These families, often called the “Dynasties,” include the Kenyattas, the Mois, and the Odingas. They are known for their great wealth and for having controlled Kenya’s politics for many years.
Before the 2022 general election, Ruto spent a lot of time attacking these same families. He told Kenyans that they were the reason the country was struggling.
He spoke strongly against them, saying they had been in power for too long and had taken advantage of ordinary citizens.
During that time, he made himself look like a man of the people, coming from a poor background and fighting for the poor.
Ruto grew up in a small village in Kamagut, where his parents struggled to make ends meet. He often reminded Kenyans that he sold chickens by the roadside and only got his first pair of shoes as a teenager.
He used these stories to connect with ordinary people, saying he understood their pain and problems. His message was simple — he wanted to give power back to the poor and take it away from the rich and powerful.
He created a strong campaign around the idea of the “Hustler Nation.” Many Kenyans believed in him because they saw him as one of their own. He called his main opponents — Raila Odinga, Uhuru Kenyatta, and Gideon Moi — the “Dynasties.”
He told Kenyans that voting for them would mean keeping the same old leaders in power. That message helped him win the presidency.
However, after becoming president, things changed quickly. Ruto started meeting with the same leaders he had once criticised.
Slowly, he began working with the Kenyattas, Odingas, and Mois — the very people he had warned Kenyans about.
People were shocked when they saw Ruto meeting and smiling with former president Uhuru Kenyatta, his old rival. The man who once blamed Kenyatta for Kenya’s problems was now sitting down with him as a friend.
Later, after violent protests by young people in 2024, Ruto also reached out to Raila Odinga for help. The two men began working together, and soon some of Raila’s close allies even got government positions.
Ruto’s government later introduced what he called a “Broad-Based Government,” which brought together many leaders, including those from the same families he once fought. To many Kenyans, it looked like Ruto had abandoned his “Hustler Nation” idea and joined hands with the rich and powerful.
In October 2025, Ruto went even further by bringing in Gideon Moi, the son of Kenya’s second president. This move made it clear that Ruto had now formed close ties with all three powerful families — Kenyatta, Odinga, and Moi.
Many Kenyans now feel betrayed. They remember how Ruto promised to fight for the poor and stand against the rich.
But today, he seems to spend more time with the same people he once called enemies of the common man.
While his deputy still travels around giving money to small traders and youth, Ruto now holds meetings in luxurious offices and private homes with the “Dynasties.”
His actions have left many wondering if the “Hustler Nation” dream was only a campaign slogan. The people he once fought have now become his closest allies. And it seems that, in the end, the same wealthy families he once opposed are the ones keeping him in power.
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Politics