Naisula Josephine Lesuuda (born 30 April 1984), is a Kenyan politician and women's rights activist. She is a Member of the Parliament of Kenya.
Lesuuda was born in Samburu on 30 April 1984,[1] the first of three children born to an Anglican bishop and a businesswoman.[2] She graduated from Daystar University with a degree in communications and community development.[1][2][3]
Lesuuda worked as a journalist at the Kenya Broadcasting Corporation, including hosting Good Morning Kenya.[4] In 2009, after ten people were killed in cattle rustling in Laikipia, she became a founding member of the Laikipia Peace Caravan.[3][1][5] This in turn led to the founding of a number of other local peace organisations, supported by the Kenya government and USAid.[3] In 2010, her work with this organisation led to her becoming the youngest Kenyan woman to win the presidential Order of the Grand Warrior.[3][6]
In 2013, Lesuuda left her job to found the Naisula Lesuuda Peace Foundation which advocates for the education of girls and for the eradication of female genital mutilation and child marriage.[4][7][3]
Lesuuda participated in President Uhuru Kenyatta's campaign in 2013,[8] and was then nominated on his TNA party ticket to represent Samburu County in the Senate in 2013, becoming its youngest female member.[4][9] She was then elected Vice Chair of the Kenyan Women's Parliamentary Association.
In 2016, she announced that she would leave the Senate to seek election as a member of the National Assembly for Samburu West,[10] then in 2017 switching from the Jubilee to KANU party.[11][8] She has maintained her support for Kenyatta.[9]
At the 2017 election, Lesuuda was elected with 14,560 votes, defeating incumbent Jonathan Lelelit who received 13,970 votes,[12] becoming the first female member of parliament for the constituency.[13] When parliament sat in August 2017, she announced her intention to apply for the position of Deputy Speaker, but failed to submit her application before the vote.[14][15]
She was re-elected in Samburu West Constituency at the 2022 general election.
