President William Ruto has declared that he is ready for the 2027 General Election, saying the contest will be defined by ideas, issues and development programmes rather than personalities and tribal politics.
Speaking on the third day of his working tour of Kericho and Bomet counties on Friday, President Ruto said Kenyans had no room for politics driven by tribalism, hatred and division.
“I am ready for the 2027 election contest,” the President said, adding that the political battle would be about the future of the country and the transformation agenda.
“We are not going to be part of a contest about positions and personalities. Instead, we will be part of the contest of ideas, issues and national transformation,” he said.
President Ruto urged Kenyans to scrutinise the track records, current agendas and future visions of leaders seeking their votes in 2027.
“Leadership in Kenya will no longer be about insults, slogans, the past and personalities. It is about the future of the people,” he said.
He said voters would elect leaders with the courage to implement policies, programmes and projects capable of taking the country to the next level of development.
“We look up to Kenyans to judge leaders by the content of their past track record, and the content of the agenda and vision they have for the country,” he said.
Ruto attacks opposition
Turning to the opposition, President Ruto said its members initially presented themselves as a “united opposition” before later adopting the “alternative government” tag after their unity collapsed.
He, however, dismissed the opposition as lacking alternative ideas, accusing its leaders of relying on insults, hate and what he termed a “one-term slogan”.
The President also defended his administration’s economic record, dismissing criticism over the state of the economy.
He cited low inflation, a stable exchange rate and growing foreign exchange reserves as signs that the economy had stabilised.
“We have stabilised our economy, slowed debt accumulation, lowered inflation and stabilised the exchange rate,” he said.
President Ruto further claimed that his administration had achieved more in four years than previous governments had managed in six decades, citing reforms in healthcare, education, housing and agriculture.
He said government debt had increased by 27 per cent in five years, compared with threefold and fivefold increases under the previous two administrations.
“We are now confident that Kenya’s journey towards a first-world economy is on a sound footing,” he said.
The President urged Kenyans to rely on verifiable information, rather than what he described as misleading narratives propagated by his critics.
Projects launched
Earlier in Kipkelion West Constituency, President Ruto launched the construction of the 43-kilometre Tegat-Kaplelit-Kokwet-Toroton road and kicked off the KSh420 million Last Mile Electricity Connectivity project.
In Ainamoi Constituency, he launched construction of the 80-kilometre Torit-Kenegut-Koitaburot-Kipsitet-Kapsorok-Sondu-Koilsir-Mindililwet-Mabasi-Machorwa-Getarwet road.
He also opened a tuition block at Torit Girls Secondary School.
On education, President Ruto said the Government had allocated KSh784 billion to the sector in the current financial year, representing about 30 per cent of the national budget.
He said the Government had hired 100,000 teachers, with an additional 20,000 expected to be recruited later this year, while 23,000 classrooms had been constructed.
The President also said the Competency-Based Education and Training system had been streamlined and that the Government was refining the higher education funding model through legislation before Parliament.
He said the reforms were intended to ensure that every learner joining a university, technical college or Kenya Medical Training College could access full financial support.
“We are keen to ensure that every child, regardless of their background, has access to education and the opportunity to realise their full potential,” he said.
Later, President Ruto launched construction of the Boito-Siongiroi road in Konoin Constituency, Bomet County, and opened Kapkoros Sub-County Hospital in Bomet Central.
He was accompanied by Roads and Transport Cabinet Secretary Davis Chirchir, Kericho Governor Eric Mutai, Bomet Governor Hillary Barchok, Senate Majority Leader Aaron Cheruiyot, MPs, MCAs and other national and county leaders.
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