Her Excellency Rachel Ruto is a thought leader on financial inclusion and women economic empowerment. She is the First Lady of the Republic of Kenya, Founder and Patron of the Mama organization.

Through her leadership, she has become a role model for women and a champion on Faith Diplomacy, Food Systems Innovation, Nutrition, Mental Health and Wellness, Inclusivity, Climate Change and Entrepreneurship.

Her Excellency founded the Joyful Women Organization, the first program of Mama in 2009 . It has grown to 110,000 women in 6,000 groups spanning 41 Counties in Kenya, revolving over $USD 20 Million. The initiative has now scaled up into the Mama Organization, organically responding to challenges of women through Mama Feeding, Mama Fresh, Mama Cycling, Carakana that empower women through creativity and Rear Guard that espouses values of leadership, mentoring and coaching through faith.

Prior to these public service roles, she was a successful business woman and entrepreneur in Travel, Hospitality and Agricultural industries.

Over the years Her Excellency has won various awards of excellence, notably the State Commendation Award on the Elder of the Golden Heart (EGH). In 2014, she received the Honorary Fellowship Award on Women’s Empowerment at the Binary University of Malaysia.

In 2021, Her Excellency was appointed by the African Union Commission (AUC) and the World Economic Forum (WEF) as one of the high level Champions on the AU Decade on Women Economic Empowerment and Financial Inclusion.
Her Excellency holds a Bachelor in Education (B.Ed) and a Masters of Arts (MA) in Development Studies. Her Excellency is a humanitarian and passionate about mentoring of young people, education and avid cyclist.