Miriam Z. Matinda is an indigenous woman from the Maasai ethnic group in Tanzania. She is a human rights lawyer/attorney, lecturer, researcher, and advocate of the High Court of Tanzania, and a consultant. Her research focuses on Indigenous people’s land and territorial rights, gender and children, Sustainable Development Goals, international law and the environment, and the nexus between human rights and business. She holds an LL. B from the University of Dar es Salaam, Postgraduate Diploma in Law from the Law School of Tanzania, LLM and Doctor of Law Degrees (SJD) from the University of Arizona – USA.
Miriam is an adjunct lecturer at the Institute of Accountancy Arusha (IAA), where she teaches and supervises scholars pursuing the Master of Arts in Peace and Security Studies. She has experience working in cross-cultural environments, having conducted studies, evaluations and worked with Civil Society Organisations, multi-national companies and organisations. She is a member of the Tanganyika Law Society (TLS), the East Africa Law Society (EALS), the Law and Society Association (LSA), the Tanzania Women Lawyers Association (TAWLA) and the International Sociological Association (ISA).
At the Kesho Trust, Dr. Miriam brings her expertise and lived experience as a Maasai woman to strengthen the organization’s focus on gender and inclusion. With deep connections to communities in Tanzania and beyond, she helps ensure that programs are designed and implemented through a gendered lens, amplifying women’s voices and priorities in conservation and development. In addition to her advocacy and community engagement, she provides valuable legal guidance to the organization, supporting its governance and compliance while advancing its mission to empower communities and protect natural resources.