Narok Senator Ledama Ole Kina’s sister has made history after becoming the first black mayor in Strabane District, Nothern Ireland.
According to BBC, Lilian Seenoi-Barr was installed as mayor of Derry City and Strabane at a special council meeting on Monday, June 3.
Seenoi, a refugee from Kenya who came to Londonderry 14 years ago, said becoming the first citizen was a privilege.
“My appointment is a sign of celebration of difference, of a changing Northern Ireland, one where the binaries of the past are breaking down
“We are no longer just green and orange, and we have a chance to make new choices and build a new united community,” she said.
Seenoi added that she is looking forward to working for the community she is selected to serve.
“I will not be deterred from working as hard as I can for my entire community. I will be a mayor for everyone, one who will be accessible and one who will lead with hope
“The significance of this moment is not lost on me. This role presents an opportunity of a lifetime and I will approach it with the utmost seriousness and dedication.”
Seenoi also mentioned that since her selection was announced, she has been subjected to racist abuse and death threats.
However, she added that although the threats have been hurtful, she has received support from community organisations and politicians across the island.
“Of course there are some in recent weeks who have seen this history making moment as a threat and it is no secret that it has provoked anti immigrant sentiments
“That has been a reminder of the issues we face as a community, but I know that those sentiments find no home in Derry and they were not reflected by most people in our city and district,” she stated.
People who criticised her selection include conspiracy theorist Alex Jones who claimed that, “The WEF (World Economic Forum) is now installing invaders as mayors in Ireland just like in London”.
Approximately 300 individuals gathered at the Guildhall to witness Seenoi being presented with the mayoral chain of office.
The event was graced by family and friends of Seenoi along with a delegation of political figures from Kenya and members of other ethnic minority groups from Ireland.
She had already made history when she became the first black politician to be elected to any public office in Northern Ireland in 2023.
Seenoi retained her seat in the Foyleside ward with a victory in the 2023 election.
Seenoi from Mau Narok in Nakuru County and is a sister to Narok Senator Ledama Olekina.
Together with her five sisters and eight brothers, she was raised in the village of Ol Ombokishi, where she also attended the village school up till primary stage four.
Following that, she attended a school in Narok, where her mother owned a grocery.
After completing her secondary education, she enrolled in a university to study community development and women’s reproductive health.
Upon graduation from university, she rose to prominence as an advocate for gender rights among Maasai women, concentrating on forced marriage and female genital mutilation.
However, due of her work with Maasai women, she faced threats to her safety, which prompted her and her son to flee Kenya.
Seenoi arrived as a refugee in Northern Ireland in 2010, and she and her son were later assisted in applying for refugee status by the Changaro Trust.
In 2012, she founded North West Migrants Forum, and assisted in planning the Black Lives Matter demonstrations that were held in Derry’s Guildhall Square in 2020.
