They say that the purest form of love is that of a mother. A mother will always hold your hand and believe the best in you no matter what the situation.
Mama Cheruiyot is the mother of deputy president William Samoei Ruto. The President’s mother has always kept away from the spotlight. Until now, the last time she was in the public eye was when the Independent Electoral And Boundaries Commission (IEBC) Chairman Wafula Chebukati announced her son as the President elect.
According to her son, she played a vital role in his life and he even got to honor her on Mother’s day with a glowing tribute.
“Dear mom, you are a special gift to me. You will always have a special place in my heart. Through you, allow me to pay special tribute to our mothers on this special Mother’s day.
Thank you for nurturing me. Thank you for praying for me. You are my strength.
Happy Mother’s Day” Ruto shared on social media during last year’s mother’s day.
Age
Mama Cheruiyot is 78 years old.
Education
The loving mother did not go to school, hence, has no formal training. However, this is not a measure of her intelligence as according to Hon. Ruto, despite not going to school, she mastered the hymn songs like no one else.
The deputy president once said the fact that she knew so much without formal education inspired them to do their best in school.
Children
Mama Sarah Cheruiyot was married Mzee Daniel Cheruiyot who was a successful maize and livestock farmer. Her husband passed away in 2008. She has six children, three boys and three girls but the one who hogs the limelight is the deputy president. She was a strict mother who brought up her children in Christianity. They had to go to church and she could not insist enough on the benefits of bringing up her children in a Godly way in a past interview with The Standard.
The 78 year old said her son was not rebellious and he got a beating whenever he erred:
“Whenever he erred and I beat him, he would cry like any other child but would still do the chore he had been assigned. He was never rebellious.”
Her son, Harrison Kiptoo succumbed to Kidney Cancer in July 2016. Her son David Samoei Ruto is Masters graduate from Capella University, USA and a businessman.
All of her children were disciplined whenever they erred and she said Ruto always loved education and would carry a book even while going to graze animals.
Her love for her children is genuine and it shone through when William Ruto was accused of crime against humanities at the International Criminal Court (ICC) following the aftermath of the 2007-08 post election violence. The mother was quoted saying her son is innocent and she was praying for him.
Her son presidency
Asked in 2010 about her son’s presidential ambitions, she responded:
“If it is God’s wish then it will come to pass…”
“As a family we can only keep praying for him to succeed in his pursuits. If it is God’s wish that he becomes president, then it will happen. That is beyond us.”
Career
Sarah lives in her home at Kamagut village in Turbo division in the Expansive Eldoret constituency. She has a big farm where she grows a number of crops including maize, beans, sweet potatoes and sugarcane. She also keeps dairy cows.
