The Day Raila Suspended William Ruto Over Corruption Allegations

On 14 February 2010, Prime Minister Raila Odinga announced the immediate suspension of Agriculture Minister William Ruto and Education Minister Professor Sam Ongeri over alleged corruption in their ministries.

Mr Odinga said the decision was based on forensic audits that linked the Agriculture Ministry to a maize importation scandal and the Education Ministry to the misuse of funds meant for the Free Primary Education programme. He argued that the suspensions were necessary to ensure credible investigations.

The maize scandal involved politically connected individuals who allegedly bought maize from state reserves at low prices and resold it at inflated rates to millers. Separately, an audit had revealed losses of more than KSh100 million in the Education Ministry through fictitious workshops and other irregular payments.

The announcement, made at Harambee House Annex, immediately deepened tensions within the coalition government. Mr Ruto, then the deputy leader of the Orange Democratic Movement (ODM), rejected the order, saying only the President had the authority to remove a minister.

Prof Ongeri also dismissed the suspension, stating that he would only recognise a directive from the appointing authority. Later that evening, President Mwai Kibaki overturned the suspensions in a public statement from State House. He said such decisions required consultation between the President and the Prime Minister.

Although he reaffirmed his commitment to tackling corruption, the move was widely seen as a political setback for Mr Odinga and highlighted divisions within the power-sharing government formed after the 2007–08 post-election crisis. The confrontation marked the beginning of a political rift between Mr Odinga and Mr Ruto.

Two months later, Mr Ruto was reassigned to the Higher Education docket, and in August 2011, he was dropped from the Cabinet. At the time, he was facing separate charges at the International Criminal Court related to the post-election violence of 2008.

In the years that followed, Mr Ruto strengthened his political alliance with then Finance Minister Uhuru Kenyatta. Both men were under ICC indictment, and their partnership led to the formation of the Jubilee Alliance. In 2013, they won the presidential election, reshaping Kenya’s political landscape and leaving Mr Odinga in opposition.

Despite the 2010 setback, Mr Odinga maintained a strong public stance against corruption throughout his career. He repeatedly called for strict action against graft, arguing that it weakened the economy and deepened inequality. In 2020, he wrote on social media that harsh penalties for corrupt officials were essential to break what he called a culture of impunity.

A year later, in an interview with the BBC, he emphasised that effective anti-corruption efforts required leadership “from the top” and the willingness to confront powerful interests.

This legacy featured prominently at his state funeral on 17 October 2025 at Nyayo Stadium. Religious leaders, political figures, and citizens praised his long public service. His widow, Mama Ida Odinga, described him as a man who “hated dishonesty” and refused to normalise corruption.

Bishop David Kodia of the Anglican Diocese of Bondo used the occasion to criticise current political practices, accusing leaders of promoting a culture of handouts while ignoring moral standards. Analysts regard the 2010 suspension incident as a turning point that exposed competing power centres within the coalition government.

It revealed the fragility of the power-sharing arrangement, accelerated Mr Ruto’s break with ODM and laid the groundwork for the political alliance that ended Mr Odinga’s presidential ambitions three years later.