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ADVERTPresident William Ruto has declared that he is not intimidated by his growing list of political opponents ahead of the 2027 General Election, saying he trusts Kenyan voters to distinguish between political rhetoric and leaders with concrete plans for the country.
In an interview with the Daily Nation on Friday, August 21, Ruto dismissed suggestions that he was worried about the emerging opposition formations, insisting that the ultimate decision would rest with millions of Kenyan voters.
“I am not scared at all,” Ruto said, arguing that Kenyans were capable of identifying “where a plan is and where an agenda is.”
The President’s remarks come as political activity gathers pace ahead of the 2027 elections, with his administration’s record, the cost of living, healthcare, education, housing and the direction of the economy expected to dominate the political contest.
Ruto challenged his competitors to offer Kenyans detailed policy alternatives rather than relying on political attacks, slogans and insults.
ADVERT“It is not possible for you to engage in name-calling, sloganeering, insults, and expect the people of Kenya to vote for you on account of that,” he said.
Ruto puts record at centre of 2027 contest
The President sought to frame the next election as a contest between competing development plans rather than personalities.
He defended some of his administration’s most controversial programmes, including the Social Health Authority (SHA), the affordable housing programme and the new university funding model, saying opponents should explain what they would replace them with instead of simply calling for their abolition.
Ruto similarly defended the Hustler Fund and the Bottom-Up Economic Transformation Agenda (BETA), arguing that the initiatives were designed as practical interventions for ordinary Kenyans rather than campaign slogans.
“Hustler was not a slogan. It wasn’t an insult. Hustler was a fund,” he said.
The President claimed that the Hustler Fund had disbursed about Sh90 billion to approximately 27 million Kenyans, while maintaining that his administration’s Bottom-Up approach was intended to channel greater government support towards small enterprises and millions of Kenyans working in the informal economy, including traders and boda boda operators.
His argument is likely to form a central plank of the administration’s 2027 campaign: that voters should judge the Kenya Kwanza government by what it has implemented rather than by the increasingly heated political discourse surrounding it.
Uhuru criticism adds political edge
Ruto also turned his attention to his predecessor, former President Uhuru Kenyatta, accusing him of choosing active opposition politics instead of embracing what he described as a unifying statesman role.
The President said he had previously sought the involvement of Kenyatta and former Prime Minister Raila Odinga in developing a broader national vision.
According to Ruto, Kenyatta declined the opportunity and instead opted to remain involved in opposition politics.
“But those are choices that people make,” Ruto said, arguing that Kenyatta had chosen to organise and support opposition forces.
The remarks add another layer to the increasingly fluid political realignments expected to shape the 2027 contest, particularly as former allies and political rivals reposition themselves for the next presidential battle.
‘Show Kenyans your plan’
Ruto’s central challenge to his opponents was straightforward: move beyond criticism and tell Kenyans what they would actually do differently if elected.
“My competitors have to think beyond insults, slogans and chants. They have to think beyond that,” he said.
That message could become one of the defining themes of Ruto’s campaign as he seeks a second and final constitutional term.
But the President’s confidence also raises a larger question that will ultimately be answered by the electorate: whether Kenyans will judge his administration primarily on its policy record and development programmes, or on the economic pressures and public frustrations that have accompanied his tenure.
For now, Ruto appears determined to make the 2027 election a referendum on competing plans rather than political personalities.
His declaration that he is “not scared” is therefore more than a dismissal of his rivals. It is a political bet that, when Kenyans finally enter the voting booth, the strength of a candidate’s record and programme will matter more than the volume of the campaign rhetoric surrounding them.
