origin: Kenya
ALICT Class of 2017

Time spent in prison and at ALICT shaped Cyprine Omollo’s vision, empowering her to serve formerly imprisoned Kenyan women by helping them reunite and reconcile with their families.

 Today, she works with children, girls, and women affected by the criminal justice system. 

Cyprine is a widow and mother to a teenage daughter. She was born in Nairobi and is still based there. The daughter of farmers Roger and Beatrice Omollo, she initially studied Animal Health and Production.

Cyprine (far left) at the Remand Section of Lang’ata Women’s Maximum Security Prison. “We visited to bring hope to the women and share the love of Christ with them during Christmas.”

She joined ALICT in 2017 after a challenging period in her life. “My husband had a severe heart condition, and as the sole breadwinner, I faced immense financial pressure. Sadly, during this time, I was conned out of money. Unable to meet my financial obligations, I lost my job, my husband, and eventually ended up in prison due to debt. I served six months in prison.”

During her imprisonment, she recognised the lack of support systems for women leaving prison in Kenya. “After my release in 2017, I was introduced to ALICT, which became a turning point in my life and the start of my journey in supporting formerly imprisoned women.”

Through ALICT, Cyprine helped create the Ufunuo Leadership Programme, a curriculum designed to assist women in prison. “This programme has played a crucial role in empowering women during their incarceration and aiding their reintegration into society. Ufunuo focuses on leadership development, personal growth, and reconciliation.”

Cyprine now runs the Ufunuo Leadership Programme. “To date, we’ve trained Trainers of Trainers (TOTs) and empowered 334 women across 9 prisons in Kenya.”
Reflecting on her journey, she is proud to see the vision she outlined in 2017 come to life. Before ALICT, there was no structured programme for women in prison.
“Today, thanks to the lessons I gained at ALICT, we have a curriculum that is making a real impact. 80% of the women who have gone through the Ufunuo programme have reconciled with their families and successfully reintegrated into society. This transformation is a testament to God’s grace and the power of resilience.”