Opinion - Why William Ruto Deserves a Second Chance | Dawan Africa

By Kepher Otieno - Reporter

26 December 2025 - Kenya stands the test of democracy again as we wind up the year 2025 and look forward to usher in the new pre-elections year 2026.

As the nation reflects on the last few years under President William Ruto’s leadership, it is easy to focus on challenges and missteps.

But leadership should be judged not just by immediate outcomes, but by vision, resilience, and the potential to drive long-term transformation.

On these counts, Ruto deserves a second chance by deductive logic.

The “hustler” agenda was more than a slogan—it was a blueprint for empowering ordinary Kenyans.

Today, evidently, affordable housing programmes are putting roofs over thousands of families, while road projects are connecting remote regions and boosting trade.

Healthcare initiatives have expanded access to medical services and upgraded county facilities, and the diversification of Kenya’s energy mix, including renewable sources, points to a forward-looking strategy for national growth.

Agriculture, a cornerstone of Kenya’s economy, has also seen a significant boost thus ultimately contributing in the overall economic growth and development.

Fertiliser subsidies have lowered costs for farmers, increasing productivity and strengthening food security.

Additionally, the new intern stipend programme is tipped to empower students by providing financial support during practical attachments, easing the transition from education to employment.

Thousands of students have likened this and term it a milestone given the suffering and costs they have always incurred while on industrial attachment. Now they will atleast be supported while learning on the job. Good philosophies to call.

These initiatives reflect a commitment to inclusive development that balances immediate needs of millions of Kenyans with long-term prosperity.

Leadership is also about learning from experience. No administration is perfect, and Kenya’s challenges are as structural as they are managerial.

Ruto’s first term revealed both strengths and areas for improvement.

A second term would allow for refinement of strategies, correction of policy missteps, and consolidation of gains—experience being one of the most valuable currencies in governance.

And this is the reason I agree with beaucrats like Dr Raymond Omollo, the PS Internal Security, who avers that violence is not in their currency.

Top in their currency is peace, growth and development, which is at the apex of the state driven bottoms up economic transformation agenda aimed the common good of all.

Straightly speaking, stability and continuity are critical in uncertain times.

Abrupt policy reversals risk undoing progress in infrastructure, energy, trade, and agriculture.

Therefore by giving Ruto another term, Kenya can ensure ongoing projects—housing, roads, healthcare, renewable energy, fertiliser support, and intern stipends—reach fruition, while lessons learned during his first term translate into more effective governance.

Although some critics argue mistakes cannot be ignored. True. But democracy is about choice, accountability, and the opportunity for leaders to grow.

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A second chance is not a blank cheque, it is a conditional trust that a leader can rise to challenges armed with experience and vision.

Ruto now has a Treasury of political experience and the requisite capital to run this country in a sober and peaceful manner as he has exhibited in the last two years focusing more on service delivery, toning down politics and driving his development vision.

Ultimately, the question for Kenyan voters is not whether Ruto is flawless, but whether his vision, experience, and commitment to inclusive development merit continued leadership.

In a political landscape where consistency, vision, and capacity to learn from setbacks are rare, offering a second term is pragmatism or practical, not loyalty.

A candid conversation with a number of political, religious, business elites and those in and outside the executive realm reveals a focused top leader in Kenya who aims at the highest good for common benefit of all.

One of them is Kuria East MP Marwa Kitayama who honestly tells me that Kenya rewards resilience, not just rhetoric. I budge to his political marxim, without prejudice.

In that spirit, William Ruto, like many people as Kitayama, opines, should be allowed to continue the work he began, refine it, and fulfill the promise of a more equitable and prosperous nation.

This can only mean giving him a second chance and Kenyans will see how he will up the transformation agenda for the nation, political ego or envy and tribalism trashed.

Kitayama in his own marxim and wisdom, avers to me that President Ruto means well for us.

He wants to see us succeed as a nation woven together by our unity in diversity. This is the reason he has been fighting hard to perfect National cohesion by bringing all diverse Kenyan communities in the Broad-Based government (BBG).

This theorem includes embracing diverse skills of Kenyans there to ensure effective delivery of services to wananchi.

To this end, President Ruto deserves a second chance to deepen his Bottom-Up Economic Transformation Agenda, strengthening jobs, small businesses, and social protection.

The truth is that early reforms need time to mature.

He has initiated alot of reforms that requires ample time to bear more fruit as they have started as is evident in the ongoing flagship projects funded by the exchequer.

With lessons learned, improved consultation, and accountability, continuity can stabilise the economy, expand opportunity, and deliver inclusive growth for ordinary Kenyans nationwide sustainably fairly.

This is my candid observations. You are also entitled to your opinions riding on the freedom of speech and choice in the Democratic arena.

Mr Kepher Otieno is a senior journalist, regular advocate for democracy and good governance, media consultant and columnist based in Kenya.

The opinion expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of Dawan Africa.