William Samoei Arap Ruto (born 21 December 1966 Uasin Gishu county) is a Kenyan politician currently serving as Deputy President of Kenya, since April 2013.
On 15 March 2022, Ruto was endorsed by UDA as the party’s presidential candidate for Kenya’s presidential election set for August 9th 2022.On 12th April 2022, Kenya Kwanza political coalition endorsed Ruto as its presidential candidate for 2022 elections.
William Ruto had always been a brilliant student and continues to remain one even today. He has been actively involved in Kenyan Politics and is the first Deputy President of the Republic of Kenya, a position which is equivalent to that of a vice-president.
He has also worked as a teacher before joining politics and apparently, the politician was great at his job and earned a lot of respect in that profession. Ruto entered the realm of politics when he started campaigning for the presidential candidate of ‘KANU’, Daniel arap Moi.
This campaign was not just a great success, but it also proved his political skills. Ruto’s leadership qualities helped him get elected to various positions in the government.
He has faced many obstacles during his political career and has been accused of many wrong doings. There are a number of Criminal allegations cases on him which are still pending at the International Criminal Court (ICC). However, this has not decreased his popularity among the masses and they have always supported him.
He has worked in the committee responsible for reforms in the constitution. Presently, he is not engaged with any ministry and is continuing his tenure as the Deputy President of Kenya. To know more about him? his works and achievements, read on for more information.
Childhood & Early Life
He was born to Daniel Cheruiyot and Sarah Cheruiyot on 21st December 1966, in the Kamagut region of the Kenyan county Uasin Gishu.
William Ruto received his elementary education from a primary school at Kamagut, and joine ‘Wareng Secondary School’ located in Eldoret.
After completing his O-level education, Ruto joined the ‘Kapsabet High School’ situated in Nandi, to pursue his A-level education.Later, he joined the ‘University of Nairobi’, where he enrolled for a bachelor’s degree.
He specialized in subjects such as Zoology and Botany, as a part of this course. He graduated in 1990, and topped his class for which he was offered a scholarship to pursue his master’s degree at the same university.
In 1991, he enrolled for an MSc at the university, but a year later, he postponed the course for other activities.
In 1992, he joined the party ‘Kenya African National Union’ (KANU), in their election campaign to support the party’s founder, Daniel Arap Moi.
He was a candidate of the ‘Kenya African National Union’ (KANU) and entered the political sphere of Kenya, after he was appointed as a Member of Parliament for the Eldoret North constituency, in the year 1997.
In 2002, he was elected as the Assistant Minister of Home Affairs, and in the same year, he was again elected to Parliament, he became the Secretary General of ‘Kenya African National Union’ (KANU) party, in the year 2005.
Ruto announced in the year 2006, that he would contest the Presidential elections, which was to commence the next year. However, this decision was not supported by his ‘KANU’ comrades.
So, he tried to file the candidature from the ‘Orange Democratic Movement’ (ODM), but failed to get a nomination.
In 2007, William parted ways with the ‘Kenya African National Union’ (KANU) party and resigned from its secretarial post.
In the presidential elections of 2007, there were differences in the decision as the election commission announced that the ‘National Rainbow Coalition’ candidate Mwai Kibaki as the president, while the exit polls showed another Kenyan politician and candidate for the presidential election, Raila Odinga, as the winner.
However, Kibaki was elected as the President of Kenya and soon after, both Kibaki and Odinga came to a mutual understanding and decided to form a coalition cabinet. The coalition cabinet was finally formed in 2008 and William Ruto was elected as its Agricultural Minister.
He was shifted to the Higher Education Ministry from the Ministry of Agriculture in the year 2010. and in 2011, he stepped down from his responsibilities as a minister, but continued to be a Member of Parliament. The same year,he completed his Masters course in Environmental Science.
The ‘Law Society of Kenya’ (KSK) blacklisted some individuals on charges of corruption in the year 2012, and asked the public not to vote for the ones cited in the list.
Although Ruto’s name was in the list he managed to get a huge number of votes the next year, when he was a running mate to the President Uhuru Kenyatta.
William ruto along with Kenyatta formed the coalition party named ‘Jubilee Alliance’, in order to contest the presidential election jointly.
In the 2013 Presidential Elections, Uhuru Kenyatta was voted as the President and William Ruto was elected as the Deputy President of Kenya.
Major Works:
William had been employed as a teacher in various secondary schools at Sirgoi and Kamagut before entering politics. It’s said that dozens of students have benefited immensely from the leader’s style of imparting education.
Many of his students claim that he always wanted them to reach great heights.
Personal Life & Legacy
William Ruto and Rachel Chebet are married since 1991. They knew each other since their college days, way before tying the knot.
The couple has been blessed with six children since then.In 2009, he was allegedly blamed to have unlawfully sold maize, which belonged to the government.
However, all these allegations were nullified by the deputy speaker of the Parliament.It is said that William has huge number of shares in the insurance company ‘Amaco Insurance’.
He was accused of being involved in planning and plotting against president Kibaki, as a result of which violence broke out in the elections and the Criminal Court asked him to be summoned.
It is confirmed that Ruto has done many unskilled jobs like that of vending groundnuts and chickens in the Nakuru-Eldoret road.
Business and assets William Ruto owns in Kenya includes
Kitengela Gas
Weston Hotel, Nairobi.
Murumbi Farm – Transmara Narok.
ADC Laikipia Mutara Ranch – 15000 acres.
Dolphine Hotel, Mombasa.
Mata Farm, Taita Taveta – 2537 acres.
Private residence Elgon View.
Koitalel poultry farm Eldoret.
Private Residence in Kosachei Eldoret
Kwae Island Development Ltd –
Wilson Airport (2 hangers and 5 helicopters)
And his monthly salary as Deputy President that has earned him a title ‘Billionaire “