IS RUTO’S RAGS-TO-RICHES TALE LEGIT?

Politics in the so-called democracy that is Kenya have become a get-rich-quick scheme. Critics say lawmakers and ministers, instead of representing citizens and their interests, are more focused on amassing wealth.

In this clip, Kenya’s National Assembly majority leader is challenged about the fortune and business empire of his boss, President William Ruto. But in response, Kimani Ichungw'a tries to dodge the question - by noting that poverty is ‘not a life sentence,’ and that both he and Ruto worked their way up to the top from humble beginnings.

Now, that may be true enough. But wealth gained from looting public funds without accountability and transparency - while ordinary people suffer - should not be a pathway out of poverty either. Ruto has had a long list of allegations levelled at his door, some dating as far back as the 1990s: from misuse of public funds and illegal proprietary acquisitions/sales, to having had a hand in the 2007 post-elections violence.

Ruto has managed, over 30 years in politics, to climb the social ladder - to become one of the country's wealthiest men. Ichungw'a‘s time in politics has also seen him become a (KES) billionaire. While defenders might claim they both achieved all that legitimately, without straight answers, accountability and transparency, suspicions will linger.

Sources

https://businesstoday.co.ke/inside-rutos-hotels-in-mombasa-nairobi/

https://www.businessdailyafrica.com/bd/corporate/companies/ruto-s-name-dropped-from-list-of-weston-hotel-owners-4913434

https://www.capitalfm.co.ke/news/2021/09/show-kenyans-the-source-of-your-wealth-tuju-tells-ruto/

https://www.standardmedia.co.ke/politics/article/2001422454/ruto-i-have-200000-chicken-and-make-sh15m-a-day-selling-eggs#google_vignette

https://rutomustgo.pages.dev/Blogs/corruption

https://nation.africa/kenya/news/1056-859784-format-xhtml-43dyhwz/index.html

https://www.bbc.com/news/world-africa-24028714.amp