President William Ruto has challenged opposition politicians to shift their attention from coalition-building discussions to explaining what they would offer Kenyans if elected in 2027, arguing that voters are more concerned about practical solutions to their everyday challenges than political alliances.
Speaking at Nyan’ori on Monday, November 9, 2026, during his tour of the Gusii region, Ruto questioned why opposition politicians continued to publicise their unity efforts and discussions about settling on one presidential candidate.
The Head of State argued that the opposition had spent considerable time discussing whether its members remained united instead of presenting concrete proposals on how they intended to address the challenges facing ordinary Kenyans.
“Mimi nashangaa kuna watu wengine hapo wanatuletea makelele mingi. Sijui kila asubuhi wanatuambia bado tuko pamoja. Kila asubuhi bado hatujasambaratika, oh tutaleta candidate moja.
Sijui tutalete candidate ngapi. Sasa mimi nataka niwaulize nyinyi majamaa, for the last 1 and a half years, munatupatia story ati mutachukuwa candidate moja. Sijui hamujasambaratika, sijui bado muko pamoja. Nani aliwauliza?” Ruto posed.
He maintained that whether the opposition presented one presidential candidate or several candidates was an internal matter that should not be the primary concern of Kenyan voters.
“Who cares, whether muko pamoja, whether muko na candidate moja ama muko na candidate 10. Hiyo ni shauri yenu,” he said.
Ruto urged opposition leaders to shift their attention towards explaining their policy priorities and what they would do differently if entrusted with power.
“Wananchi hawa wa Kenya wanataka kujua mpango yao ni gani. Si kila mwananchi hapa anataka kujua mpango yake ni gani?” he asked.
The President further sought to distinguish his administration’s political approach from that of its competitors, arguing that while opposition politicians were preoccupied with political arrangements, his side was focused on issues affecting citizens.
“The difference between us and our competitors is like day and night. Wao wanaongea vile wanajipanga, sisi tunaongea vile wananchi,” he stated.
Ruto also took issue with claims by some politicians that they controlled millions of votes, questioning whether individual leaders could legitimately claim ownership of votes belonging to citizens.
He mocked politicians who allegedly gathered to discuss their voting numbers, suggesting that such claims amounted to treating voters as personal political property.
“Mimi nauliza nyinyi wananchi, kuna mtu anabebea kura ya mtu mwingine? Mimi nauliza nyinyi, ni nyinyi mtaamuliwa ama nyinyi ndio mtamua? Nyinyi ndio mnaamua, ama wale ndio wataamua?” the President asked.
He insisted that Kenyans had the freedom and ability to independently determine who should lead them, warning politicians against assuming that they could influence electoral outcomes by claiming to command large voting blocs.
“Wacha kuwadharau wananchi ati nyinyi mnabeba kura zao kwa mfuko yenu na magunia yenu. Hawa wananchi ni watu wako na akili. Wao ndio wataamua nani kiongozi nani si kiongozi, ni kweli ama si kweli?” he added.
The President concluded by urging political leaders to respect voters and recognise their independence in choosing their preferred leaders ahead of the 2027 General Election.
