Ruto has been widely and repeatedly linked to the assassination of Jacob Juma by several media, activists, politicians, opposition figures in Kenya including Jacob Juma himself. Jacob Juma was a wealthy businessman turned fierce government critic and anti-corruption crusader who became known for targeted cryptic tweets against Ruto and the Jubilee government months before he was assassinated in Nairobi. In December 2015 Jacob Juma in his tweets claimed Ruto was obsessed with killing him. In May 2016 Jacob Juma was shot dead along Ngong Road. In the same month, during the burial of Jacob Juma, a former Lugari MP Jirongo and previous close ally of Ruto claimed Jacob Juma had physically assaulted Ruto by slapping him for having a sour relationship over unspecified reasons. Jirongo urged police to investigate the assassination based on the assault. Later in the month Ruto threatened to sue Jirongo for linking him to the assassination. Jirongo claimed that he and another former minister Chris Okemo were personally involved in paying the murdered government critic university's tuition fees, and that he knew the matter surrounding the controversy all too well. According to Jirongo the same assassins involved in the murder of Meshack Yebei, another murdered prospective defence witness in the ICC trial against Ruto, were also involved in the murder of Jacob Juma.