Dr. William Samoei Arap Ruto, the man behind “the bottom-up economic model”, and the father of the hustler’s nation was born in Sugoi, Uasin Gishu County to Daniel Cheruiyot and Sarah Cheruiyot, on 21st December 1966.
He is a Kenyan politician currently serving as the deputy president since April 2013.
FAMILY
Ruto is married to Rachel chebet and together they have seven children, five daughters, and two sons. The eldest son Nick Ruto is a graduate of the Kenya school of law and is now an advocate of the High Court.
June Ruto is Ruto’s favorite girl now married to a Nigerian tycoon and is a Diplomat and international relations former student at the University of Queensland, Australia.
The second in command third born Charleen Ruto is a journalist who graduated from Daystar University In 2015.
Stephanie Ruto, George Ruto, Abby Ruto, and Nadia Cherono are among the deputy president’s children.
EDUCATION
Ruto joined Kamagut Primary, then joined Wareng Secondary School, followed by Kapsabet Boys High School for his A levels. He joined the University of Nairobi where he graduated with a Bachelor of Science in Botany and Zoology in 1990.
He returned to the same university years later and graduated with a Master of Science degree in 2011 and a Ph.D. in 2018.
POLITICAL CAREER
Dr. Ruto has served as Kenya’s deputy president since 2013 when he was elected as President Uhuru Kenyatta’s running mate. In October 2014, he served as acting president when Mr. Kenyatta briefly relinquished power to attend to his criminal case at the International Criminal Court (ICC) in The Hague, Netherlands.
In 2011, he was named among the six individuals who planned and sponsored the 2007/08 post-election violence in which 1,200 people were killed and many others displaced over a dispute following a disputed presidential election.
Dr. Ruto was charged alongside journalist Joshua Arap Sang with crimes against humanity (murder, deportation, or forcible transfer of population and persecution) during the violence that followed the 2007 elections.
The trial of Dr. Ruto and Mr. Sang opened on 10 September 2013.
Dr. Ruto was a co-founder and key member of the infamous Youth for Kanu 1992 (YK92), a lobby group that campaigned for late President Daniel Moi in the 1992 general elections.
Earlier, he had met late President Daniel Moi, his political mentor, through his involvement in church activities.
He was first elected to Parliament in 1997 as MP for Eldoret North. Dr. Ruto served as an assistant minister in the Office of the President from 1998 to 2002 when he was elevated to cabinet as Minister for Home Affairs following the sacking of George Saitoti by the late President Daniel Moi after disagreements over the 2002 succession.
Dr. Ruto has also served as Minister for Agriculture and Higher Education.
Dr. Ruto opposed the referendum on the new Constitution in 2005 and 2010.
Ruto is contesting for the 2022 presidential election on a UDA ticket under the Kenya Kwanza Alliance. On 12th April 2022, Kenya Kwanza political coalition endorsed Ruto as its presidential candidate for the 2022 elections.
BY TOBIAS CHACHA