Who Is Isaya Yunge? The Tanzanian Tech Entrepreneur Engaged to Kenyan President Ruto’s Daughter

Kenyan President William Ruto‘s daughter, Charlene Ruto, has become the centre of attention after her engagement to Tanzanian technology entrepreneur Isaya Yunge, bringing together two young figures from neighbouring East African countries.

The couple reportedly formalised their relationship through a traditional Kalenjin Koito ceremony held on Saturday, August 8, at President Ruto’s Intonna Heritage Farm in Naserian, Kilgoris, in Narok County.

While the ceremony attracted considerable attention because of Charlene’s position as the daughter of Kenya’s president, much of the curiosity has also centred on the man she is set to marry, Isaya Yunge

Who is Isaya Yunge?

Yunge is a Tanzanian technology entrepreneur and the founder and CEO of SomaApps Technologies, a company behind SomaApp, a platform designed to connect students with scholarship opportunities.

The idea emerged from a problem Yunge and his team identified across Africa: many scholarship opportunities go unclaimed because potential beneficiaries do not know they exist.

SomaApp was developed to bring scholarship opportunities together and help students identify programmes matching their academic qualifications.

His work in technology and education earned him international recognition at a relatively young age.

In 2018, Yunge was named among Forbes Africa’s 30 Under 30, where he was listed in the technology category as the founder of SomaApps Technologies.

He was also selected as a recipient of the Queen’s Young Leaders Award in 2018 for his work using technology and social entrepreneurship to improve opportunities for young people.

His career had attracted international attention even before the Forbes recognition. Yunge was involved in youth initiatives from an early age and became associated with technology projects aimed at addressing social and educational challenges across Africa.

His work later expanded beyond SomaApp, with Yunge becoming involved in other technology ventures, including Smart Kaya, an African smart-speaker project. His profile describes him as an entrepreneur focused on technology, innovation and solutions designed around African communities.

Why the engagement has attracted so much attention

Charlene Ruto is not a conventional public figure. As the daughter of Kenya’s sitting president, her personal life has inevitably attracted public interest, particularly when it involves a prominent figure from another East African country.

The relationship also comes at a time when Kenya and Tanzania are seeking closer economic and regional ties.

The two countries have repeatedly emphasized their shared interests and the importance of deeper cooperation. President Ruto himself has described Kenya and Tanzania as partners rather than rivals, arguing that their futures are closely connected.

The engagement therefore has an unusual regional dimension: Kenya’s presidential family is being linked through marriage to a Tanzanian entrepreneur whose career has been built around technology, education and African youth.

The ceremony itself followed Kalenjin cultural traditions, with reports describing it as a Koito ceremony in which the two families formally came together ahead of the couple’s expected wedding.

Yunge also publicly expressed his affection for Charlene, describing her as his “greatest earthly gift” and an “answered prayer” in a message shared after the engagement.

For Yunge, the engagement represents a major personal milestone. For Charlene, it has brought renewed attention to her life outside her public activities.

And for Tanzania, the story has put one of its technology entrepreneurs already recognised by Forbes and international youth leadership programmes into the spotlight for a very different reason.