Rachel Ruto and new Kenyan love

Deputy President William Ruto's wife Rachel Ruto (inset) rides a bicycle with other cyclists at her home in Karen, Nairobi. [David Njaaga, Standard]

Rachel Ruto’s fingers let go of the brake lever, and her mountain bike lurches forward. She steadies herself on the seat, plants her feet on the pedals and starts the race down the paved pathway.

She is a different person from the last we sat with for an interview half an hour earlier; in a cream white trouser suit with muted floral patterns. Here is an athletic cyclist, shorn of official duties and barely recognizable in a white helmet, goggles and cycling suit.