For years, Isaya Yunge built his public profile around technology, education and youth empowerment. Now, the Tanzanian entrepreneur is drawing attention in Kenya for a very different reason: his engagement to Charlene Ruto, President William Ruto’s daughter.
The couple recently took centre stage at a traditional Koito ceremony in Narok County, hosted by President Ruto and First Lady Rachel Ruto. The event brought together members of the two families and placed Yunge, a relatively low-profile figure in Kenyan public life, firmly in the spotlight.
But Yunge is not new to international attention.
A career built around education
Yunge is the founder of SomaApp, a technology platform that helps students find scholarship and education opportunities.
The idea grew from his own experience. While studying at Tanzania’s Institute of Finance Management, he began collecting information about scholarships and sharing it with fellow students. He later turned that effort into a digital platform that could match students with opportunities suited to their qualifications. Ashoka
The Citizen reported in 2019 that SomaApp had already helped thousands of students access scholarship opportunities across several African countries. (The Citizen)
Ashoka, which selected Yunge as a fellow, describes his work as an effort to widen access to higher education for students from low-income backgrounds. The organisation says the platform had connected thousands of students to scholarship opportunities by the end of 2018. (Ashoka)
He was recognised by the Queen
Yunge’s work in education has earned him recognition beyond Tanzania.
In 2018, he received the Queen’s Young Leader Award, an honour associated with the late Queen Elizabeth II’s programme for young people making a difference in their communities. His work with SomaApp was central to that recognition. (Ashoka)
He also attended the University of Cambridge through a programme linked to the Queen’s Young Leaders initiative, according to his professional profile. (LinkedIn)
His international profile started young
Yunge’s interest in public service and youth issues began before his technology career.
He was selected as a UNICEF African Youth Ambassador and, as a teenager, represented young people at the Junior 8 Summit held alongside the G8 meeting in Germany in 2007. Sources including Ashoka record his early work with young people and his efforts to highlight the experiences of vulnerable children in Tanzania. (Ashoka)
That experience helped establish a pattern that would continue throughout his career: using technology and public platforms to connect young Africans with opportunities.
More than one technology venture
SomaApp is not Yunge’s only venture.
He has also been associated with GOODSAM Technologies and other technology projects aimed at African consumers. Avance Media previously listed him among Tanzania’s influential young people and described his work in developing technology products for African communities. (Avance Media)
His professional profile also lists experience with entrepreneurship and technology ventures in Tanzania. (LinkedIn)
Now, a very public family connection
Yunge’s growing visibility in Kenya comes as he prepares to marry Charlene Ruto.
The couple’s traditional Koito ceremony was held in Narok County, with President Ruto and his wife hosting the occasion. The ceremony has attracted considerable public interest because of Charlene’s position as the president’s daughter and Yunge’s background as a Tanzanian entrepreneur.
For Yunge, however, the latest chapter is markedly different from the one that made him known in technology circles.
Before his relationship with Charlene Ruto became a subject of public attention, his reputation had largely been built on scholarships, entrepreneurship and youth programmes. His engagement has now introduced him to a much wider Kenyan audience, and put a new spotlight on a career that had largely unfolded outside the political arena.
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