WILLIAM RUTO

William Ruto, born on December 21, 1966, in Sambut village, Kamagut, Uasin Gishu County, is a prominent Kenyan politician and the current President of Kenya. A member of the Kalenjin ethnic group, Ruto's early life was rooted in Uasin Gishu County, where he attended Kamagut and Kerotet Primary Schools. He continued his education at Wareng Secondary School and Kapsabet High School, completing his Ordinary and Advanced Level education respectively.

Ruto pursued higher education at the University of Nairobi, earning a Bachelor of Science in Botany and Zoology in 1990. He furthered his studies with a Master’s degree in Plant Ecology from the same institution. Despite facing challenges, he completed his Ph.D. in 2018. During his time at the university, Ruto was an active member of the Christian Union and served as Chairman of the university choir. It was through his church activities that he met President Daniel arap Moi, who introduced him to the political arena in the 1992 general elections.

After graduating in 1990, Ruto worked as a temporary teacher and led the Africa Inland Church choir in the North Rift region. His political career began as the treasurer of the YK'92 campaign group, supporting President Moi’s re-election bid. Ruto became a Member of Parliament in 1997 and later served as KANU's Director of Elections.

In 2002, Ruto was appointed assistant minister in the Home Affairs ministry, supporting Uhuru Kenyatta’s presidential bid. He was elected KANU Secretary General in 2005 and played a significant role in the Orange Democratic Movement (ODM), which opposed a new constitution in a referendum. Although he announced his presidential ambitions for 2007, he finished third in the ODM nomination.

Following the contentious 2007 election, Ruto was appointed Minister for Agriculture in a power-sharing government. He faced charges related to the post-election violence, which were eventually dropped in 2016. Ruto was later transferred to the Ministry of Higher Education and was instrumental in forming the Jubilee Alliance with Uhuru Kenyatta for the 2013 presidential election.

On October 6, 2014, Ruto served as acting President of Kenya while President Kenyatta attended an ICC conference. In the August 2017 elections, Kenyatta and Ruto initially won, but the results were annulled by the Supreme Court. In the repeat election, they were re-elected with a substantial majority. Ruto announced his alliance with the United Democratic Alliance in December 2020 and was the sole presidential candidate in the second part of the 2022 presidential debate.

On August 15, 2022, Ruto was declared the winner of the presidential election with 50.49% of the votes, defeating Raila Odinga. The Supreme Court upheld the results on September 5, 2022. Ruto was inaugurated as President on September 13, 2022, and has since focused on addressing climate change and transitioning Kenya's electricity production to renewable sources by 2030.

His first international trip as President was to the UK for Queen Elizabeth II's state funeral in September 2022. He also addressed the UN General Assembly, advocating for increased African representation and global investment. Ruto’s government launched the Hustler Fund in November 2022 to provide loans to citizens and proposed privatizing public enterprises in 2023 to enhance economic viability. However, public unrest over tax protests in June 2024 led to significant casualties and led Ruto to dismiss most of his cabinet amid ongoing violence.

Ruto has faced various controversies, including issues surrounding land acquisitions, notably the Weston Hotel land, which he admitted in 2019 was acquired illegally by the original owners. Additionally, he was previously involved in disputes over land deals and has been linked to the assassination of Jacob Juma, although he denies these allegations and has pursued legal action against his accusers.

Ruto’s personal life includes his marriage to Rachel Chebet in 1991, and they have six children. An evangelical Christian and member of the Africa Inland Church, Ruto also owns a substantial chicken farm in his home village of Sugoi and built a chapel at his residence in Karen, Nairobi.

Reference: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/William_Ruto