Biography
Rutto is a Kenyan citizen by birth, born on 19 June, 1980, in Akorian village near Lake Baringo, Bartum location in Kabartonjo Division. He is from the Arror community in Baringo north, a subtribe of the Tugen people who are a member of the Kalenjin peoples of Kenya. (“ARROR”, “ORRORIN TUGENESIS”, the millennium man, the world famous oldest human fossils, almost 6.1 million years old, was “his” great ancient ancestor discovered in February 2001, in Kipsaraman,Baringo north.)
Rutto is married to Mrs Linah Tarkok Kimosop. They are blessed with five children, two daughters and three boys: Naomi, Mercy, Duncan, Danford and Armstrong. They have all attended primary and secondary school, and the oldest two daughters are in university.
1987-1998 – Rutto started his education but, unfortunately, had to drop out of secondary school due to lack of school fees.
2001 – Rutto joined the hotel industry, where he worked at Island Camp Hotel on Ol Kokwe Island, Lake Baringo, as a bar and restaurant waiter. He later went to Kenya Utalii College for a refresher course in food and beverage service technics in the hotel industry. Rutto also loves to study archaeology and palaeontology in his spare time. On his days off he loves to explore his area, looking out carefully for any signs of his ancient ancestors, fossils, and artefacts.
October 2008 – After searching for fifteen years, he finally discovered some human, hominid footprints while farming his land.
In 2016, the National Museum of Kenya visited his site.
In an interview with “The East African” the same year, Rutto said, “I knew that the Great Rift Valley was famous for fossils. Dr Richard Leakey and his team had unearthed so many in Turkana. I was sure if l kept looking, I would find something too.”
In August 2021, Rutto wrote to Louise Leakey, (daughter of eminent palaeontologists Richard and Maeve Leakey, and granddaughter of world famous palaeontologists Louis and Mary Leakey) to tell her of his find of ancient elephant bones.
Louise visited Rutto’s site and
identified his fossil find as that of an extinct species of an elephant dating back 2.5 million years. The bones found make up the backbone, ribs and hind legs. Rutto is convinced that there is more of the elephant to be found deeper in the soil.
They also found other fossils including a baby elephant molar, a crocodile tooth, and horns of a species of antelope.
The following day Louise invited Rutto to fly to the Lake Turkana Basin Institute at Ileret on the Kenya-Ethiopia base. This invitation was to teach him how to look for the smallest bone of any animal and to train him in the techniques of fossil care.
June 11, 2022 – Rutto registered his ancient footprints and fossil finding site the “LUNG’OK COMMUNITY PREHISTORIC SITE”