Why Ruto and Trump are in a unique political pod

At any given time, many leaders aspire to be great or spend time competing with each other as to who is greater than the others. Some do not wait to be proclaimed as great in part because they are not sure others would recognise and acknowledge their greatness.

Such people end up proclaiming their own ‘greatness’ repeatedly and assertion of having achieved feats other people have problems seeing. Two ‘leaders’ who routinely proclaim their greatness are Donald Trump of the United States and William Ruto of Kenya. The two are in a unique political pod.

The two men are different but also similar. Among the differences is that Trump is an American running the world’s biggest economy and struggles, as expressed in his National Security Strategy of November 2025, to ensure the US stops depending on other countries for its essentials. It has ability to dictate to the rest of the world.

In contrast, Ruto is an African who enjoys running a beggar country in East Africa into deep dependency and debts that keep sky rocketing. He believes in taxing Kenyans to catch up with the little Asian island city state of Singapore.

Trump’s 2025 Big, Beautiful Bill Act cuts taxes; Ruto looks for excuses for hiking taxes. Trump controls the Washington based International Financial Institutions such as the World Bank and the IMF; Ruto is so beholden to those institutions that he seemingly has surrendered Kenyan sovereignty to them. Ruto’s externally dictated taxes led to the 2024 GenZ socio-economic and political uprisings.

While Trump flies luxuriously in American planes, Ruto flies luxuriously in rented or donated planes. While Trump tries to ensure independence for the US in whatever he does calling it America First, Ruto seemingly surrenders sovereignty to extra-continental entities by selling or giving away Kenya’s strategic assets. Trump expels immigrants from the US, Ruto’s no vetting policy opens Kenyan doors to foreigners.

Despite the differences, the two men have similarities that draw them close to each other. Both are ‘dealers’ and, being extremely rich, have easy access to world luxuries. Each has been indicted for alleged crimes, has extreme self-confidence, and tends to bulldoze his way.

They bulldozed their individual ways to change the images of official presidential residencies to their particular tastes. While Trump changed the White House to have a Ball Room, Ruto changed the State House to have a flat roof and wants to build a huge church in the State House compound. Both ignored public outcries.

Both are men of vanity, like to be flattered and being recognised as great achievers. It was to cement Trump’s reputation as a global peacemaker that Ruto flew to Washington to witness the supposed Trump brokered peace between DR Congo and Rwanda with Trump signing as guarantor and Ruto as the witnessing chair of the East African Community.

The signing enabled the Federation of International Football Association, FIFA, to give its first peace award to Trump.

Having visited the White House when Joe Biden was president, Ruto’s second visit was less flashy but it gave both Ruto and Trump chance to meet as self-respecting deal makers. They seemingly made a deal that is contentious in Kenya. It fits Trump’s insistence that American companies or corporate entities benefit from international engagements.

Ruto’s and Trump’s interests had converged. Having terminated USAID global assistance, Trump threw many dependent countries into desperation. Busy experimenting with confusing health projects called SHA or SHI when Trump pulled the aid rag under his feet, Ruto was desperate to deal.

The peace signing ceremony in Washington was ideal place for Ruto and Trump to deal. Ruto got the health assistance that might divert attention from unending SHA/SHI problems. US companies received access to Kenyan health data. As deal makers, Trump and Ruto are human peas in a political pod.