This archive report was first published on 9 August 2019.
On September 3, 2018, Deputy President William Ruto made headlines after buying 1,400 goats at an auction in Kajiado County. He paid a total of Sh10 million in cash, which he carried in a backpack.
According to Ruto, Sh5 million was contributed by President Uhuru Kenyatta, while the remaining Sh5 million was his own contribution for a similar number of goats.
“My boss, President Uhuru Kenyatta, has a big world to feed. So, he told me to buy 700 goats, and that would cost Sh5 million. As his deputy, I also bought 700 goats, which also cost Sh5 million,” Ruto said.
Each goat was sold at Sh7,500, and Kajiado Governor Joseph ole Lenku bought 100 goats for Sh750,000. The auction aimed to help 5,000 families in the county enroll in the National Hospital Insurance Fund (NHIF) health cover.
After announcing the amounts spent, Governor Lenku was handed a backpack, which was then passed on to security officers.
