Among the Maasai of Kenya, a person’s greatest possession is cattle. These nomadic pastoralists sometimes value their cows more than money, and at one time, the cows were certainly more important than education. Going to school was a foreign concept, brought by colonialism, and the Maasai were more content to follow their cattle to greener pastures than to learn their ABC’s.
It was in this environment that Dr. Morompi Ole-Ronkei was born. As he was growing up near a small village called Enoosaen, few people went to school and even fewer graduated, Ole-Ronkei said.
“Kids started going to school, but the completion rate was so low, because you’re not that interested,” he said. “The generation above mine, I think virtually all of them dropped out of school to become warriors.”
Ole-Ronkei was one of the few from his Uasinkishu clan who not only went to school, but finished high school and left his village to attend college abroad. He added to his list of accomplishments when he eventually received a doctorate degree.
He received much of his enviable education at the University. Ole-Ronkei arrived in Eugene in 1985, where he spent the next 10 years earning a bachelor’s degree in journalism, a master’s degree in interdisciplinary studies and a Ph.D. in journalism and communication. Now he helps others come to the United States to study.
At home in Kenya, Ole-Ronkei was concerned about the educational needs of his community. He said he wanted more of his people to have similar successes in education.
“They have the capability, they have the ability — just give them the opportunity,” he said.
According to Ole-Ronkei, large families and a lack of funding are two factors that impede the Maasai from going to school. Many Maasai families in his region are polygamous and have many children. Ole-Ronkei said it is difficult for such families to educate all their children.
Recognizing the challenges his community faced, he began tapping into the contacts he had made abroad. He organized fundraisers and talked to agencies and different institutions to seek help. Through his efforts he hoped to get more Maasai students, most of whom cannot fund their educations, into American
universities.
“I am a professional beggar on behalf of others,” Ole-Ronkei said with a laugh.
A charismatic and energetic man, Ole-Ronkei put his vision to work. His “begging” has enabled several Maasai students to enter different universities, including two other Maasai students at the University.
“If you educate a community, they’ll be able to handle a lot of things for themselves,” Ole-Ronkei said. This week, he visited the University seeking funding for a prospective student and talking with the International Studies department about creating a peace and reconciliation program.
Vincent Konchela, who arrived in Eugene three weeks ago, is just one of the beneficiaries of Ole-Ronkei’s philanthropy.
“I came to the University of Oregon because of Ole-Ronkei and Kimeli,” Konchela said. Kimeli Ole-Naiyomah, who was a pre-med student at the University from 1998 to 2000 before transferring to Stanford University, is the other Maasai student from Enoosaen.
Konchela said the University was famous in his community because of the two former students.
“The University of Oregon came to be known because of Ole-Ronkei and Kimeli,” Konchela said. “They were the first to go abroad in our community.”
Konchela, 22, is a post-baccalaureate student and eventually wants to enroll in the master of business administration program. He said Ole-Ronkei and Ole-Naiyomah introduced him to staff at the University, who in turn helped him to apply successfully and prepare for his trip to Eugene. Academically, he hopes to achieve as much as Ole-Ronkei has done.
“His name changed from ‘mister’ to ‘doctor,’” Konchela said referring to Ole-Ronkei’s Ph.D. “That’s what I’m also aiming for, at end of my time in University of Oregon. In Kenya, I am considered a blessed person to be in University of Oregon. I have to achieve everything that is expected of me.”
Ole-Ronkei said much is expected from students like Konchela: They must think of their role in improving the standards of living in their community.
“I have to hold them accountable,” he said. “They can’t be frivolous about this.” He said they come from a background where individuals must contemplate how they can serve their community.
Ole-Ronkei is dedicated to community service at all levels. In addition to sending people to college abroad, he said he sponsors many students at the elementary and high school levels.
When he isn’t in his village or traveling to create new networks, Ole-Ronkei lives in Nairobi, the Kenyan capital, with his wife and his four children. He also works as the assistant director of the nonprofit organization Compassion International.
Ole-Ronkei has left an indelible mark in the minds of those who know him from Oregon.
“We are very proud of him as an alumnus, and to speak personally, I’m certainly not surprised with anything he’s done,” journalism Professor Duncan McDonald said. He described Ole-Ronkei as a spirited person, committed not only to helping his people, but also to changing the world.
Thomas Mills, the interim vice-provost of the Office of International Programs, agrees.
“He’s probably our role model for the type of student who gives back to the University more than he received,” Mills said.