President William Ruto has challenged leaders preparing to face him in the 2027 General Election to stop concentrating on what they would remove from his administration and instead tell Kenyans what they would put in its place.
Speaking during a meeting with journalists at State House, Ruto said he was not intimidated by the growing political opposition, arguing that voters were capable of assessing the plans and records of those seeking their support.
“I am not scared at all. I mean, I trust the judgement of the people of Kenya, that they can be able to see where a plan is and where an agenda is,” Ruto said.
The President said political competition should be based on ideas and solutions rather than insults and political chants, challenging his opponents to demonstrate how they would run the country differently.
He questioned the approach of leaders who have promised to do away with some of the programmes introduced by his administration without explaining what would replace them.
“It cannot be your agenda that I’m going to stop housing; I am going to stop SHA; I am going to stop the university funding, and you cannot tell the public an alternative,” he said.
Ruto said those seeking to take over government should instead identify areas where they believe his administration has fallen short and present practical ways of doing things better.
“My competitors have to think beyond insults, slogans and chants. We encourage leaders to tell the country, ‘Okay, William Ruto has done this. I can do better. This is how I can make things better,” Ruto said.
He maintained that his administration had enough achievements to defend as the country moves towards the next election, saying he was prepared to give an account of his time in office.
“Today, without fear of any contradiction, I can give an account of the four years I’ve been in office on everything that I have done,” he said.
Ruto's comments come as several opposition figures seek to work together and build a political force strong enough to challenge him in 2027.
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 are among those positioning themselves for the contest.
The leaders have attacked the Kenya Kwanza administration over what they say is failure to honour some of the commitments made to voters during the 2022 election.
Kiharu MP Ndindi Nyoro has also distanced himself from the Kenya Kwanza administration following the launch of his People’s Party of Kenya (PPK).
Nyoro has said he will work with other political leaders in the push to remove Ruto from office.
Ruto also used the meeting to defend the political message that helped him win the 2022 election, particularly the “hustler” and “bottom-up” concepts.
He said the ideas were meant to guide government policies towards ordinary Kenyans, rather than being campaign phrases with no action behind them.
The President pointed to the Hustler Fund, SHA, support for university students and the Affordable Housing programme as initiatives through which the bottom-up approach had been put into practice.
“Hustler was not a slogan. Hustler was a fund. Today, Hustler Fund has lent Sh90 billion to 27 million Kenyans,” he said.
According to Ruto, the fund has provided access to money for small traders, boda boda operators and other low-income earners seeking to run or expand their businesses.
“There are people every morning who wake up to borrow money from Hustler Fund to run their small businesses,” he said.
The President's latest remarks come as political activity around the 2027 election gathers pace, with his administration defending its record while rival leaders explore ways of presenting a united challenge.