Charlene Ruto, Kenya’s First Daughter, showcased her rapidly growing beekeeping enterprise—an initiative deeply rooted in family tradition, environmental stewardship, and a bold vision for youth empowerment in agribusiness.
Raised in an agricultural household,Charlene said that her father, President William Ruto, once kept chickens and her mother tended flower gardens—Charlene found inspiration to forge her own path in beekeeping. She views the venture not just as a business, but as a movement to inspire Kenyan youth to see agriculture as both modern and profitable.
Her enterprise stands out for its creative branding, with hives named “Kapkoi” and “Bottom Up”—the latter a playful nod to her father’s economic philosophy. The “Bottom Up” hive, born from an overturned box, highlights her ability to blend humor, storytelling, and agribusiness.
Championing Innovation and Sustainability
During the conference, Charlene personally guided President Ruto and Homa Bay Governor Gladys Wanga through her exhibit, explaining how she is working with traditional beekeepers to modernize production techniques. She emphasized the importance of youth and women taking leadership roles in agriculture, and linked her project to broader environmental efforts—including the planting of over 754,000 trees by young people as part of Kenya’s 15-billion-tree campaign.
Charlene’s farm in Eldoret goes beyond beekeeping. She cultivates sunflowers, mangoes, capsicum, beans, and wheat, integrating food production with pollinator support and ecological balance. Her model demonstrates that sustainable agribusiness can be both lucrative and environmentally sound.
Charlene is candid about the realities of farm life. She recounted how she was stung three times after a zipper mishap during hive cleaning—sharing such moments to make agriculture more relatable and to encourage resilience among aspiring young farmers.
With her vibrant social media presence and the playful moniker “Bee Mum,” Charlene is reframing beekeeping as exciting and aspirational for Kenyan youth. Her efforts highlight the potential for agribusiness to be a path to prosperity and innovation, especially for women and young people.
By bringing her venture to national platforms and linking it to cultural and economic narratives, Charlene Ruto is not only building her own brand but also casting a new light on the future of Kenyan agriculture—one where tradition meets ingenuity, and where the next generation leads the way.
