Simpson Moraa

‘Resilience and hard work will get you everywhere but keep your dignity above all is the only advice id give any lady out there that wants to venture into modelling’. This were the words of Jedidiah Ondigi who is both a lawyer and a professional model when I sort to know her story throughout this journey.

By just looking at the beautiful ladies participating in beauty pageants you and I would assume that this could be the easiest things to do. I mean who can’t walk and smile right? But that’s definitely not my thought after talking to Jedidiah as She narrates how her journey has been.

For Jedidiah she started her journey a model while in high school at statehouse girls high and would participate in inter-house and inter-classes beauty pageants. But she decided to take it up seriously while at the university. When I sort to know whether she does it as a full time or leisure time activity she said “I wouldn’t call it leisure. Am both a lawyer and a model by profession. I just find a way to do both without interfering with either”

Well she has managed to participate in so many pageants among which are MR &MISS Kabarak 2013 which was for the lack of a better term her stepping stone in her modelling career and opportunities started to open up. Other beauty pageants she participated in are MR&MISS campuses Nakuru county where she won. Later she participated in Miss Culture Nakuru which she also came out victorious. She also participated in Miss red cross Nakuru and Miss tourism Nakuru she managed to be first runners up in both. This so far is what we would call the pick of her career.

She narrates that the journey has not been as easy as it may sound since this particular field is really corrupt.it is also a bit costly especially when you don’t have a source of income to get the clothes and attires not to mention the gowns to participate in competitions.it comes to a [point that even designers ask for sexual advances from various people in the industry. And on a 2% basis you’d find someone who is willing to help you in your journey contrary to the 98% that will need something in return. And I was left wondering so what next for the ladies that want to go into modelling?

She however works as a freelance model since in our country the modelling agencies are either too expensive or depends on who you know and worse comes to worse you are asked for sexual favours. This statement totally broke my heart and I wondered if the government is doing anything to support the said field and the response was even more saddening.

With a sad curve on her face she said ‘our government is in the least involved except for the few pageants they get to organise that are obviously rigged or all the money put out for these selfish human beings ‘When I thought I had heard it all then she said ‘as a country we have a long way to go’. With all these I was left wondering if the government cannot be on the front line to support our young youths to make it in fields of interest then unfortunately I feel like we are failing as a nation.

After listening to how fierce this lady is I was curious to know who she looks up to, and once again she didn’t disappoint. She looks up to Naomi Campbell, who is an English model, actress, and businesswoman. Recruited at the age of 15, established herself amongst the most recognizable and in-demand models of the late 1980s and the 1990s^] and was one of six models of her generation declared supermodels by the fashion industry and the international press.However,In a few years to come she hopes to own one of the biggest modelling agencies in Kenya that will be out to protect models from the various challenges they face.