Ruto receives record-breaking nominations for OCCRP ‘Corrupt Person of the Year’ title

President William Ruto has received record-breaking nominations for this year’s Organized Crime and Corruption Reporting Project (OCCRP) ‘Corrupt Person of the Year’ title.

OCCRP is a global network of investigative journalists founded in 2006, specialising in organised crime and corruption.

Since 2012, OCCRP has dedicated the ‘Person of the Year’ Award to recognise “ an individual or institution that has done the most to advance organised criminal activity and corruption in the world.”

The organisation invited public nominations for the title in November.

Per the results released on Monday, deposed Syrian ex-President Bashar Al-Assad was ranked the world's 'Most Corrupt Person' with Kenya's Head of State closely following as the first runners-up.

Ruto's Number 2 ranking happened despite the fact that, by the organisation's own admission, the Kenyan president "received the most public nominations in OCCRP history — over 40,000."

According to the organisation, Kenyans had overwhelmingly nominated President Ruto due to various thorny issues that have bedevilled his administration, especially in 2024.

They wrote: "Kenyans called out corruption, youth unemployment, and a contentious finance bill. Their extraordinary outpouring and demands for accountability were remarkable."

The organisation further said that Ruto's widely unpopular policies had fuelled “extraordinary public outrage.”

"Ruto’s government has faced accusations of greed and corruption, with policies that have fueled economic instability," OCCRP wrote.

"Protests against his government have led to violence, arrests, and disappearances, further fueling public outrage."

Yet, despite the sheer number of votes that Ruto garnered, which they admitted broke the record on the platform's voting history, the Kenyan president still did not get the top slot – the organisation added that the OCCRP panel of judges had settled on Syria's ex-President due to his “far-reaching and devastating impact.”

“While Ruto didn’t “win” Person of the Year, the extraordinary public outpouring highlights global demands for justice and accountability. Ultimately, our judges chose Bashar al-Assad for the top dishonour due to his far-reaching and devastating impact,” OCCRP said.

The decision to award Bashar Al-Assad was, however, received disappointingly by hordes of Kenyans online; many wished OCCRP would have simply placed President Ruto at the top of the list due to the fact that he garnered the most votes.

"You have clearly said that William Ruto received the most public nominations in your own history and yet you go ahead and award someone who you openly admit Ruto beat! How? How can an anti-corruption organisation dish out awards corruptly?" James Kamau asked on X.

Someone else said, "This was a useless effort on your part. Why get people to vote and then veto their choice? Shouldn't the person with the most votes automatically get the top spot? If not, then what was the entire voting exercise for?"

On his part, Kangethe Irungu simply said, "Imagine losing a corruption competition because of corruption in the competition!"

X user Martin Omolo also commented, saying, "We actually dominated this entire nomination by 80%. A nomination process that was open to the entire world. These are extraordinary numbers! They may have robbed Ruto of the 'victory' but just imagine what we did! We owned this thing!"

Someone else said, "You mean despite the things long-serving Presidents like Bashar Al-Assad, Teodoro Obiang Nguema, Paul Biya, Kim Jon-Un and Aleksandr Lukashenko have done to their people over the years Ruto still won over them all? OCCRP, You've robbed us of a victory in broad daylight!"

In 'awarding' the Syrian ex-President, the organisation said, "The ousted Syrian president turned Syria into a narco-state, financing his authoritarian regime through an array of organized crime, including the production and trafficking of Captagon, an addictive street drug."

"Assad’s regime didn’t just oppress Syrians — it spread violence, drugs, and corruption across the region. From mass graves to chemical weapons, his rule left a devastating legacy of destruction."