Ruto set to become Africa's fifth youngest president

Top 5 youngest Presidents in Africa

1. Abiy Ahmed (Ethiopia, 46yrs)

President Abiy Ahmed of Ethiopia. [AP Photo]

• Born on August 15,1976
• Became Prime Minister of Ethiopia on April 2, 2018.
• Was awarded the Nobel Prize for Peace in 2019
• Joined army when he was 15
• Holds a PhD in Peace and Security

2. Andry Rajoelina (Madagascar, 48 yrs)

President Andry Rajoelina of Madagascar. [AP Photo]

• Has been the President of Madagascar since 2019.
• Born on May 30, 1974
• Served as President of a transitional administration until 2014 after the 2009 coup
• Was mayor of Antananarivo, Madagascar's capital, for one year

3. Evariste Ndayishimiye (Burundi, 53 yrs)

President Evariste Ndayishimiye of Burundi (centre) when he visited Kenya on May 31, 2021. [PSCU]

• Began his seven-year term on June 18, 2020
• Born in 1968
• Was law student at University of Burundi when student inter-ethnic violence worsened
• Started his political career with significant support from Hutu ethnic group
• Was minister of the Interior and Public Security from 2006 to 2007

4. Mswati III (Eswatini, 54 yrs)

Mswati III of Eswatini. [File]

• Has been King of Swaziland since he took the throne from his father, Sobhuza II.
• Born April 19,1968
• He is the head of the Swazi Royal Family.
• Was crowned King on April 25, 1986.
• Co-rules the nation as an absolute king alongside his mother, Ntombi Tfwala
• He is a polygamist with 15 wives

5. William Ruto (Kenya, 55 yrs)

President-Elect William Ruto at the Deputy President Residence in Karen, Nairobi. [Boniface Okendo, Standard]