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Member of Parliament, Juja
Prof. Phylis Jepkemoi Bartoo (born 1970) is a Kenyan linguist, academic and politician serving as the Member of Parliament for Moiben Constituency in Uasin Gishu County. She was elected in the August 2022 general election on a United Democratic Alliance (UDA) ticket, unseating the incumbent Silas Tiren and becoming a first-term legislator in the 13th Parliament. Her public profile blends a long university career with a focus on education, agriculture and rural infrastructure, and she is often profiled as part of the new wave of women MPs elected in 2022.
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Prof. Phylis Jepkemoi Bartoo (born 1970) is a Kenyan linguist, academic and politician serving as the Member of Parliament for Moiben Constituency in Uasin Gishu County. She was elected in the August 2022 general election on a United Democratic Alliance (UDA) ticket, unseating the incumbent Silas Tiren and becoming a first-term legislator in the 13th Parliament. Her public profile blends a long university career with a focus on education, agriculture and rural infrastructure, and she is often profiled as part of the new wave of women MPs elected in 2022. Before politics, Bartoo spent more than 15 years at Egerton University, rising from lecturer to Professor of Linguistics and serving as Dean of the Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences (FASS) as well as Chair of the Department of Literature, Language and Linguistics. A specialist in language and linguistics, she has published on topics ranging from Kenyan dialects and language policy to media discourse and agricultural communication, and has supervised numerous postgraduate students. In Parliament she sits on the Education & Research Committee and the Procedure & House Rules Committee, where she applies her academic experience to debates on curriculum, research funding and institutional governance.
Highlights that showcase impact and influence.
MP for Moiben (2022–present): Elected in 2022 under UDA with about 40,892 votes, defeating outgoing MP Silas Tiren and giving UDA a key rural seat in Uasin Gishu.
Dean, Egerton University Faculty of Arts & Social Sciences (2017–2021): Led one of Egerton’s largest faculties, overseeing curriculum reforms, research output and staff development; widely credited in local reporting with mentoring “scores of students” and modernising programmes.
Established scholar in linguistics and communication: Authored and co-authored peer-reviewed work on topics such as morphosyntax in Kenyan languages, figurative language in HIV/AIDS discourse, and media ethics, as reflected in her ResearchGate and institutional profiles.
Champion for education and agriculture in Moiben: Since election, she has positioned education quality, youth skills and agricultural productivity (especially among smallholders) as her core agenda, frequently speaking on school infrastructure, bursaries and farmer-support programmes in local media and public forums.
A timeline of pivotal roles and responsibilities.
Lecturer, Egerton University (c. 2005–2012): Joined Egerton’s Department of Literature, Language and Linguistics as a lecturer, teaching linguistics and related courses.
Senior Lecturer / Professor & Department Chair (2012–2017): Rose to Senior Lecturer and later Professor of Linguistics; served as Chairperson of the Department of Literature, Language and Linguistics (2012–2017).
Dean, Faculty of Arts & Social Sciences, Egerton University (2017–2021): Appointed Dean of FASS, managing academic programmes, research, and external partnerships until shortly before entering full-time politics.
Member of Parliament, Moiben (2022–present): Switched from academia to politics, winning the Moiben seat on a UDA ticket; currently serves on the Education & Research Committee and the Procedure & House Rules Committee in the National Assembly.
Key events that have shaped public perception.
UDA primaries disputes (2022): Her path to the Moiben ticket passed through a contentious UDA nomination process, including repeat primaries in which she again emerged winner; local reporting noted grievances from rivals about alleged irregularities—typical of competitive party primaries—but no formal finding of wrongdoing against her personally.
Balancing academic and political identities: Commentary in national media has explored whether her transition from professor and dean to politician risks “brain drain” from universities, while supporters argue it brings much-needed technical expertise into Parliament—an ongoing narrative rather than a scandal.
Expectations on service delivery in a highly competitive county: As a first-term MP in a politically active region, she faces pressure from constituents and rivals to quickly translate her education and agriculture agenda into visible projects, with local forums occasionally questioning pace and prioritisation—a performance debate common to many new MPs.
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Prof. Phylis Jepkemoi Bartoo (born 1970) is a Kenyan linguist, academic and politician serving as the Member of Parliament for Moiben Constituency in Uasin Gishu County. She was elected in the August 2022 general election on a United Democratic Alliance (UDA) ticket, unseating the incumbent Silas Tiren and becoming a first-term legislator in the 13th Parliament. Her public profile blends a long university career with a focus on education, agriculture and rural infrastructure, and she is often profiled as part of the new wave of women MPs elected in 2022.
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