Adelle Onyango

Adelle Onyango (born February 5, 1989) is a Kenyan radio presenter, social activist and media personality. She was selected as one of 2017's BBC100 Women and one of OkayAfrica's Top Women of 2018.

Adelle Onyango
Adelle Onyango on Hustle Yako in 2017
Born (1989-02-05) February 5, 1989
Kenya
Alma materUnited States International University
Known forSocial activism
Social media
AwardsBBC 100 Women
Okay Africa 100 Women

Early life and education

Onyango is from Kenya, but she attended high school in Botswana. In 2008 Onyango was raped by a stranger in Westlands, Nairobi.[1][2] She has since supported causes to support the victims of rape such as founding the campaign No Means No.[3] She studied journalism and psychology at United States International University Africa, where she specialised in public relations. She has always been interested in poetry, but felt there was not enough space for her and her fellow artists. In her final year at university she started an open mic night, where poets and musicians shared their work.[4] Whilst still at university she was headhunted by Then One FM, a Kenyan radio station, and recruited to host their drive time radio programme.[4] She lost her mother to breast cancer in 2012, which has motivated her to becoming involved with campaigns to promote awareness and treatments.

Career

Onyango worked as a presenter for the Kenyan radio station Kiss FM Nairobi, where she presented the Saturday breakfast show for seven years.[5] At Kiss FM she started a Saturday evening programme where she played African music. During her time at KISS she became a social media influencer, with her followers calling themselves #TeamAdelle.[6][7] She left Kiss FM in 2019.[5][8]

Intel announced that Onyango was of their She Will Connect ambassadors in 2015. In this capacity she has trained women in Africa to be more confident online and use the internet as a tool for empowerment. She has spoken out against online trolls, "...be better or grow up. Deal with your internal issues instead of projecting them on us,".[9] In 2016 Onyango established a mentorship programme, the Sisterhood, which offers support for women in Africa.[10] Through No Means No and Sisterhood Onyango helps women access therapies and safe houses, as well as offering confidence classes for victims of rape.[11][12] She has worked to champion Kenyan women[13] and young people, and launched a new initiative, Unapologetically African, in 2018.[14] As part of this effort she developed a work experience programme for high school students.[15]

She started the podcast Legally Clueless in 2019.[16][17]

Awards and honours

She was selected as one of BBC's top 100 Women in 2017.[18] In 2018 Onyango was selected as one of OkayAfrica's top 100 women.[11] She was one of two Kenyans included in the Africa Youth Awards' 100 Most Influential Young Africans in 2019.[19]

References
  1. Mukei, Cate. "I will never forgive the man who raped me - Radio presenter Adelle Onyango". Standard Digital News. Retrieved 2019-10-21.
  2. My rape ordeal - Adelle, retrieved 2019-10-21
  3. ""Silence is an Injustice to Ourselves..."Adelle Onyango's Word of Advice to Kenyan Women". Nairobi Wire. 2017-10-27. Retrieved 2019-10-21.
  4. "About Adelle". Adelle Onyango. Retrieved 2019-10-21.
  5. "Why radio presenter Adelle Onyango has quit Kiss 100". Nairobi News. Retrieved 2019-10-21.
  6. Odero, Diana (2016-12-07). "Adelle Onyango: Live your best life". She Leads Africa. Retrieved 2019-10-21.
  7. Unapologetic Adelle Onyango || Unscripted With Grace, retrieved 2019-10-21
  8. Anyango, Diana. "Adelle Onyango quits Kiss FM after seven years". Standard Digital News. Retrieved 2019-10-21.
  9. "Adelle Onyango's message to online trolls". Daily Nation (Kenya). Retrieved 2019-10-21.
  10. Milimo, Dennis (2016-11-18). "Adelle Onyango Set To Launch A Mentorship Campaign - The Sisterhood Series". Potentash. Retrieved 2019-10-21.
  11. "Adelle Onyango". OKAYAFRICA's 100 WOMEN. Retrieved 2019-10-21.
  12. ""As for the future, I say Cheers" Adelle Onyango Embraces Her New Lifestyle after Kiss 100 | khusoko (markets)". Retrieved 2019-10-21.
  13. Adelle Onyango - I'm passionate about women and girls, retrieved 2019-10-21
  14. Nzyoka, Mumbua Nzula (2018-12-14). "Unapologetically African by Adelle Onyango". KBC | Kenya's Watching. Retrieved 2019-10-21.
  15. "Adelle Onyango launches job shadowing initiative for youth – NRG.RADIO". Retrieved 2019-10-21.
  16. "Legally Clueless on Apple Podcasts". Apple Podcasts. Retrieved 2019-10-21.
  17. "PHOTO - Check Out Adelle Onyango's New Office After Leaving Kiss FM". Nairobi Wire. 2019-06-18. Retrieved 2019-10-21.
  18. "BBC 100 Women: Who is on the list?". 2017-11-01. Retrieved 2019-10-21.
  19. "Adelle Onyango, Teacher Tabichi, Governor Sang named among the 2019 100 most influential young Africans". The Sauce. 2019-10-03. Retrieved 2019-10-21.
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