William Ruto loves to tell of his humble origins — his barefoot childhood in the Rift Valley; his first pair of shoes at age 15; the time he scraped by selling chickens and ground nuts on the side of a busy highway.
That story is at the heart of Mr. Ruto's electoral pitch to what he calls the hustler nation — hard-working and ambitious young people who, like him once, deserve a better deal. If you listen to Joe Biden, he is speaking the same language, Mr. Ruto said in an interview. How can we bring the majority to the table, where their talents, energies and ideas are also part of the making of the nation? It is not quite that simple. He has been a part of it for the past nine years as Kenya's vice president, despite the fact that Mr. Ruto slams the outgoing government. His days of penury are far behind: His vast business interests, acquired during his time in politics, include a 2,500-acre farm, a luxury hotel and a giant poultry plant.