During the August 8, 2017, General Election, current Taita Taveta deputy governor, Majala Mlagui, etched her name in the history books as she became the youngest person to ever step into that position.
The vibrant gemstone-obsessed leader was named as the deputy to Governor Granton Samboja at the tender age of 26.
Mlagui ran for the top post on a Wiper party ticket and hinged her campaign development-focused leadership and women’s empowerment.
An alumnus of the 2014 Emerging Leaders in Africa Mining program run by the Minerals and Energy for Development Alliance (MEfDA, Australia), she has been championing a movement to empower local miners since her late teen years.
In 2011, Mlagui launched a social-impact company called Thamani to empower small scale miners through education and advocacy.
A Gemologist by profession, the deputy governor is well versed in the skill of turning gemstones into luxury jewellery, with an emphasis on making sure that the raw gemstones are ethically sourced.
Her passionate campaign and dedication to advocating for the small scale miners in an industry where such miners rarely get a fair share of the pie led to her nomination as a TED fellow.
The TED Fellows program provides transformational support to a global community of over 470 remarkable individuals who are collaborating across disciplines to spark positive change around the world.
The deputy governor received her Bachelor’s degree in Software Engineering from the University of Sheffield in England.
During her free time, the record-setting leader is known to indulge in pancakes with whipped cream and blueberries.