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Vol 67 No 22

Published 6th November 2026


Kenya

A hustler’s guide to high places

William Ruto promised to challenge the Nairobi establishment. His business circle illustrates how readily a new one can form

William Samoei Ruto’s rise to the presidency in August 2022 was framed as a David and Goliath story in which the underdog ‘hustler’ – Ruto – defeated Kenya’s political and business oligarchs against the odds. There was an element of truth to the tale, but Ruto was already one of the world’s richest politicians in 2022, and the accumulation of dynastic political and business wealth has also been one consequence of his presidency.

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