• 5th September 2025
• Judith Oketch
• General
• 0

A week ago, I found myself at the Serena Hotel, dressed up for a Gatsby-themed awards ceremony.

Now, let me confess something: before this day, I had no idea who or what Gatsby was. When the invite said, “dress the Gatsby theme”, my first thought was:

“Is that a Kenyan designer I don’t know about?”

Turns out, it’s all about 1920s glitz, feathers, pearls, and sparkles — basically, looking like you’re about to star in a movie, not run a start-up that deals with ambulances!

But there I was, in all my Gatsby glory, at the Business Daily Top 40 Under 40 Women Awards, pinching myself because this wasn’t just another night out — it was the night.

A Room Full of Giants

Imagine sitting in a room with Kenya’s finest women:

• Senator Crystal Asige
• Faith Kipyegon (yes, the World 1,500m & 5,000m champion herself — honestly, her trophies need their own zip code!)
• Orge Godana, powerhouse Group CFO at Java House Africa
• Sonia Kabra, co-founder of Buupass

...and many more trailblazers.

And then there was me (Alililili 🎉), Judith Oketch, founder of Ambulex Solutions, feeling both honored and slightly suspicious that the organizers had accidentally sent me an invitation meant for someone else.

Dreaming the Dream

For years, I have dreamt about awards. In my daydreams, I usually imagined dramatic background music and a speech that sounded a little like Lupita Nyong’o’s “your dreams are valid” moment.

What I didn’t imagine was that I’d be receiving an award while also running a start-up that often has me:

• chasing down ambulances
• negotiating with hospitals
• explaining to relatives that no, Ambulex is not a taxi company (even though we use an app)

Ambulex: More Than Just Sirens

Ambulex started with one clear mission: to save lives in the golden hour, that critical window when an emergency happens.

Today, our ambulances are not just vehicles with sirens. They are lifelines for:

• mothers in labor
• survivors of gender-based violence
• accident victims
• families who need urgent care but don’t know where to turn

We’ve built technology to match emergencies with the nearest available ambulance — basically, like Uber, but with heart monitors and oxygen tanks instead of snacks in the backseat.

The journey hasn’t been glamorous. There are no pearls and Gatsby dresses when you’re stuck in Nairobi traffic, trying to get an ambulance through. But seeing Ambulex grow, watching families get the help they need, and knowing we’re creating a system that could one day redefine emergency care in Kenya — that is the kind of fulfillment that beats even the fanciest chandelier at Serena.

A Moment to Remember

So, when my name was called and I walked up to receive the Top 40 Under 40 Women Award, I wasn’t just holding a plaque.

I was holding:

• every late night spent figuring out business models
• every board meeting where we tried to stretch one shilling into ten
• every life our team has touched
• every dream I never dared to think was possible

And in that ballroom, I realized something: it wasn’t an accident I was in that room.

It was a reminder that women like me — women building from scratch, women fighting to change systems, women balancing dreams with everyday realities — deserve to be celebrated.

Feathers, Sequins & The Universe

I may not have known what Gatsby was before that night, but I left knowing that sometimes, the universe dresses you up in feathers and sequins just to whisper:

“You’re exactly where you’re meant to be.”

Also, I looked amaaaazing! 👏 Okay, thank you.

Here’s to saving lives, breaking ceilings, and — hopefully — asking ChatGPT the theme before the next big award night.