Soipan Tuya set to become Kenya’s third female Defence CS

President William Ruto nominated Roselinda Soipan Tuya to the Ministry of Defence docket on Tuesday, swapping her with Aden Duale, who moved to the Ministry of Environment. 

Kenya has had 12 Cabinet Secretaries for Defence, and if the National Assembly vets and approves her nomination, Tuya will be the third woman to head the crucial security docket.

Before venturing into politics, Tuya worked for USAID as a land law and gender advisor.

She also had a stint at the Ministry of Justice and Constitutional Affairs as a legal officer from 2006 to 2008.

From the ministry, she landed a job at Kituo Cha Sheria, an NGO that represents the poor and underprivileged, as the acting executive director, legal aid and education coordinator.

She then honed her political skills as a grassroots mobiliser and between 2013 and 2022, she served as the Woman Representative for Narok County. On March 19, 2022, Tuya announced that she was not going to defend her seat in the August 9, 2022, polls.

"It is a lifetime honour! Being in an affirmative action position with 10 years of office, I believe it's time for the next Narok woman to build her leadership and political muscle through this position," she said.

That same year, she joined the executive arm of the government after President William Ruto nominated her as the CS for Environment and Forestry in October 2022. 

Former Environment CS Soipan Tuya is pictured with officials including Kajiado Governor Joseph Ole Lenku and Attorney General Justin Muturi during the launch of the government's accelerated tree growing programme in Ngong, Kajiado County, on May 13, 2024. (Photo: X/Environment ministry)

During her vetting, on October 19, 2022, she told the National Assembly that her net worth was Sh156 million, largely comprising immovable assets such as houses.

"I have three homes, one in Nairobi, one in Narok and my village and vehicles. I have apartments in Narok and one in Nairobi. There are two plots of land in Kitengela and also a dairy business," she disclosed.

Tuya also noted that her shares from the parliamentary cooperative society make up part of her net worth.

She served in the Environment docket until July 11, 2024, when President Ruto dismissed all his cabinet secretaries save for Musalia Mudavadi, CS for Foreign Affairs.

On July 18, 2024, Ruto nominated her to the same environment docket and later to Defence on July 23, 2024.

Her fate as the potential third woman to lead the defence docket will be decided during her vetting, scheduled to occur within the next 28 days.

The Kenya High alumni has a master's degree in law from the University of Washington and a bachelor's degree in law from the University of Nairobi.

She is the fourth daughter of the 15 siblings of former Narok South MP Samson Ole Tuya.

Women who served as Defence CS

At independence, the Ministry of Defence was referred to as the Ministry of Internal Security and Defence.

The Ministry has changed names ever since through Executive Orders of the President that spell out the names of ministries. It has been referred to as Internal Security and Defence (1963–1978), the Department of Defence (DoD) (1978–2000), the Ministry of Provincial Administration and National Security (2003–2005), the Ministry of State for Defence (2000–2003), and the current Ministry of Defence (2006–date).

Former Defence CS Raychelle Omamo. (Photo: Raychelle Omamo)

Rachel Omamo

The first woman to serve as CS for Defence was Raychelle Omamo, who was appointed by President Uhuru Kenyatta in 2013.

She held the post and served until January 2020, when she was later reshuffled and transferred to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in the same capacity.

At the time of her appointment, Omamo was a senior counsel and an advocate of the High Court of Kenya for 28 years.

She was the first female chairperson of the Law Society of Kenya (2001–2003) after serving as a council member (1996–2000).

Omamo also became Kenya's first female ambassador to France, Portugal, the Holy See, and Serbia and served as the Permanent Delegate of Kenya to UNESCO.

During her tenure in the Ministry of Defence, the Kenya Defence Forces (KDF) continued their engagement in Somalia under AMISOM, successfully degrading Al Shabaab and liberating several towns.

Omamo also spearheaded the construction and commissioning of civilian administrative office blocks at MoD headquarters, Kahawa Barracks, Moi Air Base, and Kenya Navy Mtongwe, aiming to improve the work environment for the civilian staff in the Ministry.

Dr. Monica Juma, who is the current National Security Advisor to President Ruto, was the second woman to lead the Defence docket.

Dr. Monica Juma

She was appointed to the Defence docket in January 2020 and moved from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, where she served as Cabinet Secretary between 2018 and 2020.

Juma was the Chair of the Contact Group on Piracy off the Coast of Somalia (CGPCS), 2020–2021, an international governance mechanism established in New York on January 14, 2009, to facilitate the discussion and coordination of actions among states and organisations to suppress Somali piracy.

Former Defence CS an current National Security Advisor to the President of the Republic of Kenya, Monica Juma. (Photo: Handout)

During her tenure, Dr. Juma led Kenya's diplomatic corps in projecting, promoting, protecting, and pursuing the national interests of the Republic of Kenya across the world.

Before becoming a CS, Juma was the Principal Secretary in the Ministry of Defence (2013–2014), where she was instrumental in strengthening the business process systems within the Ministry, clarifying the defence strategic orientation, and bolstering the professional stature of Kenya Defence Forces.

Before her appointment to the Cabinet, Dr. Juma was Ambassador Extra-Ordinary and Plenipotentiary of Kenya to Ethiopia and Djibouti and Permanent Representative of Kenya to the African Union, the Inter-Governmental Authority on Development (IGAD), and the United Nations Commission for Africa (UNECA) between June 2010 and July 2013.

Among the key efforts during this time were the negotiations for the re-hatting of the Kenya Defence Forces into the African Mission in Somalia (AMISOM).