Dr. Deborah Mlongo Barasa is a Kenyan physician and public administrator currently serving as Cabinet Secretary for Environment, Climate Change and Forestry. She earned her Bachelor of Medicine and Surgery (MBChB) from the University of Nairobi in 2006 and later completed a Master of Medicine in Internal Medicine at the same institution in 2017. She also holds an MSc in Infectious Diseases from the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine.

CS Barasa began her career as a senior medical officer at Mater Hospital and CHANF Community Health Services before joining the World Health Organization’s Africa Hub. There, she worked as an internal medicine physician and infectious-disease specialist, helping member states in Eastern and Southern Africa design action plans and build sustainable health programmes.

Her public service career includes serving as Deputy Governor of Kakamega County (2013–2017) and later as Director at the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (2019–2020). In July 2024, she was appointed Cabinet Secretary for Health, and in March 2025 was reassigned by President William Ruto to head the Environment, Climate Change and Forestry ministry docket.

Across nearly two decades, CS Barasa has combined clinical medicine, public health, and regional policy leadership, and as Environment CS she champions sustainable forestry, conservation, and eco-tourism initiatives.