William Ruto Biography

(Deputy President of Kenya)

Birthday: December 21, 1966 (Sagittarius)

Born In: Uasin Gishu County

William Ruto is the fifth President of the Republic of Kenya. He worked as a teacher before joining politics 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. The International Criminal Court (ICC) pressed charged on January 22, 2012,  against Ruto and several others over their involvement in the 2007–8 electoral violence, but in April 2016, the ICC abandoned his prosecution. 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. He was elected for the post of president in the 2022 Presidential election of Kenya.

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Quick Facts

Also Known As: William Samoei arap Ruto

Age: 57 Years, 57 Year Old Males

Family:

Spouse/Ex-: Rachel Chebet

father: Mzee Daniel Cheruiyot

mother: Mama Sarah Cheruiyot

siblings: Paulo Martim Ruto

Born Country: Kenya

Presidents Political Leaders

political ideology: Political party - URP

Founder/Co-Founder: United Democratic Movement

More Facts

education: 1990 - University of Nairobi, University of Nairobi

  • 1

    What political party does William Ruto belong to?

    William Ruto is a member of the Jubilee Party in Kenya.
  • 2

    What position does William Ruto hold in the Kenyan government?

    William Ruto is the Deputy President of Kenya, serving under President Uhuru Kenyatta.
  • 3

    What are some of William Ruto's key political ideologies?

    William Ruto is known for his focus on empowering the youth, promoting entrepreneurship, and advocating for devolution in Kenya.
  • 4

    Has William Ruto faced any corruption allegations?

    Yes, William Ruto has been linked to several corruption scandals in Kenya, although he has denied any wrongdoing.
  • 5

    What is William Ruto's stance on key national issues such as healthcare and education?

    William Ruto has emphasized the need for affordable healthcare and quality education for all Kenyans as part of his political agenda.
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.
Ruto received his elementary education from a primary school at Kamagut, and then entered the ‘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 engagements.
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Career
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 the Parliament.
This leader became the Secretary General of ‘Kenya African National Union’ (KANU) party, in the year 2005.
William announced in the year 2006, that he would contest the Presidential elections, which was to commence the next year. However, this decision of the leader 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.
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William Ruto was shifted to the Higher Education Ministry from the Ministry of Agriculture in the year 2010.

In 2011, the politician stepped down from his responsibilities as a minister, but he continued to be a Member of Parliament. That same year, Ruto completed his Masters course in Environmental Science.

The ‘Law Society of Kenya’ (KSK) black-listed some individuals on charges of corruption in 2012, and asked the public not to vote for the ones cited in the list. Although Ruto’s name was in the list yet he managed to get a huge number of votes the next year, when he was a running mate to the incumbent Kenyan President Uhuru Kenyatta.

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.

Ruto announced his alliance with the newly formed United Democratic Alliance party in December 2020. In the Kenyan general elections of 2022, William Ruto was elected President of Kenya, defeating Raila Odinga. 

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. The political leader also has many criminal charges against him.
Trivia:
It is believed that Ruto has done many unskilled jobs like that of vending groundnuts and chickens in the Nakuru-Eldoret road
Facts About William Ruto
William Ruto is known for his love of farming and owns a successful poultry farm in his home county of Uasin Gishu in Kenya.
He is an avid marathon runner and has participated in several races, demonstrating his commitment to physical fitness.
Ruto is a skilled orator and is known for his charismatic public speaking abilities, which have helped him connect with audiences across Kenya.
He has a passion for education and has initiated various programs to support students in his constituency, emphasizing the importance of learning and growth.

See the events in life of William Ruto in Chronological Order

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Article Title
- William Ruto Biography
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URL
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