Ruth K. Oniang’o is a renowned nutritionist whose research activities include food security, pregnancy, child nutrition and agricultural transformation.

In 1992, she founded “Rural Outreach Africa” (ROA), an organisation designed to give small-scale farmers the means to combat malnutrition. The aim is to create a healthy rural community, capable of leading an active and dignified life, with access to and full use of internal and external resources, in order to contribute to the development of families, communities and the nation, while respecting each other.

In 2002, Ruth K. Oniang’o left academia to enter politics. As a member of Kenya’s Ninth Parliament, she helped to pass the Biosafety Bill. She also oversees her country’s nutrition policy and has sat on a large number of boards, including the “Centre for Agriculture Bioscience International”, the “Institute for Policy Research Analysis” (IPAR), the “International Fertilizer Development Center” (IFDC), the “Nutrition Third World” (NTW) in Belgium, and the “Challenge Program on Water and Food” of the CGIAR (Consultative Group on International Agricultural Research), aimed at improving the bioavailability of nutrients in food crops using conventional means.

Ruth K. Oniang’o has received several awards for her work in the field of agriculture and food policy, including the “Distinguished Service Medal” and the “Silver Star”. In 2014, she was awarded the “International Food and Agribusiness Management Association (IFAMA) Lifetime Award”, as well as the “Africa Food Prize” for her work with the Rural Outreach Program.

Ruth K. Oniang’o was named one of the 100 most influential African personalities by New African magazine in 2017.