Roselinda Soipan Tuya, the new candidate for Cabinet Secretary (CS) for the Environment and Forestry, is a shrewd politician who has risen through the ranks and defied all expectations to become the first Maasai woman to be nominated for the Cabinet in Kenya.
The United Democratic Alliance (UDA) of President William Ruto had initially nominated the former Woman Representative for Narok County, who is also known as Narok’s “Iron Lady,” to serve in the Senate.
She is the daughter of former Narok South Member of Parliament (MP), Samson Ole Tuya.
In the event that Parliament approves her nomination, she will take the place of outgoing Environment CS Keriako Tobiko.
Soipan served for two terms as the Narok Woman Rep before giving up her bid to run for governor of Narok.
After months of back-and-forth between her, Narok West MP Gabriel Tongoyo, and former Labour CAS Patrick Ntutu, she finally gave up her ambition in a settlement mediated by Dr Ruto.
She holds a Bachelor of Law from the University of Nairobi and a Master of Law (LL.M) from the University of Washington in the United States.
Soipan joined President Ruto’s campaign secretariat after she gave up her plans to run for the county seat.
She was instrumental in creating the UDA Women Charter.
She is married to Stephen Ole Kudate, a former majority leader in the Narok County Assembly.
Among the initiatives she oversaw during her tenure included the distribution of water tanks, sanitary towels, and money to support the empowerment of vulnerable groups including women, children, and individuals with disabilities.
She said that she sponsored 100 smart children from disadvantaged homes who are currently enrolled in secondary schools under the National Government Affirmative Action Fund.
She considers herself to be privileged since she has access to options that are not common among Maasai women.
She worked in a variety of positions for various government and civil society organizations before joining politics, including the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), Kituo cha Sheria, the former Ministry of Justice and Constitutional Affairs, and as a United Nations Volunteer Specialist.
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