Weston Hotel land dispute Since 2015, the Weston Hotel, a business associated with Ruto, has been the subject of a legal dispute regarding the acquisition of its 0.773-acre site opposite Wilson Airport. The Kenya Civil Aviation Authority (KCAA) alleged that the land was public property and was illegally excised in 2002. In January 2019, the National Land Commission (NLC) determined the allotment was irregular but recommended that Ruto compensate the KCAA at market value. Ruto subsequently stated he was a bona fide purchaser who had no knowledge of the original illegality. The matter moved to the High Court after the KCAA rejected the compensation offer, demanding the hotel's demolition.
KPC Ngong Forest land scandal In 2004, Ruto was charged with defrauding the Kenya Pipeline Company (KPC) of approximately Sh272 million through the sale of plots allegedly hived off from the Ngong Forest. Following a Constitutional Court ruling in 2010 that he must face trial, Ruto was suspended from his position as Minister for Higher Education. In April 2011, he was acquitted after the court found that the prosecution had failed to provide sufficient evidence that he or his co-accused received the funds from KPC. In early 2020, the Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) reopened the investigation to trace the money trail of the Sh272 million transaction. Ruto maintained that the renewed probe was politically motivated. Since his assumption of the presidency in 2022, no further charges have been brought forward in this matter, and the case remains part of his historical political discourse.
Muteshi land In June 2013, a court ordered Ruto to pay a victim of 2007/08 post-election violence 5 million shillings for illegally taking away his land during the post-election violence. In the same judgement, Ruto was evicted from the grabbed land in
Uasin Gishu. Adrian Muteshi had accused Ruto of grabbing In the same month, Ruto claimed that the articles were persistent, and obviously sponsored
fake news. Later that month, a human rights lobby activist, Trusted Society of Human Rights Alliance, called for an investigation into the mysterious acquisition of a 900-acre piece of land that formerly belonged to former vice-president Murumbi. According to the allegations, Murumbi had been involved in a dispute over loan defaults with a state corporation, AFC, against the land that was pledged as a security for the loan.
Jacob Juma assassination Ruto has been publicly linked by several opposition figures, activists, and media reports to the May 2016 assassination of Jacob Juma, a businessman and outspoken government critic. In the months preceding his death, Juma used social media to
allege that Ruto was plotting to kill him, claiming in December 2015 that his assassination had been discussed by senior figures. Following Juma's fatal shooting along
Ngong Road, former Lugari MP Cyrus Jirongo alleged during the memorial service that a personal rivalry existed between the two, claiming Juma had once physically assaulted Ruto. Jirongo further suggested that the same individuals involved in Juma's death were responsible for the murder of Meshack Yebei, a potential witness in Ruto’s ICC trial. President Ruto has consistently denied these allegations, characterizing them as politically motivated attacks intended to damage his reputation. He threatened to sue Jirongo and others for defamation, maintaining he never had physical contact with Juma. While Ruto expressed his willingness to record a statement with the Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) if requested, the murder remains officially unsolved as of 2026, with no suspects charged in connection with the crime. In June 2016, reports from the
Financial Post detailed a dispute involving Pacific Wildcat, a Canadian mining company where Juma served as a director. Following the cancellation of the company's $2 billion niobium mining license in Kwale County by the Jubilee government, Juma
alleged that then-Mining Minister
Najib Balala had solicited a bribe to reinstate it. Company officials further alleged that Ruto and Balala had pressured the firm to transfer its license to a new entity in which the Kenyan government would hold a 50% stake for free. While Juma’s opposition to the cancellation became a central theme of his social media activism and political correspondence, a
High Court of Kenya ruling ultimately upheld the Minister’s decision to revoke the license, finding that the cancellation was legally sound. Critics and media reports noted that the loss of these mining interests preceded Juma's transition into an outspoken critic of the administration's corruption, leading to various court filings and diplomatic petitions prior to his assassination. During legal proceedings, the Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) reported that Nyakundi had recanted his statement, claiming he had been coached to fabricate the allegations. The court subsequently ordered a mental evaluation for Nyakundi to determine his fitness to stand trial. As of 2026, the assassination of Jacob Juma remains officially unsolved.
