Ruto Says Project Delivery Is His Collateral for 2027 Re-election

Kenya, 30 January 2026 - President William Ruto used a visit to Kisumu to draw a sharp political battle line, blending policy defence with street-level bravado as he framed the next election as a contest between delivery and protest politics.

Fresh from presiding over the 5th graduation ceremony of Uzima University, the President quickly transitioned from academic pomp to bare-knuckle politics, turning Kondele and Kisumu Bus Park into platforms for a fierce assault on his political rivals.

Addressing crowds in what is traditionally opposition territory, Ruto accused his critics of lacking vision, coherence and a clear-cut development agenda capable of replacing what his administration is rolling out across the country.

He dismissed the opposition as intellectually bankrupt, arguing that their politics is anchored not on ideas or solutions but on slogans and personal attacks.

“Their entire agenda is reduced to ‘Kasongo must go’ and ‘Ruto one term’,” Ruto said, mocking the chants.

“You cannot ask Kenyans to remove a government without telling them what you will do differently. Insults are not an economic programme.”

He contrasted what he described as empty rhetoric with tangible programmes under his watch, pointing to affordable housing projects, expanded road infrastructure, healthcare reforms and a broader economic transformation agenda aimed at empowering the common mwananchi.

According to the President, Kenyans are increasingly impatient with noise and are demanding visible results that improve livelihoods.

To buttress his combative stance, Ruto pivoted to numbers, presenting policy performance as his political weapon of choice.

He said 29 million Kenyans have registered under the Social Health Authority (SHA), his flagship health reform, with five million already treated.

In the last 14 months alone, he claimed, the government has paid KSh 75 billion under the scheme — double what was disbursed previously — evidence, he argued, that healthcare is being made accessible rather than remaining a lofty promise.

Kisumu itself featured prominently in his narrative, with the President saying 65% of the county’s population, about 752,000 people, are already enrolled, a statistic intended to demonstrate deep policy penetration even in opposition-leaning regions.