AUDIO REPLAY: A woman of firsts: Lessons from Rebecca Miano, set to become Kenya’s first female Attorney General

 One of the names mentioned was Rebecca Miano. 

 Miano, who previously served in the Trade docket as CS, was nominated for the Attorney General position.

 She will become Kenya’s female Attorney General should her nomination be approved.

 However, this is not Miano’s first major accomplishment.

 A woman of firsts, she was the first female CEO of KenGen before transitioning into the government.

 On asked what mantra she lives by, Miano has often said, “Competence and confidence.”

 “Competence begets confidence and the more confident you are, the more competent you want to become,” she said.

 During a previous discussion on Citizen Digital’s X Spaces dubbed ‘Executive Dialogues’, Miano shared about her career journey and what it takes to make it to the highest heights of one’s career.

 Miano was the first woman to be appointed to the position of managing director and CEO of energy firm KenGen. She held the position for five years, after which higher duty called as she was nominated and appointed to the position of Cabinet secretary for EAC, Arid and Semi-arid Lands and development, before moving to the Trade docket after a Cabinet reshuffle.

 At the time, Miano said that despite being very qualified for the KenGen job, she at a point had concerns about whether she would get the job.

 “I think imposter syndrome is something that affects every woman. Despite being qualified for the job, when the vacancy arose at my former employer, I was reluctant to apply, and even after I did, I considered withdrawing my application as I wondered if I would make it in the interview,” she said.

 Miano emerged top during the interviews for the position that had attracted 90 applicants.

 “I look back at it now and I realise that I was extremely good at what I do. I believe everything is teachable. Working in the energy sector and my background was in law, I made sure I learnt all that I needed to know and I believe in continuously improving your skills and knowledge by taking up courses,” she said.

 Miano said that despite being at the highest levels of corporate leadership while at KenGen, she realized that being a Cabinet secretary is an even higher level.

 “Before joining Cabinet, I thought I was at a very senior position in leadership, but I have learnt more in the five months (at the time) of being a Cabinet secretary than when I was in my corporate job. As a Cabinet secretary, you need to be very well informed so that you can offer sound advice to your colleagues and the President,” she said at the time.

 Miano urged women to take up their seats at the decision making table and not shy away.

 “Hard work and competence know no gender. Courage can revolutionise your life. It's the cornerstone of what you need in life. Embrace it. It doesn't mean doing something grandiose. Sometimes it's just taking the first step in a matter,” she said.

 Miano concluded, “My advice to those starting out in their careers is for them to be more intentional about their choices. Don’t let your career be shaped by discouragement. Be resilient. Demonstrate courage and embrace confidence. Dare to take the first step in an unpredictable world,” she said.

Listen to Citizen Digital X Spaces every Tuesday at 7pm on the @CitizenTVKenya X handle.