International Criminal Court summons In December 2010, the prosecutor of the
International Criminal Court announced that he was seeking the summons of six people, including Ruto, over their involvement in the
2007–8 electoral violence. The ICC's Pre-Trial Chamber subsequently issued a summons for Ruto at the prosecutor's request. Ruto was accused of planning and organizing crimes against supporters of President Kibaki's Party of National Unity. He was charged with three counts of
crimes against humanity, one for murder, one for the forcible transfer of population, and one for persecution. On 23 January 2012, the ICC confirmed the charges against Ruto and
Joshua Sang, in a case that also involved
former president Uhuru Kenyatta,
Francis Muthaura,
Henry Kosgey and
Major General Mohammed Hussein Ali. Ruto told the US government that the Kiambaa church fire on 1 January 2008 after the
2007 general election was accidental. In 2009 the Waki Commission report stated that "the incident which captured the attention of both Kenyans and the world was a deliberate burning of live people, mostly Kikuyu women, and children huddled together in a church" in Kiambaa on 1 January 2008. In April 2016, the International Criminal Court abandoned the prosecution of Ruto, stating that rampant witness intimidation and "intolerable political interference" had made it impossible for the case to proceed. The murders and disappearances remain unresolved to date.
Home attack On 28 July 2017, Ruto's home was targeted by at least one attacker armed with a machete, and the police officer on duty guarding the residence was injured. During the time of the attack, he and his family were not at the compound as he had left hours earlier for a campaign rally in
Kitale. There were reports of gunfire and several security sources said the attack was staged by multiple people. Police initially thought there were a few attackers because the attacker used different firearms. Around 48 hours later, Kenya Police chief Joseph Boinnet announced that the attacker had been shot dead and the situation was under control.
OCCRP Person of the Year Award In 2024, Ruto received a record-breaking 40,000 public nominations for the
OCCRP Person of the Year award. The organization attributed the surge to intense domestic dissatisfaction following the 2024 Finance Bill protests and general economic frustration. However, OCCRP's final panel of investigative journalists did not award Ruto the title, clarifying that in many cases, public nominations lacked direct evidence of significant corruption or a longstanding pattern of abuses required for their selection. The panel ultimately selected ousted Syrian President
Bashar al-Assad, citing his documented role in state-sponsored drug trafficking and human rights violations. Separate from the OCCRP report, an August 2018 survey by
Ipsos Kenya released its Social, Political, Economic and Cultural (SPEC) Survey, which found that 33% of 2,016 respondents perceived Ruto, then Deputy President under
Uhuru Kenyatta, as the most corrupt political leader among those currently or previously in office.
Anne Waiguru, then Governor of Kirinyaga, was ranked second by 31% of respondents. Ruto and his supporters strongly dismissed the poll, with his press secretary labeling it a "libellous crusade" by "shadowy sponsors" intended to influence the 2022 general election. Ruto further characterized the findings as "fake news" and "propaganda". Similarly, Waiguru threatened legal action for defamation, noting she had never been charged or convicted of corruption in a court of law. Critics of the survey argued that perception-based polls measure public opinion rather than providing factual evidence of criminal activity.
2025 State banquet controversy On the evening of 18 March, Ruto and First Lady Rachel Ruto hosted a state banquet at State House in Nairobi in honor of
King Willem-Alexander and
Queen Máxima of the Netherlands. After finishing his opening speech President Ruto, contrary to protocol, then introduced Patrick V. Verkooijen, the Dutch chancellor of the
University of Nairobi, as a surprise speaker rather than acknowledging his guest, the Dutch king, who was visibly surprised. Verkooijen then proceeded to give a 7.5 minute speech in which he extolled the accomplishments of Ruto, drawing criticism from the royal delegation.
