She started her journey as a lawyer and human rights defender focusing on the girl child.
And when she ventured in the murky world of politics, Kwale governor-elect Fatuma Mohamed Achani was outspoken but remained loyal to Governor Salim Mvurya.
And 10 years later, Ms Achani who is in her 40s basks in glory after being elected the governor of Kwale.
As she steps out to be sworn in today at the Kwale Stadium, Achani, a mother of two, also stands out as the first female governor in the Coast region.
Achani, who was elected on a United Democratic Alliance (UDA) ticket, has publicly attributed her victory to the support from Mvurya, who endorsed her and campaigned for her immediately after the 2017 General Election.
She has also acknowledges president-elect William Ruto for supporting women seeking leadership. On August 13, Ms Achani wrote on her social media account: "Allah has given us a win. A win for the first young female governor in the region."
When she met MCAs-elect on August 22, Achani called on competitors and the residents to focus on development after the political battle.
"Politics is over, it's time we come together for the good of our county," she said.
Achani garnered 59,674 votes against her closest competitor, former Agriculture Principal Secretary Hamadi Boga of ODM who got 53,972 votes.
Lung'anzi Chai of Pamoja African Alliance (PAA) got 47,301 votes, former Transport minister Chirau Ali Mwakwere of Wiper 9,639 votes, outgoing Kwale Speaker Sammy Ruwa (Independent) 5,562 votes and Gereza Dena of Kanu who scored 2,310 votes.
Prof Boga, Chai and Mr Mwakwere have since disputed Ms Achani's win and vowed to challenge it in court.
But Ruwa, who has served speaker for 10 years, congratulated Achani and other winners. "Congratulations to all the candidates who won the various positions in Kwale. You have a big task ahead," he said.
Ms Achani, who was born in Kingwede village in Msambweni, has had a meticulous rise in politics. She is among few deputy governors who embraced a good working relationship with their bosses and earned their endorsement.
She teamed up with Mvurya for their first stab in 2013 and won the Kwale governor seat on an ODM ticket. After about four and half years, the two fell out with the ODM leadership and technically joined Jubilee and won the 2017 election.
Ms Achani holds a law degree from Moi University and a diploma from the Kenya School of Law. She went to Kingwede Primary School and Mama Ngina Girls High.
Before venturing into politics, she worked as an associated advocate with Maina Njenga & Company Advocates in Mombasa.
She had also served as a legal counsel and programme officer at the Federation of Women Lawyers (Fida-Kenya) Mombasa centre.
She spent time supporting girl child education and fighting against early marriages and gender violence.
As deputy governor, Achani stood out as a community mobiliser, particularly among women, and pushed for access to education by children from poor families.
