William Ruto is the fifth President of the Republic of Kenya and Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces.
Born and bred in Sugoi, Uasin Gishu County, to Daniel Cheruiyot and Sarah Cheruiyot, Ruto has amassed over three decades of experience in politics.
His entry into politics in 1992 was through the infamous Youth for KANU-a lobby group that campaigned for late president Daniel Moi.
In 1997, Ruto was elected to serve as MP for Eldoret North. A year later, he was appointed as the assistant minister in the Office of the President for a four-year period when he was elevated to take up the role of Minister for Home Affairs.
Over the years, Ruto has been a critical player within the Kenyan political space. In 2007, he resigned as KANU secretary general to join the Orange Democratic Movement (ODM) led by Raila Odinga. Following the election, a grand coalition government was formed between Raila and late president Mwai Kibaki.
During the 2013 General Election, Ruto joined hands with former President Uhuru Kenyatta to form the Jubilee Alliance. The duo was elected to serve for two terms until the August 9 election when Ruto vied under the Kenya Kwanza coalition party.
On August 15, 2022, Ruto was declared president-elect and subsequently the president after being sworn in on September 13, 2022.
Ruto's campaign was mainly built on the hustler narrative and branded as the bottom-up economic model through which he promised to focus on the less fortunate and lower the high cost of living.
After assuming the presidential role, Ruto effected several executive orders in different areas of the economy in a bid to actualise the promises in his manifesto.