Like an oasis in the desert, the story of Dr Jerono is like a movie script. Against all odds, the village girl has sprung out of the struggles of the abhorred cut that is female genital mutilation and the chaos of cattle rustling; growing up deep in the shrubby countryside of Elgeyo Marakwet.
“No matter where you are from, your dream is valid,” Dr Jerono aptly sums up her life borrowing from the famous quote from Oscar-award-winning actor Lupita Nyong’o.
“I want to inspire girls in marginalised communities so that they can achieve their dreams and later bring change to their people. Even amid drought, some flowers blossom,” says Dr Jerono.
In 2003, armed with a strong desire to pursue a course in agriculture, 39-year-old Dr Jerono dared to dream.
"No matter where you are from, your dream is valid."
All factors stood against her. While her parents wanted her to pursue a course in medicine or economics, her heart wanted something else.
In high school, she would read magazines from the Netherlands and Denmark, and the beautiful pictures of flowers grown in greenhouses and jersey cows grazing only increased her passion for the course.
Just before reporting to the University of Nairobi to kick off her course in Bachelor of Science in Agriculture General, her family had organised a small party to celebrate the huge milestone.
“I remember one of our neighbours whispering that I was going for a course that involved walking around with hoes and machetes. The statement stuck in my mind, but it never dampened my spirit,” says a calm Dr Jerono.
She started her career as a livestock production officer in 2009 and climbed the ladder to be a chief research scientist with a major role in breeding coffee varieties CRI, Ruiru, 13 years later.
Currently, her role includes breeding coffee varieties with a focus on developing varieties that are adaptable to the environment, resulting in high yields.
“CRI is currently the sole producer of coffee seeds in the country, so I am in charge of the production of the seeds and supply to the farmers,” says the mother of three.
By 35, Dr Jerono had graduated with her master’s degree and defended her PhD at the University of Nairobi.
“I gave myself a limit. I wanted to graduate with my PhD at 30, although that was not possible. Luckily, at 35 and while my last born child was only three months old, I defended my thesis. It was because of self-discipline and self-drive,” says Dr Jerono, who is a motivation to many back home.
When not at the office or in the field, you will find her at the fruit farm she owns with her husband in Kerio Valley.
“To the young people, nothing is impossible, our minds can stretch to the furthest, it is not limited. It is all in your mind,” she says.
– By Angeline Ochieng
