President William Ruto has brushed aside growing criticism from his political opponents, saying he remains confident that Kenyans will be able to distinguish between political slogans and leaders with concrete plans for the country ahead of the 2027 General Election.
Speaking during a press conference at State House, Nairobi, President Ruto said he was not intimidated by the emerging political opposition and expressed confidence in the ability of Kenyan voters to assess the performance of his administration and make an informed decision at the ballot.
Ruto challenged opposition leaders to move beyond insults, political rhetoric and criticism of his government and instead present clear alternative policies to Kenyans. He said it was not enough for political leaders to promise to scrap government programmes without explaining what they would replace them with.
The President singled out key programmes including the Affordable Housing Programme, the Social Health Authority (SHA) and the new university funding model, challenging his opponents to explain how they would improve the initiatives rather than simply promising to abolish them.
“It cannot be your agenda to say, ‘I will stop the construction of houses; I will stop SHA; I will stop university funding,’ without telling Kenyans the alternative,” Ruto said.
He urged opposition leaders to demonstrate how they would improve existing programmes and convince Kenyans that they have better solutions for addressing the country’s challenges.
“My opponents need to think beyond insults, slogans and empty words. We encourage leaders to tell the country, ‘Yes, William Ruto has done this. I can do it better. This is how I can improve it,’” he said.
Ruto said he remained confident in the judgement of Kenyan voters and was prepared to defend his administration’s record in office.
He maintained that he could account for his performance during his four years in office and explain to Kenyans the policies and programmes his administration had implemented.
The President’s remarks come as opposition leaders intensify efforts to build a broad political coalition capable of challenging the Kenya Kwanza administration in the 2027 General Election.
Among the leaders positioning themselves for a possible contest against Ruto are Nairobi Senator Edwin Sifuna, former Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua, Wiper leader Kalonzo Musyoka, former Cabinet Secretary Fred Matiang’i and DAP-K leader Eugene Wamalwa.
The opposition leaders have continued to criticise the Kenya Kwanza administration over what they describe as failure to fulfil some of the promises made during the 2022 election campaign.
The political landscape has also been reshaped by Kiharu MP Ndindi Nyoro, who has declared his opposition to the Kenya Kwanza administration following the launch of his People’s Party of Kenya (PPK). Nyoro has said he intends to work with other political leaders to challenge Ruto’s administration.
Amid the growing political contest, Ruto also defended the “hustler” and “bottom-up” concepts that formed a central part of his 2022 presidential campaign.
The President said the two concepts were not merely campaign slogans but represented a policy approach designed to direct greater government support towards low-income households, small businesses and ordinary Kenyans seeking to improve their livelihoods.
He cited the Hustler Fund, SHA, university education support and the Affordable Housing Programme as examples of policies through which his administration was implementing the bottom-up economic approach.
Ruto said the Hustler Fund had so far provided loans amounting to Sh90 billion to 27 million Kenyans, arguing that the programme had enabled small-scale traders, boda boda operators and other low-income earners to access credit and start or expand their businesses.
He said many Kenyans had been using the fund to access small loans to sustain their businesses and meet their daily economic needs.
The President’s defence of his administration comes at a time of heightened political competition, with opposition leaders seeking to consolidate their numbers and forge a united front ahead of the 2027 elections.
With the political battle already taking shape, Ruto is now challenging his opponents to move beyond criticism and present Kenyans with concrete policy alternatives, as voters prepare to assess competing visions for the country’s future.
