"Ningefurahi sana": Ruto's tbt wish for daughters to marry Kenyan men resurfaces
This story has significance for readers across Kenya and beyond.
- President William Ruto once expressed his preference for his daughters to marry Kenyan men during a Radio Jambo interview
- Charlene Ruto got engaged to 36-year-old Tanzanian tech entrepreneur Isaya Yunge in a lavish Koito ceremony at the Kilgoris home
- Yunge is a Queen's Young Leaders Award recipient and former Forbes Africa 30 Under 30 honouree who founded SomaApps Technologies
President William Ruto's daughter Charlene Chelagat made headlines across Kenya after her traditional Koito engagement ceremony to Tanzanian entrepreneur Isaya Yunge was held at the family's Kilgoris home.
The event generated days of social media conversation, but it also unearthed something that has added a layer of irony to the celebration.
A resurfaced video of President Ruto speaking in a Radio Jambo interview has gone viral, in which the head of state candidly discussed his preferences regarding his daughters' relationships.
The footage appears to date from around the time his eldest daughter, June Ruto, married Nigerian-born Alexander Ezenagu.
What did Ruto say about his daughter's love lives?
In the interview, the president was candid about wishing his daughters would choose Kenyan partners.
Referencing June's marriage, he said,
"I would have been very happy if my daughter wed a Kenyan. However, things happened according to God's plan, and it was also her own decision. There was a time I had heard rumours that she was with someone called Ochieng, whom I had seen around, but later he disappeared. I don't know what happened."
He also joked about the financial sting of educating a daughter abroad only to watch her settle in another country.
"I have talked to these others and told them not to be making us suffer losses. You know for her, we educated her even in Australia, but now she has been taken to Nigeria. You can also see that we have suffered a deficit there. It would have been much better if we found a Kenyan," Ruto said with a laugh.
He had then expressed optimism about his remaining daughters, saying:
"I have more daughters and I pray that they will be with you guys who I can see here." He also advised his daughters to be respectful to their husbands after marriage.
With Charlene now engaged to a Tanzanian, the clip has taken on fresh meaning for many Kenyans online.
Who is Charlene's foreign fiancé?
Charlene's fiancé, Isaya Yunge, was relatively unknown to Kenyan audiences before details of the Koito ceremony leaked.
Born on 23 March 1990 in Mwanza, Tanzania, the 36-year-old reportedly overcame a difficult childhood that included time in foster homes and working as a cattle herder before building a career in technology and social entrepreneurship.
Yunge is the founder and CEO of SomaApps Technologies, which developed SomaApp, a mobile platform connecting African students with local and international scholarship opportunities.
He also pioneered SPEKI Technologies and Smart Kaya, a platform designed to help smallholder farmers access agricultural information, markets and financial services.
His achievements have earned him significant recognition. In 2018, he received the Queen's Young Leaders Award from Queen Elizabeth II and was named among Forbes Africa's 30 Under 30.
He has also served as a UNICEF Africa Youth Ambassador and, at just 17 in 2007, became the first African J8 delegate to address global leaders at the G8 Summit in Berlin.
Source: TUKO.co.ke
Reporting originally appeared via TUKO. Read the full source for additional context.