In this inspiring episode of The Power Panel Podcast, Ambassador Raychelle Omamo sits down with Pauline Irungu, a leading public health policy advocate and current Director of Policy and Public Affairs at Accord for a Healthier World & Sub-Saharan Africa, Pfizer.

Pauline’s journey from rural Kenya to global leadership in health policy is a masterclass in tenacity, collaboration, and quiet influence. She shares how lessons from her grandmother, a Mau Mau treasurer, and her parents’ integrity have shaped her purpose-driven approach to leadership and service.

Discover how Pauline’s collaborative leadership style helped shape Kenya’s HIV/AIDS, child & maternal health policies, advance global maternal, newborn and reproductive health, advance health equity, and amplify African voices in international policy spaces.

💬 “Power in my sense is the ability to influence and create impact.” – Pauline Irungu

In this special reflections episode, we bring together the most powerful mantras shared by our incredible guests — words of wisdom, resilience, and leadership that will stay with you long after the conversation ends. Whether you’re seeking motivation, leadership insights, or a reminder of your own inner strength, these mantras are here to guide you.

In this episode of The Power Panel Podcast, Hon. Jane Njeri Maina, one of Kenya’s youngest parliamentarians, opens up about her journey from law school to the floor of the National Assembly. She shares candid reflections on breaking through patriarchal barriers, resisting political machinations, and holding onto integrity.

Hon. Maina speaks about cyberbullying, gatekeeping in politics, and why young leaders must stand firm against compromise. Her story is one of courage, resilience, and conviction — and a reminder that integrity remains the strongest form of leadership.

Don’t miss her Power Mantra on how she navigates the daily temptations of power.

Music Credits

Energetic Happy Upbeat Uplifting African Beat by King David: Pond 5

Joyful Vibes Upbeat African Rhythms & World Music by Prime Sounds: Pond 5

Fiesta Africa Upbeat Urban Dance, Guitar Happy by King David: Pond 5

In this riveting Power Panel episode, Carole Kimutai, a pioneering digital strategist and former Managing Editor of Tuko Media, takes us on a bold journey through innovation, risk-taking, and resilience.

She speaks candidly with Ambassador Raychelle Omamo about building Kenya’s first viral mobile news platform, working under intense pressure, and the evolution of journalism in the digital age.

Carole unpacks the power of storytelling, the nuances of leading across cultures, and her philosophy on failure, pressure, and female leadership. Don’t miss this masterclass in leadership, reinvention, and daring to break boundaries.

In this haunting and unforgettable Power Panel Bookshelf special, Ambassador Raychelle Omamo sits down with author and cultural curator Wanjiru Koinange to unpack her groundbreaking novel The Havoc of Choice, a fictional story rooted in the very real trauma of Kenya’s 2007 post-election violence.

Through deeply personal reflections and powerful readings, this episode explores how memory, grief, and silence shape the Kenyan national psyche.

We follow the lives of Kavata, her daughter Wanja, and a circle of unforgettable women as they navigate love, politics, and survival in a country on the brink. Wanjiru opens up about her creative process, her cause, and the courage it took to write one of Kenya’s most emotionally honest novels in recent history.

Themes Explored:

• Women’s voices in times of national crisis
• Father-daughter relationships
• Class, family, and the architecture of silence
• The lingering trauma of 2007
• Why we must remember to heal

Subscribe for more reflections, stories, and leadership lessons from the Power Panel. Get The Havoc of Choice wherever books are sold.

Listen to Wanjiru’s full leadership story in Episode 7 of Power Panel Echoes.

The reader is Bukonola Ngobi

Music credits:

• Michael Rothery - Not a game courtesy of Epidemic Sounds
• August Wihelmsson - Back on earth courtesy of Epidemic Sounds
• Wendel Sherer - Behind Bars courtesy of Epidemic Sounds
• Gavin Luke - May she rest courtesy of Epidemic Sounds
• Sad lofi afrobeat instrumental courtesy of Pond5
• Garden Friend - I will hold on to you courtesy of Epidemic Sounds
• Johannes Bornlof - Eye of the storm courtesy of Epidemic Sounds
• Miles Avida - The faults in my heart
• Ballpoint - Postcard paradise courtesy of Pond5

Sound effects courtesy of Epidemic Sounds

Photos Courtesy of Book Bunk

#PowerPanel #TheHavocOfChoice #WanjiruKoinange #KenyanLiterature #PostElectionViolence #AmbRaychelleOmamo #AfricanWomenWriters

What do we lose when we lose a library? In this moving episode of the Power Panel Podcast, Ambassador Raychelle Omamo sits down with author and cultural restoration advocate Wanjiru Koinange.

From co-founding Book Bunk Trust to breathing new life into Nairobi’s public libraries, Wanjiru shares how storytelling and space can become tools of healing, remembrance, and resistance. She speaks about the emotional burden of inherited silence and why public libraries are sites of dignity and collective memory.

This episode is a deep reflection on how we restore not just buildings, but ourselves. Listen as she shares what power means to her, how she finds clarity in chaos, and why stories, like libraries, must be protected.

Subscribe for more stories from Africa’s women leaders redefining legacy and leadership.

🔗 Stay connected: @PowerPanelPodcast | @BookBunk | @wanjiru.koinange

Photos Courtesy of Book Bunk

Music credits courtesy of Pond5:

Azahar - Dancehall afro zouk instrumental

Move closer Afrobeat

Echoes Africa afrobeat theme

In this intimate reflection, Ambassador Raychelle Omamo responds to a powerful letter from a young listener grappling with fear and self-doubt. She explores how fear shapes the journey of women in leadership—how it whispers, delays, protects, and sometimes propels.

Drawing from her own path and the stories of remarkable African women featured on the Power Panel, Ambassador Omamo reflects on how fear can be transformed into courage, clarity, and strength.

Quoted In This Episode: “You gain strength, courage and confidence by every experience in which you really stop to look fear in the face… I lived through this horror. I can take the next thing that comes along.” – Eleanor Roosevelt

“If your dreams don’t scare you, they are not big enough.” – Ellen Johnson Sirleaf

“There is no way but through it, there is no choice but forward.” – Maaza Mengiste

“You may not be able to control the waves, but you can learn how to surf.” – Susan Jeffers

“When I dare to be powerful, to use my strength in service of my vision, then it becomes less and less important whether I am afraid.” – Audre Lorde

Music and sound effects courtesy of Epidemic Sounds and Pond5

Sound Engineer: Tevin Sudi

Researcher: Peggy Kalie

Social Media Manager: Lucas Ngao

Administrator: Sombo Olende

Visit our website www.birdsongafrica.com to find out how to join our community.

Subscribe for more reflections, powerful conversations, and stories that shape Africa’s next generation of women leaders. Listen. Reflect. Reclaim your courage.

In Part 2 of this powerful conversation, Tatu Gatere, co-founder of Buildher, returns to dive deeper into what it truly means to build with purpose. From challenging "hustler culture" to redefining what expertise looks like in construction, Tatu shares her insights on innovation, leadership, and the cost of driving change. She unpacks the journey of creating Buildher as a community-driven solution, the surprises she's encountered working with women in construction, and the urgent need to advocate for safety and dignity on every worksite. We also explore what it takes to lead with vision — balancing discomfort, passion, and collective action.

Music:

Kora Melodies Afrobeat theme - courtesy of pond5.com

Echoes Sahara - courtesy of pond5.com

This is ECHOES. This is The Power Panel Podcast.

Sound Engineer: Tevin Sudi

Researcher: Peggy Kalie

Social Media Manager: Lucas Ngao

Administrator: Sombo Olende