Charlene Ruto’s husband, Isaya Yunge, has opened up about a childhood marked by rejection, absent parents, and hard labour in a candid, resurfaced interview.
Yunge, who married President William Ruto’s daughter in a high-profile ceremony, grew up far removed from the privileged life he is associated with today.
What was Isaya Yunge’s childhood?
In 2020, Isaya had a sit-down with YahStoneTown on YouTube.
He told the outlet that his parents separated when he was very young, leaving him with no stable home. “I have lived in many places. I never stayed with my parents, as they separated while I was still young,” he said.
His grandmother took him in and raised him in Mwanza, where his daily duties included herding cattle and scaring birds away from farmland. He would wake up before dawn, at 5 am, to begin his chores.
“I was like a scarecrow,” he recalled.
Despite his mother’s efforts to show him love through visits, clothes and gifts, the distance between them left a deep ache.
He remembered holding onto her voice and scent long after she departed, craving her physical presence above all else.
The longing became so overwhelming that one day, when his mother came to visit and boarded a bus to leave, Yunge secretly climbed on and hid under a seat in a desperate bid to follow her.
He eventually alighted after she did and made his way to his father, who lived close by, and he took him in.
But the arrangement did not last. His father’s new partner resented his presence, and one day, upon his return from school, Yunge’s father was instructed to send him away.
His father obeyed, and Yunge was sent back to his grandmother. Life at his grandmother’s was equally harsh.
An aunt living in the same household would deny him food and once struck his hand as he reached for a meal.
Things shifted when his mother insisted he come to live with her and his stepfather. But even there, he was not treated as family.
While his other siblings attended private schools, Yunge was assigned gruelling chores.
His main task was fetching water on a bicycle from a source 30 minutes away, trip after trip from morning until evening.
“I thought I ninateswa,” he said, reflecting on how exploited he felt.
His stepfather, despite holding a steady job, never allowed him to feel at home. Netizens who came across the interview were visibly moved, with fans flooding the comments section to encourage him.
@elegantboutique_fashion wrote:
“God continue blessing him.”
@johndavidesther added:
“For gold to shine it must pass through fire.”
@madamee.88 commented:
“Strong warriors are given the toughest battles.”
@ssk_furnicture_interial_design said:
“The chosen ones must go through hardships!”
