Mentor, learner and history maker: Life and times of Elizabeth Wachianga

For Elizabeth Wachianga, what began as a vocation turned out to be a hobby and a sport, which would take her globe trotting to South Africa and the United States.

When the Chief Inspector in charge of weapons training and handling at the Kenya Prisons Staff Training College in Ruiru competed in her first shooting competition in 2013, she had no idea that she would be making history in Africa, three years later.

In 2016, Wachianga entered record books as the first black woman to compete at the International Defensive Pistol Association (IDPA) Africa Championships in Pretoria, South Africa.

“The wazungus (other participants) were surprised to see a black woman competing among them. It was quite a thrilling experience and an eye-opener from where I came home with a lot of ideas on how to improve my shooting,” the mother of two says.

It was just the beginning of a glittering career in shooting for Wachianga who subsequently represented the country in the 2017 and 2018 editions of the continental championship - also held down south.

She added another feather to her cap when she competed at the IDPA World Championship in Alabama in 2019.

However, due to the coronavirus pandemic, she was unable to compete at the 2020 edition in Italy as the international event was cancelled due to the ravaging virus in the European country.

Nevertheless, Wachianga counts her blessings that have come by way of this occupation-turned-hobby, which has been a great learning experience for her.

Lessons learnt

With a vast experience under her belt, Wachianga is no doubt in a vantage position to lecture on the ingredients to a successful shooting career.

Amidst all the pre-conditions for success, one word stands out in her piece of advice: discipline.

“Obviously, you need to have your own gun and also purchase ammo because in any IDPA-sanctioned event, you are not allowed to share these with other people. Also, you need to train consistently to perfect your shooting skills. However, above all, you need to be disciplined on and off the range. It is the utmost priority for anyone aspiring to be a shooter,” she explains.

She further explains that possessing a gun is no excuse to wield power and trod on other people unnecessarily to get your own way in the society.

“It is only for use when your life is ultimately at risk. Otherwise, in most instances, no one should even know that you have it. Maybe here on the range it is visible in the holster but once I am out of this place, it should be concealed safely. Holding a gun does not in any way equate to being powerful,” Wachianga says with a hearty laughter.

With age catching up with her, she is determined to mentor as many ladies to adopt shooting as a sport and reach — if not surpass — the heights she has scaled in her career.

“It would be my delight to see as many of my mentees go on to succeed in this sport. That is my vision for it in the coming years. I have been mentoring around 20 ladies in the defence forces and one civilian and am happy that many ladies are coming into the sport. This considering that I started out as the only lady shooter,” Wachianga says.

Her mentoring mission extends even to family circles where her son seems keen on following in the mother’s footsteps.

She hopes that her grandchildren will follow the same route and eventually establish a dynasty of shooting superstars on the globe courtesy of multiple trophies.

Surprisingly, Wachianga says people who are scared of guns and physically fragile often turn out to be the best shooters.

“ It is a step-by-step process; it first begins with a dry run without the gun to see how you would draw the gun, aim and return to the holster. After that, I will give you one round to see how you do. Usually, the slim ones do better than the bulky or muscular ones because they are flexible enough to move quickly through the obstacles. The muscular ones tend to use too much strength than necessary whereas the slim ones are more tactical,” she explains.

Memorable moment

Her trip to Alabama stands out as unforgettable due to the chance to visit a new place and the wealth of experience she gathered from the competition.

“Shooting has taken me to many new places. I would never have imagined going to visit the U.S.; it was a great chance to learn new skills in shooting in addition to the fact that I met  people from other countries and exchanged ideas with them. That opportunity to travel to other countries is rare and am thankful for that,” Wachianga says.

She believes there are many talented shooters in the country who only need the right support to  fine-tune their skills and fly the country’s flag high as a powerhouse.

“Shooting is a game like any other game and we need support to take us far even to the Olympics. Owning a gun is a difficult process and even acquiring ammo is quite expensive especially for the talented ones who may not have the financial means to access the required equipment,” she says.

Wachianga is a shooting star who has put the country on the map by virtue of being the first black woman at the IDPA Africa Championship. Even better is the fact that she is working tirelessly to enable many other black women in Kenya reach similar heights. 

Her story is evidence that passion for one's vocation pays more than just a salary in the bank account at the end of the month, rather it earns one a seat at the table of the who-is-who. 

Biography

Name: Elizabeth Anyango Wachianga

Title: Chief Inspector of Prisons (based at Prisons Staff Training College, Ruiru) in charge of weapons training and handling

Age: 53

Family: Two children (boy and girl) and two grandsons