Biography
William Ruto
President since 2022. Deputy President 2013 to 2022. Party: UDA.
William Ruto is Kenya's fifth President. A former YK'92 campaigner and Eldoret North MP, Ruto served ten years as Uhuru Kenyatta's deputy before winning the 2022 election on a 'bottom-up' economic platform aimed at 'hustlers'. Born on 21 December 1966 in Sambut village, Kamagut, Uasin Gishu County. Age 59.
- Full name
- William Kipchirchir Samoei Arap Ruto
- Born
- 21 December 1966, Sambut village, Kamagut, Uasin Gishu County
- Party
- United Democratic Alliance (UDA), leader of the Kenya Kwanza coalition
- Family
- Married to Rachel Ruto.
Education
- Kapsabet Boys High SchoolSecondary school
- University of NairobiBSc Botany and Zoology (1990)
- University of NairobiMSc Plant Ecology (2011)
- University of NairobiPhD Plant Ecology (2018)
Career
- 1992Worked in YK'92, the youth campaign group behind President Moi's re-election
- 1997 to 2013MP for Eldoret North (KANU, then ODM)
- 2002Minister for Home Affairs in Moi's last months
- 2008 to 2010Minister for Agriculture in the Grand Coalition
- 2010Minister for Higher Education; suspended in October 2010 over a land case in which he was later acquitted
- 2011 to 2016Charged at the International Criminal Court over the 2007 to 2008 post-election violence; the case was ended in April 2016
- 2013 to 2022Deputy President under Uhuru Kenyatta (Jubilee)
- 2022Elected President on the UDA ticket; sworn in on 13 September 2022
Where Ruto stands
Pragmatic, executive-centred developmentalism with IMF-aligned fiscal consolidation, adjusting to coalition needs. Confidence is high that the record is large, and only medium that any single label fits.
- Role of the state in the economy: Mixed
- Land, wealth and taxes: Leans low redistribution
- Institutions and power-sharing: Leans executive-centred
- Political style: Leans establishment
- Civil liberties: Leans order-first
- DCost of living: Signed the Finance Act 2023, which doubled VAT on fuel from 8% to 16% from 1 July 2023. After a sharp fuel price rise in April 2026 he cut it back to 8% for three months.
- DCorruption: Signed the Conflict of Interest Act on 30 July 2025, which makes public officers declare their interests and assets under EACC oversight.
- DHealthcare: Replaced NHIF with the Social Health Authority (SHA) in October 2024. The Treasury says over 31 million people had registered by June 2026. The Controller of Budget found SHA owed county health facilities Sh26.87 billion at 31 March 2026, more than three times the Sh8.29 billion owed three months earlier.
Placed mainly from what Ruto did, not what Ruto said. See the full record, with every source.
Common questions
Who is William Ruto?
William Ruto is Kenya's fifth President. A former YK'92 campaigner and Eldoret North MP, Ruto served ten years as Uhuru Kenyatta's deputy before winning the 2022 election on a 'bottom-up' economic platform aimed at 'hustlers'. President since 2022. Deputy President 2013 to 2022. Party: UDA.
How old is William Ruto?
Born on 21 December 1966 in Sambut village, Kamagut, Uasin Gishu County. Age 59.
What did William Ruto study?
BSc Botany and Zoology (1990) at University of Nairobi; MSc Plant Ecology (2011) at University of Nairobi; PhD Plant Ecology (2018) at University of Nairobi.
Which party is William Ruto in?
United Democratic Alliance (UDA), leader of the Kenya Kwanza coalition.
What does William Ruto stand for?
Pragmatic, executive-centred developmentalism with IMF-aligned fiscal consolidation, adjusting to coalition needs. Confidence is high that the record is large, and only medium that any single label fits.
Sources (2)
Facts above come from these sources. Where they disagree, we leave the detail out. Spotted an error? Send it in.