It is a confession that rarely leaves the lips of the powerful while the microphones are still hot. Sanna Marin, the woman who steered Finland into NATO and through a global pandemic all before turning 38, has admitted the quiet brutality of her tenure: “It was lonely.”

Speaking following the release of her memoir, Hope in Action: A Memoir About the Courage to Lead, Marin has stripped away the polished veneer of the “coolest Prime Minister in Europe” to reveal the isolation of being young, female, and in charge. Her disclosure comes not as a complaint, but as a warning shot. As she tours the global speaking circuit—from Dublin to Nairobi’s bookshelves—her message is clear: the glass ceiling may be cracked, but the floor is still slippery.

The ‘Masculine Backlash’

Marin’s tenure was historic—she led a coalition government headed entirely by women. Yet, she argues that the world is currently witnessing a regression. In her recent addresses, she has flagged a “very worrying” rise in “conservative, masculine forces” globally.

This observation strikes a nerve in Kenya, where the struggle for the two-thirds gender rule remains a perennial political football. Marin notes that female leadership is often treated as a temporary anomaly rather than the new normal. “We have taken steps backwards when it comes to equality,” she warned, pointing to recent election trends across Europe and the US.

For the Kenyan reader, the parallels are stark. Just as Marin faced undue scrutiny for her private life—most notably the 2022 “party video” scandal—Kenyan women leaders frequently face moral policing that their male counterparts escape. Marin’s reflection is a mirror for every female Governor or MP in Kenya who has had her competence questioned because of her social life or attire.

Beyond the ‘Girl Boss’ Myth

The memoir dismantles the “Girl Boss” caricature that social media often projected onto her. Marin emphasizes that youth alone is not a silver bullet for governance. “The value of youth lies not only in their age, but also in their vision, creativity, and values,” she writes.

Her leadership philosophy, detailed in the book, centers on two critical pillars:

• Overcoming Normality Bias: The dangerous tendency for leaders to assume the future will look like the past. Marin cites this as her biggest hurdle during the COVID-19 crisis and the Russian invasion of Ukraine.
• The Courage to Change Course: She argues that “people with bigger egos” often refuse to pivot when new data arrives. Her government’s ability to shift strategy rapidly was, she claims, its saving grace.

A Lesson for Nairobi

Why does a Finnish memoir matter in Nairobi? Because the isolation Marin describes is the same silence that fills the offices of Kenya’s few female corporate CEOs and political trailblazers. When Marin speaks of the pressure to be “twice as good to be considered half as capable,” she is speaking a universal language.

Analysts suggest that Marin’s post-political career—joining the Tony Blair Institute and advising on global governance—signals a new model for modern leadership: one where leaving office isn’t the end of influence. Her story challenges the Kenyan electorate to look beyond the age or gender of a candidate and scrutinize their ability to handle the loneliness of the decision-making room.

“The hard part is to try to learn to understand people,” Marin admits, reflecting on her rapid ascent. It is a humble concession from a leader who changed the geopolitical map of Europe. Her final word to the next generation of women is not just to seek power, but to be prepared for the silence that comes with it.