NAROK, Kenya — President William Ruto’s daughter, Charlene Ruto, has been engaged to Tanzanian entrepreneur and technology executive Isaya Yunge in a traditional ceremony held in Kilgoris, Narok County, on Saturday, August 8, 2026.
The ceremony, held at President Ruto’s Intona Heritage Farm, brought together members of the two families alongside senior political figures and other prominent guests.
Charlene and Yunge took part in traditional Kalenjin celebrations, with guests dressed largely in coordinated brown-themed outfits as the venue was decorated in green and cream colours.
Charlene wore a cream-coloured dress, while Yunge appeared in a brown suit as the couple joined guests in traditional dances during the celebrations.
Among those reported to have attended were Deputy President Kithure Kindiki, ODM party leader Oburu Odinga, former First Lady Ida Odinga, nominated Senator Karen Nyamu and Nairobi Woman Representative Esther Passaris.
Also present were Interior Cabinet Secretary Kipchumba Murkomen, Treasury Principal Secretary Chris Kiptoo, Nairobi Governor Johnson Sakaja and Health Cabinet Secretary Aden Duale.
Several senior guests arrived by helicopter, adding to the high-profile nature of the ceremony.
The engagement places Yunge, who has maintained a relatively low public profile in Kenya, in the spotlight as he begins a new chapter with the President’s daughter.
Who is Isaya Yunge?
Yunge, a Tanzanian entrepreneur and technology executive, is best known for his work in education technology and youth empowerment.
He is associated with SomaApps Technologies, the company behind SomaApp, a scholarship-matching platform designed to connect African students with education and scholarship opportunities.
The platform was developed after Yunge identified a problem facing many African students: scholarship opportunities were available, but many potential beneficiaries lacked information about them.
According to profiles of his work, SomaApp uses students’ academic information to identify scholarship opportunities for which they may qualify. The initiative has been credited with helping thousands of young Africans access education opportunities.
Yunge’s work earned him the Queen’s Young Leader Award in 2018. He was one of two Tanzanians recognised that year, alongside Alice Ahadi Magaka.
His background in youth advocacy, however, predates his technology career.
From youth leader to technology entrepreneur
Yunge became involved in youth leadership while still a teenager.
In 2007, at the age of 17, he participated in the Junior 8 process, a youth initiative linked to the G8, and represented young people from non-G8 countries.
He subsequently addressed world leaders at the G8 summit in Heiligendamm, Germany, where he called for greater investment in education in Africa.
The official G8 record from the 2007 summit identifies Yunge as one of the young participants who presented the concerns of young people, with education in Africa among the issues he raised.
Yunge had earlier been selected as a UNICEF Africa Youth Ambassador, a role that gave him an international platform to advocate for children’s rights and greater youth participation.
Ashoka, which later recognised him as an Ashoka Fellow, describes how his early experiences with disadvantaged young people influenced his interest in education and social innovation.
That experience eventually informed his decision to develop SomaApp.
Rather than approaching education access solely as a policy problem, Yunge used technology to tackle the information gap between students and available opportunities.
His work subsequently attracted international recognition. In 2018, he was among the Tanzanian recipients of the Queen’s Young Leader Award, which recognised young people using their skills and initiatives to create social impact.
A career built around technology and innovation
Yunge has also held leadership positions outside SomaApps.
His professional background includes work in technology, innovation and entrepreneurship, while his academic training includes a Bachelor of Science degree in Insurance and Risk Management from Tanzania’s Institute of Finance Management.
He has also undertaken studies in areas including economic diplomacy, digital money, entrepreneurship and innovation.
His profile has previously featured in African technology and entrepreneurship publications, with his work at SomaApps cited as an example of using digital tools to address challenges affecting access to education.
His career has therefore combined youth advocacy, technology, entrepreneurship and social innovation—long before his relationship with Charlene Ruto brought him increased attention in Kenya.
Charlene and Yunge kept relationship private
Charlene Ruto and Yunge had largely kept their relationship away from the public spotlight before their engagement became known.
That relative privacy has changed following the traditional ceremony, which has brought the Tanzanian entrepreneur into the Kenyan political and public spotlight.
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Charlene, who has been active in youth empowerment and entrepreneurship initiatives, is the President’s daughter and has increasingly occupied a public-facing role through her advocacy and youth-related engagements.
The ceremony also brought together political figures from different parts of Kenya’s political establishment, giving the event a distinctly high-profile character beyond the two families.
For Yunge, however, the engagement marks a new public association in Kenya after a career that has largely been defined by technology, education and youth leadership.
His journey from youth advocacy and an appearance at the 2007 G8 summit to building an education technology venture offers a substantial professional profile independent of his relationship with the President’s daughter.
The Kilgoris ceremony now marks another significant chapter in that journey, bringing together two families from Kenya and Tanzania in a traditional celebration.
