The Story of Ruto and How a Village Boy Outsmarted Dynasties

By Aksah Italo
Published on 01/08/26

Before dawn breaks over Nairobi, when the city is still quiet and the streets belong to early risers, a boy from Sambut village walks barefoot and sells peanuts and chickens by the roadside. This perpetual grit was a story of William Ruto who rose to power not by inheritance, but through grit.

Born in Sambut village in Uasin Gishu County, Ruto’s childhood was shaped by economic hardship. He has often spoken of the destitution he went through to survive, experiences that later became central to his political identity and rhetoric about struggle.

Ruto studied at the University of Nairobi, earning a bachelor’s degree, a master’s degree and a doctorate in plant ecology. Alongside his academic career, he built business interests across agriculture, real estate, hospitality and insurance, becoming a wealthy entrepreneur well before reaching the presidency.

His political journey began in the early 1990s as treasurer of YK 92, a youth lobby group formed to support the reelection of President Daniel arap Moi. From there, Ruto navigated Kenya’s turbulent multiparty era, winning parliamentary seats, serving in ministerial roles and steadily consolidating power within KANU and later other political alliances.

The defining moment of Ruto’s career came during the 2022 presidential election.

For decades, Kenyan politics was mainly shaped by ethnic loyalties, deals among powerful elites, and political families passing influence from one generation to the next. Ruto challenged this tradition by speaking directly to ordinary working people, especially those in the informal economy. By calling them the “hustler class,” he positioned himself as their representative and argued that political power should serve street vendors, boda boda riders, small traders, and casual workers who make up more than 80 percent of Kenya’s workforce, rather than a small, wealthy elite.

He cast himself as an outsider fighting an entrenched elite, portraying former President Uhuru Kenyatta and his allies as a self-serving dynasty detached from everyday hardship.

That narrative resonated deeply with voters frustrated by rising costs, stagnant incomes and unfulfilled promises under the Jubilee government. Ruto won power on a pledge to protect the poor and improve the lives of young Kenyans.

In 2022, Ruto did more than win an election. He shattered Kenya’s political script. For decades, power had circulated among elite families and regional kingmakers, most notably the Kenyatta dynasty. Ruto turned that tradition on its head, framing the vote as a struggle between ordinary Kenyans and a political class he said had lost touch with reality.

Three years later, that promise became under a screeching strain. The man elected to protect the poor now presides over a country roiled by protests, rising taxes, police violence and deepening frustration. The question echoing across Kenya today is no longer how Ruto rose, but whether he can govern without betraying the very people who lifted him into office.

Ruto entered office as Kenya’s economic growth was slowing and public finances were under severe strain from mounting debt, pushing the country into a period of deep financial stress.

Years of heavy borrowing, much of it poorly managed and marred by corruption, had left the country burdened by debt and dependent on international lenders.

Ruto vowed to change course. But the task was immense.

Faced with limited fiscal space, his administration turned to taxes and austerity measures to stabilize state finances. He asked Kenyans to “bear the higher taxes in the name of economic growth”. Instead, public anger exploded, as essentials’ price increased

In June last year, a proposed finance bill that would raise the cost of essential goods triggered nationwide protests. A youth led movement swept across Kenya. Demonstrators poured into the streets. The government responded with force. Police clashed with protesters. At least 31 people were killed, hundreds were arrested and many more were injured.

Ruto ultimately withdrew the bill under intense pressure, but the damage was done. His image as a champion of the poor was shaken.

Ruto came to power promising economic reform, fiscal discipline and support for ordinary Kenyans. Instead, critics argue that new taxes and austerity measures have deepened frustration in a country already struggling with high living costs, unemployment and inequality.

As demonstrations escalated, Ruto adopted a hard line security approach, deploying police to restore order, ordering arrests of those accused of violence, and warning that the country was under serious threat.

Critics and the people say this response risks redefining his presidency, portraying him as increasingly reliant on force.

At the same time the economy had moderately improved, but not enough. Real GDP growth has steadied at about five percent in 2023–2024, according to IMF and World Bank estimates.

That pace marks an improvement from 4.8 percent in 2022, but remains well below the 7.6 percent post-pandemic surge recorded in 2021.

Inflation, once a near-political flashpoint, has eased markedly. Headline inflation averaged 7.7 percent in 2023 but fell to around five percent through much of 2024, bringing it back within the Central Bank of Kenya’s target band of 2.5–7.5 percent.

Yet debt dynamics continue to dominate the narrative. Kenya’s gross public debt stood at about 68 percent of GDP in 2022, rose to a peak of roughly 73 percent in 2023, and is now projected to edge down toward 69 percent in 2024/2025.

While the slight retrenchment signals fiscal containment, the burden remains heavy ; debt-service costs absorb more than half of government revenues, sharply limiting room for development spending.

Heavy debt repayments and persistent budget deficits continue to expose structural vulnerabilities that could constrain private investment and narrow policy space. With fiscal consolidation at the core of Ruto’s economic strategy and public impatience rising over taxes, subsidies and living costs, Nairobi’s leadership faces a delicate trade-off; maintaining creditor confidence and macro stability while delivering growth that is tangible enough to sustain political legitimacy.

At the same time, research shows continuity with old political habits. Analysts note that elite networks, patronage and ethnic alliances still shape governance, undermining claims of a clean break from the past.

Economically, Ruto has tried to balance populist promises with fiscal reality. His administration has pursued reforms aimed at reducing debt vulnerability, including creating sovereign wealth and infrastructure funds to attract private investment and reduce reliance on borrowing. But austerity has come at a social cost.

Oxford Economics notes that while fiscal consolidation may be necessary, it has eroded public confidence, especially among young people whose hopes were central to Ruto’s election.

To understand Ruto’s true impact, political scientists say it is essential to separate narrative from structure.

Other Economists have echoed this view, arguing that Kenya’s crisis is less about leadership style and more about economic reality.

“The space for redistribution is extremely narrow,” one economist said.

Taken together, these assessments suggest that Ruto’s presidency is not a revolution but a reckoning. He has altered how Kenyans talk about power and inequality, but the economic system he inherited continues to dictate outcomes.

Ruto stands at the center of a country demanding change while constrained by fiscal reality.