President William Ruto has stepped up his political attacks against the opposition, accusing his competitors of relying on insults, hatred and tribal politics rather than presenting Kenyans with an alternative agenda ahead of the 2027 General Election.
Speaking during his tour of Migori County, where he inspected the ongoing Upgrade of Bitumen Standard of Stella, Sebuoche, Gogo to Oyani road, Ruto urged residents to reject what he described as attempts to return Kenya to ethnic politics and instead support what he called an inclusive political approach.
He said the next election would be a choice between unity and exclusion.
The President also called for an end to tribalism and political hatred, asking residents of Migori and the wider country whether they were ready to embrace a different political direction.
“We must remove tribalism. We must remove hatred so that Kenya can take a step forward,” he said.
Ruto accused his political competitors of failing to prove their claim that his administration had not delivered on its promises.
He pointed to roads, education, agriculture and Universal Health Coverage as areas where he said his government had made progress.
“They said that we have done nothing. Now they have failed because, if it is roads, we have built them. If it is education, we have planned properly. If it is agriculture, we have planned properly. If it is Universal Health Coverage, we have addressed it properly,” Ruto said.
The President then accused his opponents of resorting to what he described as hatred, jealousy and insults after failing to demonstrate that the government had not delivered.
“Because they have failed to prove that we have done no work, they have gone back to hatred, jealousy and insults,” he said.
Ruto also defended the political cooperation between his United Democratic Alliance and the Orange Democratic Movement, saying the arrangement had brought different political groups together.
“We brought together ODM and UDA, created a broad base and brought Kenyans together. We removed discrimination and promoted equality in our country. And Kenya is moving forward,” he said.
His comments come as ODM continues to navigate competing political positions over its cooperation with Ruto’s administration. Recent political mobilisation around the Linda Mwananchi movement has also exposed divisions within and around ODM, with opposition figures pushing for a stronger challenge to the government ahead of 2027.
Away from the political attacks, Ruto also sought to reinforce his development message in Migori. The President assured residents that the road linking Stella, Sibuoche and Gogo, extending towards Oyani, would be completed by December.
He said the government was delivering on commitments made to the people of the region and challenged critics to continue with their political messaging online as the government focused on projects on the ground.
Ruto’s wider development pitch in Migori included electricity connections, affordable housing, markets and student accommodation.
He said 82,000 households in Migori had been connected to electricity over the past three years and that the government had allocated Sh2.3 billion to connect another 21,000 households over the next year.
He also announced a Sh28 billion allocation for Migori County, which he said would support projects including 8,000 housing units, 19 new markets and hostels for students.
The President linked the housing programme to employment, saying it was creating opportunities for young people across the country.
Ruto went further in his criticism of the opposition, arguing that his competitors lacked a clear political programme.
“Our competitors have no plan. They have no agenda. They have no vision,” he said.
He accused unnamed political actors of running personality-driven or tribal political formations and said their politics were centred on insults and hatred.
“Those characters are people who are either running personality cults, or they are running tribal political parties, or they are running makeshift political formations that have no agenda for Kenya, that have no plan for Kenya except for insults, except for hate, except for what they cannot prove in Kenya,” Ruto said.
The President’s remarks come as political activity intensifies ahead of the 2027 election, with opposition leaders including Nairobi Senator Edwin Sifuna calling for a stronger challenge to the Ruto administration. Sifuna has said opposition leaders need to work together, while other political figures continue to position themselves ahead of the contest.
Ruto closed by asking Migori residents whether they wanted the country to return to what he described as the politics of discrimination, tribalism, hatred and insults.
“Please, let us not gamble with the future of our country,” he said.
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