Church-building In July 2025, President Ruto announced that he would build a church on the grounds of
State House, Nairobi using his own funds. The decision was widely criticised, with the
Atheists In Kenya Society threatening to sue over what it called "a promotion of Christian nationalism", and Nairobi's Catholic archbishop
Philip Anyolo urging a clarification on whether the proposal would favour certain denominations. The
Daily Nation also published what is said were architectural designs for the structure, showing a large building with stained glass windows and capacity for 8,000 people, and said that it would be expected to cost $9 million, while raising concern over whether it would violate the secular principles enshrined within the
Kenyan constitution.
Adani Group involvements In June 2024, a University student, Nelson Amenya, blew the whistle on a deal that was underway between the government and
Adani Group to lease Kenya's largest International Airport,
JKIA. Many Kenyans criticized this deal on the internet for not following the correct privatization procedure such as having public participation on the matter as required by law. The secret manner in which the deal was being conducted also made many Kenyans suspicious of the disregard of transparency. The president on numerous occasions refuted the claims that the airport was being sold, he added the deal was crucial for national development and for the modernization of JKIA. Adani was also involved with the Energy sector in Kenya and had signed power transmission deals with the government aimed at increasing power transmission and rural electrification in the country. The deal was valued at $736 million. Kenya's high court suspended the power deal. The court said the government could not move ahead with the 30-year agreement with Adani Energy Solutions until the court makes a determination on a case brought by Law Society of Kenya challenging the deal. In the same month Ruto reaffirmed that the country stands to gain significantly from the power transmission deal between Adani Group Holdings. On 21 November 2024 in a nation address, Ruto cancelled the Adani deals , which were valued at over $2.5 billion, after Adani was indicted by the US for corruption and bribery allegations. The news received positive reactions from lawmakers.
Role in the Sudan conflict In 2024 and 2025, the Ruto administration faced international and domestic scrutiny regarding its role in the
Sudanese civil war. Following a February 2024 meeting between Ruto and RSF leader
Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo, reports from investigative outlets like
NTV and Bellingcat identified Kenyan-labeled military crates in Sudanese depots. Further allegations, highlighted by organizations such as SwissAid, suggested that Nairobi served as a transit hub for gold smuggled from RSF-controlled territories to
Dubai. Sudanese officials and domestic critics alleged these ventures provided a financial and logistical backbone for the RSF, though the Kenyan government consistently denied direct involvement in the illicit trade. Diplomatic tensions peaked in February 2025 after Kenya hosted the signing of a charter by the RSF and its allies to form a parallel government in Sudan. While the Sudanese military-led government condemned the move as "diplomatic anarchy" and an infringement on its sovereignty, President Ruto maintained that Kenya’s involvement was strictly as a neutral mediator. Government spokesperson
Isaac Mwaura affirmed that Kenya remained committed to IGAD-led peace negotiations and
humanitarian relief, framing the hosting of various Sudanese factions as a necessary step toward ending the conflict and restoring civilian rule.
Privatization of state-owned entities On 9 October 2023, Ruto signed the Privatisation Bill 2023 into law, which gives the country's Ministry of National Treasury and Economic Planning powers to privatise public-owned enterprises without seeking approval from Parliament. Under the new law in place, privatisation of public entities will be done through initial public offering of shares, sale of shares by public tender, sale resulting from the exercise of pre-emptive rights or through any other method that will be defined by the Cabinet. This has been termed unconstitutional by civil societies and groups. The groups reiterated that the process is illegal and amounts to a material breach of procedure, having not gone through parliamentary ratification, stakeholder engagement and public participation contrary to sections 21,22 and 23 of the Privatisation Act, 2023, terming it null and void. There have also been fears for job losses should some entities get privatised. MPs have also raised their concern on how valuation has been carried out with some claiming entities have been undervalued, also questioning the transparency and legality of the entire process. . He has since defended this move terming it necessary as it lessens fiscal burden from the state thus cutting government expenditure and that will also raise revenue in addition to fighting corruption. This was also defended by the then Treasury CS
Njuguna Ndung'u. Over 10 state parastatals have been up for privatisation, including
KICC,
JKIA, Kenya Seed Company,
National Oil Corporation of Kenya,
Kenya Literature Bureau, with
Kenya Pipeline Company being privatised later in 2025. == Personal life ==