President William Ruto’s family has attracted renewed attention after his daughter Charlene Ruto formalised her relationship with Tanzanian technology entrepreneur Isaya Yunge.
Charlene’s traditional Koito ceremony with Yunge makes her the second of Ruto’s daughters to marry a man from outside Kenya.
Her elder sister, June Ruto, married Nigerian scholar and law professor Dr Alexander Ezenagu in May 2021.
Isaya Yunge: The Tanzanian Entrepreneur
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Yunge is a Tanzanian technology entrepreneur known for his work in education technology.
A 2018 profile of Yunge said more than 7,000 students were using SomaApp at the time, while hundreds of scholarships had been won through the platform.
Yunge was also among the recipients of the Queen’s Young Leaders Award in 2018, recognising young people involved in initiatives aimed at improving lives in their communities.
“SomaApp” was created to help young Africans discover scholarship opportunities they might otherwise miss.
Dr Alexander Ezenagu: June Ruto’s Nigerian Husband
Before Charlene’s relationship with Yunge, June Ruto had already brought another East African family together with a West African one.
Ezenagu is a legal scholar with expertise in international tax law. He has taught and conducted research in several institutions and holds a PhD in Civil Law from McGill University in Canada.
He was later appointed a Senior Research Fellow at Strathmore University Business School and became Director of the Free Trade Department at the institution in 2023.
Their wedding followed traditional dowry negotiations between the two families earlier that month. The ceremony brought together elements of Kenyan and Nigerian cultures, particularly the Kalenjin and Igbo traditions.
Two Cross-Border Unions
Charlene’s relationship with Yunge means two of Ruto’s daughters have now formed marriages with men from other African countries.
June’s marriage brought a Kenyan family together with a Nigerian academic, while Charlene’s union links the family to Tanzania and the region’s technology sector.
The two relationships have also generated public interest because of the professional backgrounds of both men.
