Even then he possessed a wild intelligence, they recalled, as his ascension on Monday to his country’s presidency was greeted with a mixture of pride and disbelief. read more “I couldn’t imagine that someone who had no shoes all his life in primary school could become president,” said a smiling Esther Cherobon, who attended Ruto’s school. Sign up now for FREE unlimited access to Reuters.com Register “We imagine that all leaders are from rich families.” He was always the boy with the highest grades at school in Shabut village, he said, where part of the institution he attended—a one-room mud building with a rusted tin roof—still stands. Ruto takes office as Kenya faces a convergence of challenges. Billions of dollars in loans borrowed by outgoing President Uhuru Kenyatta to finance an infrastructure extravaganza are due. The worst drought in 40 years has ravaged the north, forcing 4 million people to rely on food aid. Now 55, Ruto has made Kenya’s class divisions the focus of his campaign to become Kenya’s fifth president, promising to reward the low-income “low-income” and scorning Kenya’s political dynasties. This was a thinly veiled jab at his rival Raila Odinga – whom Ruto defeated in a tight vote, the result of which Kenya’s electoral commission took almost a week to announce – and Kenyatta, the son of its first vice president and president country, respectively.
POLITICAL DANCE
But Kenyan politics is often a dance played with convenient partners rather than rooted in political differences, and the circumstances of Ruto’s rise were no exception. He rose to prominence as a youth organizer for former strongman President Daniel arap Moi, and became one of Kenya’s youngest lawmakers and ministers. He had supported Odinga during hotly contested elections in 2007, when 1,200 people were killed in political violence that sparked ethnic cleansing. Both he and Kenyatta faced charges at the International Criminal Court over the violence, in a case that later collapsed. A Kenyan lawyer is now on trial accused of tampering with witnesses in Ruto’s case – charges he denies. Ruto then switched sides and became Kenyatta’s deputy in 2013. But they fell out after the 2017 election, when Kenyatta reconciled with Odinga and distanced himself from Ruto. Ruto’s insiders describe him as a gifted orator with a tough work ethic. During this campaign he chose a pushcart to represent Kenya’s casual workers, although he himself – now a wealthy businessman – traveled in a modern sport utility vehicle, decorated in party colors and nicknamed The Beast. Odinga has sought to undermine Ruto’s popularity by questioning the credibility of his sprawling business empire. In July, a court ordered Ruto’s vice-presidential pick, Rigathy Gatsagua, to return 202 million shillings ($2 million), which it said was the proceeds of corruption. Gachagua and Ruto dismissed the decision as politically motivated. Gatsagua said he would appeal the decision. As president, Ruto promised to reign in borrowing, publicize opaque contracts with China, tackle corruption and disburse loans to small businesses. read more Poor Kenyans, already reeling from COVID-19, are also struggling with global increases in food and fuel prices. Many are outraged by Kenyatta’s failure to reign in rampant corruption. Sign up now for FREE unlimited access to Reuters.com Register Editing by Duncan Miriri, James Macharia Chege and John Stonestreet Our Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.
