is Raila richer than Ruto? This is one of the questions that linger in most Kenyans’ minds.
Well, before Ruto became the vice president, you could say with certainty that ‘’Raila is richer than Ruto.’’
But today, you can’t say that for sure because Ruto has amassed substantial wealth since becoming the vice president.
So, to answer this question, we have to compare what Raila and Ruto own first.
What Raila Owns
Raila has amassed substantial wealth throughout his political career and most of his assets have appreciated substantially in the past few years.
He generated his wealth from politics, business in oil and gas, land, manufacturing and other ventures. Here are the assets and companies owned by Raila:
According to an article published on the Nation website, Raila’s business empire includes:
- A substantial stake in BeEnergy
- Spectre International ltd (The holding company for the Kisumu Molasses plant)
- East Africa Spectre (A company that manufactures liquid petroleum gas cylinders in Kenya)
- Kisumu molasses plant (A company that produces ethanol and manufacturers fertilizer)
- Pan African Petroleum ltd (A multimillion oil and gas depot that provides petroleum energy solutions to millions of Kenyans).
- A holiday home in Mombasa
- A multi-million family home in Karen, Nairobi.
- A multi-million house in Runda
- Opoda Ranch in Bondo
- A state-of-the-art home in Riat, Kisumu, estimated to be worth kshs 1 billion.
- 2 choppers for hire worth approximately Ksh.500 million. He also uses the choppers for his political campaigns.
- A fleet of expensive cars composed of Toyota Prados and Mercedes Benz.
With these assets and companies, it’s easy to see that Raila is a wealthy man.
According to Miguna Miguna, his former senior adviser on coalition affairs during the coalition government, Raila is worth approximately $2 billion (That’s about Ksh 200 billion)
What Ruto Owns
Ruto has also amassed a lot of wealth throughout his political life.
But he got the vast majority of his wealth when he became the vice president.
Here is a highlight of assets and companies owned by Ruto:
According to an article published on the Nation website, Ruto’s business empire includes:
- Weston Hotel (A 4-star hotel in Nairobi worth over Ksh 2.5 billion)
- Amaco Insurance (He teamed up with friends to start this insurance company. He is the biggest shareholder in the company, with about Ksh 1 billion. Amaco made a lot of money during the last days of the Moi regime).
- Sentrim 680 Hotel worth about Ksh 3.1 billion
- Dolphin Hotel in Mombasa worth about Ksh 600 million.
- MediaMax Networks and K24 TV station (He is the largest shareholder, with 87% of the shares)
- Residential properties in Nairobi, along Jogoo Road valued at about Ksh 1.6 billion
- Osere flats in Rongai valued at about Ksh 500 million.
- Uasin Gishu homestead valued at about Ksh 1.3 billion. The homestead has a man-made lake and an airstrip.
- A residential home in Karen valued at Ksh 500 million
- 5 choppers valued at Ksh 1.3 billion
- Orterter Enterprises ltd (A real estate company valued at Ksh 2.5 billion)
- A Poultry Business Hub in Uasin Gishu country valued at Ksh 830 million
From the list of properties and companies above, it’s no doubt that Ruto is a wealthy man.
And because he is now the president of Kenya, expect him to amass even more wealth.
Now to the question at hand, is Raila richer than Ruto?
If you look at the two politicians’ wealth portfolios, it can be difficult to tell who is richer than the other.
But many local and international publications rank Raila above Ruto when it comes to riches.
So, Yes, Raila is richer than Ruto.
