NAACP Gives President's Award to a Kenyan Teacher

Mwalimu Peter Ndiangui

The National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP), Lee County Florida Branch gave this year’s President’s Award for this year to Peter Ndiang’ui, a Kenyan teacher. The award was announced during the NAACP Freedom Fund Dinner held in Fort Myers, Florida early this month. This award is given to the person who is believed to have made the greatest contribution to the advancement of the goals of the NAACP. Mr. James Muwakkil, the branch President noted that the award was given to Peter Ndiang’ui in recognition of his incredible work with the youth of Lee County. Ndiang’ui is the Chairperson of Afro-American Cultural, Technological and Scientific Olympics (ACT-SO), the committee of NAACP that deals with building talents of high school students from different schools in the county. Last summer, he nurtured and developed a group of Florida high school students and took them to the national competition held in Los Angeles, California.

In giving the award, President Muwakkil noted that, by working with the youth from all walks of life without discrimination, Peter Ndiang’ui  has been instrumental in bringing diverse groups together. “ He has contributed so much to the healing of the community from deeply entrenched painful wounds.” President Muwakkil noted that Peter has served as a great motivator and through his work, several high school students have realized their abilities and gone on to become more useful members of the community. “He is undoubtedly the motivator of the year,” President Muwakkil said of the award recipient.

As the chairperson of the ACT-SO committee, Peter Ndiang’ui is also a member of the NAACP executive committee. President Muwakkil also noted that Peter has been instrumental to the advancement of the branch. “I have benefitted a great deal from his advice”, he stated. It was also noted that Peter Ndiang’ui is always cheerful and he works closely with all executive members. “He is a beam of light to the team,” President Muwakkil also stated.

In receiving the award, Peter Ndiang’ui, stated that he was deeply honored by the award. “To be counted among the many NAACP luminaries who have received the same award in the past is a humbling experience,” he noted. He stated that he loves working with the youth in memory of his late son Kevin who passed away in a road accident six years ago. He thanked the branch president and the nominating committee for this recognition.
    
Mwalimu Peter Ndiang’ui, as he is fondly referred to, hails from Mathakwa-ini Village in Nyeri. In Kenya, he lastly taught in the prestigious St. Mary’s School, Nairobi for twelve years. He migrated to USA in 1997 as an expatriate teacher in Atlanta International School. He taught there for five years before migrating to the warmer Fort Myers located in Southwest Florida in 2002. Early this year, he won the Lighthouse Award for being the teacher of the year for the second year in a row. He is one of the most highly recognized teachers in USA. Kenyans at home and in the Diaspora are proud of you Mwalimu. You make us all look good. Congratulations on this recent win.