President William Ruto went back to Busia County and continued with his attack on the opposition, painting them as leaders without a clear agenda to steer the country towards the future.
He once again turned his guns on his predecessor, Uhuru Kenyatta , accusing him of bankrolling the opposition to undermine his administration and discredit his government projects as political realignments gather momentum ahead of the 2027 General Election.
“Another one was saying yesterday that the road is good, but not thick enough, and that the road is the people’s right because Ruto is not using his own money. Now, my friend, just stay with our one-term plans. This one is for planning for roads; you cannot. And why did it have to wait for Ruto? Where was he for 40 years?” Dr Ruto asked in what looked like a jibe at Wiper leader Kalonzo Musyoka.
The President pointed out that the era of tribal politics in Kenya ended during the 2022 General Election, shifting the focus instead towards policy-based politics.
During the meeting with grassroots leaders from the Iteso community at the Eldoret State Lodge in Uasin Gishu County on Saturday, His Royal Highness Papa Emorimor Paul Sande Emolot Etomeileng III, the King of the Teso community in Kenya and Uganda, installed President Ruto as an elder and bestowed upon him the name Ojokotau, a Teso name meaning “someone with a big heart”, in an event where they vowed to throw their weight behind him.
He claimed that the excuses being given to discredit the affordable housing plan by his competitors do not hold water, asking the residents of Busia to back his plan.
“You ask them why they are opposed to affordable housing and they don’t have any reason. To illustrate that they are being sponsored, one says that the biggest reason why they are discrediting it is that it is hurting their payslip. Another claims that chicken cannot go up 12 floors. Do not worry, we will expose them in broad daylight,” said Dr Ruto.
He urged Kenyans to reject his political competitors, describing them as “puppets” on the payroll of an unnamed political master.
Pointing out that his opponents lacked a vision or agenda for the country, the President added that they were only interested in fulfilling the aspirations of their sponsor.
“After their sponsor failed to do the work I am doing, he has paid them to oppose all the projects my administration is undertaking. They now claim that I have delivered projects, but what I have done is their constitutional right,” he said.
In Busia, President Ruto was wooing a region that was once the stronghold of the late Raila Odinga, reiterating his resolve to unite Kenyans and insisting that the 2027 General Election go beyond sloganeering.
He said it was not enough for his critics to continue with the “Ruto must go” slogan without explaining their agenda and plan to voters.
“Next year’s General Election will be decisive and consequential. We will bring to an end the stale politics of division, fragmentation and marginalisation, and usher in the politics of unity, inclusion and transformation, one that leaves no community and no part of Kenya behind,” President Ruto said.
“During the 2022 General Election, Kenyans ended tribal politics and in 2024, the formation of the Broad-Based Government eliminated the politics of discrimination. The election in 2027 will be defining and will culminate in the exit of ethnic mobilisation from politics, and one that will be around issues that will transform the nation,” he said.
President Ruto explained that he was confident that in next year’s General Election, Kenyans will thoroughly vet leaders based on their development track record and service delivery rather than empty rhetoric and tribal affiliation.
The President took issue with some politicians, whom he accused of trying to revert the country to backward and tribal-based alignments ahead of the elections.
The Government committed to investing Sh4 billion in a new smart city in Malaba, Busia County, which will have 2,000 affordable housing units and other amenities, create jobs and business opportunities for residents, and attract investors to the border town.
“We will build a smart city in Malaba so that it starts looking better and stops looking like a shopping centre,” he said.
President Ruto said the Government has allocated Sh18 billion to Busia County for the construction of affordable houses, modern markets, and university and college student hostels.
“Nationally, the Affordable Housing Programme has so far employed 1.1 million people, including architects, quantity surveyors, mechanical engineers, plumbers, carpenters, electricians and masons, among others,” he said.
On the 1.5 per cent Housing Fund paid by employees and employers to support the Affordable Housing Programme, the President said public servants have not suffered financial loss because they have benefited from a 10 per cent salary increase in recent years.
The President commended leaders from Busia County for educating residents on the need to register with the Social Health Authority (SHA), saying 449,000 people — 50 per cent of the county’s population — have so far registered.
“You want to abolish SHA. Where will you get the Sh1.5 billion we have paid for Kenyans using the fund? Another thing you want to do is to revert SHA, which is benefiting 32 million people, to NHIF, which covered only eight million people. That is not logical,” said President Ruto.
On their side, the Teso community sought to chart a new political path by supporting Dr Ruto in the next election. The region has largely leaned towards the opposition led by Odinga.
Teso North MP Oku Kaunya, who read a memorandum on behalf of the delegation, said they were united in their support for the President and would work with him in the lead-up to the next election.
“This idea of staying in the cold has made us rethink. Staying outside the government is very costly. Today, we want to assure you of total loyalty and support. We have chosen unity; we have chosen partnership; we have chosen to participate in building Kenya with Dr Ruto,” he said.
His Teso South counterpart, Ms Mary Emase, said the community supported President Ruto, citing development projects undertaken by his administration.
The leaders thanked the Government for identifying the Butula-Nambale-Amukura-Kocholia road for tarmacking and said they were looking forward to the launch of construction.
“We keep going against the government, but when it comes to our development needs, we run to President Ruto. I want to assure you that all leaders in Teso have resolved to put aside their differences and support your re-election next year,” Mr Kaunya said.
The President pointed out that the Teso community had not been reciprocating his good deeds over the years by backing him, but asked them to rethink this in the next election.
