President William Ruto’s daughter, Charlene Ruto, has come out to address the one question about her role in her father’s government following criticisms of her engagements with leaders in different counties.
Ms Ruto says she is not working for the government but rather for her eponymous foundation, whose main objective is to amplify the voice of the youth.
“A lot of Kenyans have been wondering what I am doing going around counties. What is it exactly? I am not asking anyone to give me a position anywhere. I don’t need any position to do what I’m doing,” Charlene said.
Adding: “That is why I decided to have my own initiative so that I can help the community and Kenyans and really be a voice for our youth… I believe there is a difference between leadership and politics. You can lead without a title in politics, that is why I have taken the path.”
Charlene also denied claims that she was using public funds to traverse the country saying.
“Charlene Ruto Foundation has so many donors and sponsors who have come on board, Some are individuals who have come to me. A lot of people in business have also come to me and they have supported the Foundation. Even I have put my resources and my whole team. We are not using any government resources to do our activities,” she stated.
Ms Ruto also announced that The Charlene Ruto Foundation will be officially launched in early 2023. Currently, she is putting functional structures of her foundation in place.
Charlene also maintained that she wasn’t lying when she said she sold Smokie pasua at Daystar university.
“It is a true story, I used to sell smokies and kachumbari and I think my classmates and people I used to share a dorm with [can attest to this]. It was a Youth forum on savings and investments, and I was trying to explain how I also survived on campus through business,” she explained.
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Charlene said she and two of her friends ran the smokies business for a year before venturing into other businesses.
“I had a roommate and a next-door friend. So the three of us decided to come up with that idea because we saw people really loved it. So I was doing it myself. I did it myself, my roommate Sylvia was doing it as well as my roommate Nyokabi,” Charlene said.
“[After some time] we joined forces and started selling the smokie kachumbari. We sold it for a year then we moved on to do other businesses. We outgrew the business,” she noted.
Charlene added that being the daughter of a hustler has taught her many ways of making money too.
“The thing is that I am the daughter of the chief hustler, so I have seen his hustle and I have also hustled in my own way. I didn’t go to any Britain or American system school. I went to Kenyan schools throughout. I was in Moi Girls Eldoret high school, came to Daystar University so I understand the challenges Kenyan youth go through because I was there myself and I could see them,” she said.
Charlene said she plans to engage the youth on development issues which she says she will use to put the government in check.
