Untold story of Ruto's complicated rivalry and friendship with Moi

When William Ruto first entered politics in the early 1990s, few could have imagined that the fiery young man standing in a KANU crowd, dismissed by President Daniel arap Moi as “a character running around”,  would one day inherit the same seat Moi once held.

In a rare moment of candour, President Ruto recently opened up about that early chapter of his life, which reveals the deep personal undercurrents behind Kenya’s political evolution.

“When I was first elected as a Member of Parliament, I was not in very good books with the KANU government,” Ruto said. 

Although I was a KANU member, I wasn’t the favourite.

The Unlikely Candidate

At the time, KANU was the only party that mattered, and Moi, then in his political prime, handpicked favourites with the precision of a kingmaker. 

Ruto, a young and unknown aspirant for Eldoret North, had no family legacy to lean on and no name recognition to ride.

“We didn’t have a history of leadership in our family,” he recalled.

During campaigns, I used to tell people, ‘You know Paul Boit, the former county council chairman? I’m his neighbour.’ That was the closest I came to having a brand.

But Ruto’s brand soon became his voice, outspoken, confident, and unafraid to challenge the establishment. That, he admits, made him a problem for KANU’s old guard.

The Day Moi Dismissed Him Publicly

During a campaign stop in Eldoret, Moi addressed a rally packed with locals and party officials. From the podium, the president warned against electing unknown faces.

“He said people should elect those who are known,” Ruto recounted. “He mentioned some wealthy and prominent people,  and said there are some ‘characters running around here we don’t know.’ I was in the crowd.”

It was a public dismissal. But instead of breaking him, it fuelled his determination. Against the odds, Ruto defeated the party’s heavyweights in the KANU nominations, emerging as the people’s choice. It was his first act of political defiance.

The Turning Point 

Ruto’s outspoken style continued even after his election to Parliament. His boldness attracted attention, including from Moi himself. But rather than confrontation, the old president took an unexpected approach.

“He sent Bishop Thomas Kogo and Hosea Kiplagat to look for me,” Ruto said.

They told me, ‘Moi is like your father. You are a Christian. In all this noise you’re making, where is your Christianity and your respect for this old man?’

Ruto laughed as he remembered that moment. “They cornered me,” he said. “I had to tone down.”

That conversation marked a new chapter. It bridged the divide between the rebellious youth and the ageing patriarch. 

Moi, who had once dismissed Ruto, began to see something in him, perhaps a reflection of his younger self.

From Noisy MP to Trusted Ally

With time, the relationship warmed. Ruto recalls how Moi began to view him differently.

“He started to see that maybe this young man is a bit noisy, but he speaks sense, or so he thought,” Ruto said, drawing laughter from his audience.

Barely a year and a half after entering Parliament, Moi appointed him Assistant Minister, an extraordinary leap for someone who had been the party’s black sheep. Then came the ultimate sign of trust.

“He gave me something that many people didn’t have,” Ruto said. 

There used to be something called a hotline, a phone that went directly to the President, with no secretaries. If it rang, it was either Moi or one of his top men. I became the only Assistant Minister with a hotline.

For a young politician once seen as an outsider, that direct line to State House was not just a privilege it was validation.

Lessons Over Lunch

As their friendship deepened, Ruto began joining Moi for lunch, a daily ritual at State House where the president often shared advice and humour with his trusted circle.

“It’s true, I came for lunch several times,” Ruto said. “But the problem is, some people like Marsden [Madoka, former Asst. Minister for Foreign Affairs] didn’t go for lunch, he would close his door and take a nap instead.”

The Full Circle

The same man Moi once warned voters about now occupies the presidency.

After he understood me, Moi became a very good friend of mine,” Ruto said. “He realised I wasn’t quite a useless or noisy person.

It was a modest reflection, but also an unintentional admission of how Kenya’s politics can be dynamic.