President William Ruto has fired a warning shot at
his critics, declaring he will beat them “hands down” in the 2027 general election.
In his address in Awendo, Migori county, Ruto said his
partnership with Raila would deliver a united and inclusive Kenya while
crushing a “planless, clueless and agendaless” opposition.
“We have agreed, baba and I will unite Kenya. We
want to remove exclusion, hatred and division so that the country can move
forward,” he said.
“Those other tribalists, those people of shares, those of
hatred, without plans, policies or agendas — I want to tell you we will beat
them early in the morning.”
The President, on his third consecutive day in Raila’s
Nyanza stronghold, accused his opponents of hiding behind the “Wantam”
slogan to intimidate and distract his administration.
“The people who decide leaders are citizens, not you. You
cannot bring us a slogan to distract us. Tell us the plans you have for Kenya —
don’t speak in parables. Talk to us in a language we can understand,” he said.
Ruto’s visit to Nyanza — marked by project launches,
grassroots meetings and overt political courting — is widely seen as an
attempt to penetrate Raila’s traditional base and build a power bloc ahead of
2027.
On Thursday, he toured Migori after visiting Homa Bay, where
he opened the 2025 Devolution Conference. He met Governor Ochilo Ayacko, Senator Eddy Oketch, MPs and MCAs at the Sony Sugar
Green Stadium in Awendo.
The President announced multibillion shilling development
programmes and projects the government is rolling out in the country.
They include the Sh15 billion affordable housing project, the
Sh2 billion electricity project, the Sh3.6 billion market projects and construction
of nine roads worth millions of shillings.
“We are building 18 markets here in Migori. We have put Sh3.6 billion into building
markets in Migori county so that our farmers can have access to their produce
and businessmen and mama mboga get a conducive place to do business,” he said.
The government is building more than 7,000 housing units in Migori county, with the President launching construction of the first 300 units worth
Sh750 million in Awendo.
The government has also connected more than 19,000 houses to electricity
in an ambitious Sh2 billion programme implemented by the Ministry of Energy.
“We have agreed that Migori, which has been sidelined
for many years, must now be at par with other regions in terms of development,”
he said.
In addition, the state is building nine new roads in the
county, which he said has been marginalised for decades. They include tarmacking of the 50km Kanyawanga-Madiaba -Rapogi-Awendo
road.
The President’s sustained presence in Luo Nyanza — and his
public camaraderie with Raila — underscores a shifting political landscape that
could redraw the map ahead of 2027.
On Wednesday, Ruto launched the construction of a 588-unit
hostel that will host more than 2,000 students at Tom Mboya University students’ village.
This was the first ever built student accommodation under
our Housing Programme will generate more than 1,500 jobs.
INSTANT ANALYSIS
President William Ruto has told off his critics for their
dissenting calls for his exit from office during the 2027 General Election. The
President stated that the decision ultimately lies with Kenyans, noting that
the public will be accorded the chance to assess every candidate based on their
track record. He asserted that the 'one-term' chants will not deter him
from implementing his manifesto.
