President William Ruto has challenged opposition leaders to explain what they intend to offer Kenyans instead of repeatedly defending their unity, saying political alliances and negotiations over a joint presidential candidate will not address the problems facing ordinary citizens.
The President took aim at opposition politicians for making their efforts to remain together a recurring subject of political debate, questioning why they expected Kenyans to be interested in whether they had fallen apart or were preparing to face the 2027 General Election with one candidate.
Speaking at Nyan’ori on Monday, November 9, 2026, during his tour of the Gusii region, Ruto said opposition leaders had spent nearly one and a half years announcing their intention to remain united without explaining why such declarations should matter to voters.
“Mimi nashangaa kuna watu wengine hapo wanatuletea makelele mingi. Sijui kila asubuhi wanatuambia bado tuko pamoja. Kila asubuhi bado hatujasambaratika, oh tutaleta candidate moja. Sijui tutalete candidate ngapi. Sasa mimi nataka niwaulize nyinyi majamaa, for the last 1 and a half years, munatupatia story ati mutakuwa candidate moja. Sijui hamujasambaratika, sijui bado muko pamoja. Nani aliwauliza?” Ruto asked.
He argued that the number of candidates opposition parties eventually settled on was their own concern, insisting that voters had more pressing matters to consider than the state of political alliances.
“Who cares, whether muko pamoja, whether muko na candidate moja ama muko na candidate 10. Hiyo ni shauri yenu,” he said.
Ruto said political leaders should instead be competing on the strength of their plans to improve the lives of Kenyans, particularly in areas such as agriculture, education, transport infrastructure and healthcare.
“Wananchi hawa wa Kenya wanataka kujua mpango yao ni gani. Si kila mwananchi hapa anataka kujua mpango yake ni gani?” he asked.
He noted that farmers wanted practical solutions that would improve their incomes, while parents were concerned about their children's education. He added that citizens also expected leaders to explain how they would improve roads and access to medical services.
The President maintained that these were the issues that deserved attention during the run-up to the next election, rather than prolonged discussions about whether opposition parties could maintain their political arrangements.
Ruto takes swipe at opposition's political strategy
Ruto used the occasion to contrast his administration's approach with that of opposition leaders, accusing them of giving more attention to coalition-building than communicating their agenda to the electorate.
He said his political camp was concentrating on explaining what it intended to do for citizens, while its competitors were preoccupied with discussions about how they would organise themselves ahead of the polls.
“Hiyo ndio hawa wananchi wanataka kujua. Hawataki kujua kama mmesambaratika ama bado. Hawataki kujua kama mtaleta candidate moja ama 10,” he said.
“The difference between us and our competitors is like day and night. Wao wanaongea vile wanajipanga, sisi tunaongea vile wananchi,” he added.
His criticism comes amid continued efforts by opposition figures to build cooperation ahead of the 2027 presidential contest, with the question of whether to field a single candidate remaining part of their political discussions.
Ruto challenges politicians claiming to control millions of votes
The President also questioned the tendency among some politicians to claim they command millions of votes, arguing that such statements wrongly portray citizens as political assets that leaders can move from one camp to another.
He cited meetings involving politicians who allegedly boast about the number of votes they can bring to a political arrangement, ridiculing claims that individual leaders possess millions of votes at their disposal.
“Unasikia watu watatu wanaenda wanakaeti chini. Wanaume watatu mnakaeti chini hapo na kusema oh unajua mimi niko na gunia ya milioni kumi kura. Mimi niko na gunia ya milioni tatu kura. Mimi niko na gunia sijui ya guni nyinyi yaani mnatubeba kapala namna gani,” he said.
Ruto questioned whether voters could genuinely be claimed by particular politicians, urging Kenyans to recognise that they, rather than political leaders, had the authority to determine the country's leadership through elections.
“Mimi nauliza nyinyi wananchi, kuna mtu anabebea kura mtu mwingine? Mimi nauliza nyinyi, nyinyi mtamuliwa ama nyinyi ndio mtamua? Nyinyi ndio mnaamua ama wale ndio wataamua?” he asked.
He called on politicians to respect the electorate and stop presenting themselves as custodians of votes, saying every Kenyan had the right to make an independent decision at the ballot.
“Tafadhali my friends heshimu wananchi kiasi,” he said.
“Wacha kuwadharau wananchi ati nyinyi mnabeba kura zao kwa mfuko yenu na magunia yenu ati kama sijui viazi ya nini. Hawa wananchi ni watu wako na akili. Wao ndio wataamua nani kiongozi nani si kiongozi, ni kweli ama si kweli?” he added.
Ruto maintained that political influence could not be measured by the number of votes leaders claimed to possess, insisting that the electorate would ultimately determine who takes over the country's leadership after the 2027 General Election.