President William Ruto yesterday sustained attacks on his political rivals, accusing them of seeking power without responsibility, peddling tribalism and hate and lacking an alternative plan.
He dismissed opposition chiefs as merchants of anger and negativity, insisting they were banking on hostility towards his administration rather than offering concrete solutions to the country’s challenges.
“Our competitors are afraid of having a plan because they are unsure of how they are going to deliver on it,” the President said.
“They are afraid of developing an agenda and plan because they don’t know how to deliver it. They want power without responsibility.”
The President singled out Nairobi Senator Edwin Sifuna, former Interior CS Fred Matiang’i and Wiper leader Kalonzo Musyoka, ridiculing them for allegedly having no political programme beyond slogans demanding his removal from office.
“They only have three issues: Kasongo, Wantam and Must Go. Those people are useless. They don’t have a plan, vision and agenda,” he said.
Speaking at Chepkorio Trading Centre in Elgeyo Marakwet and Eldama Ravine in Baringo, Ruto projected confidence in his re-election bid, declaring that even a united opposition would not defeat him in the 2027 General Election.
“They are saying that if they don’t unite, I will defeat them, but I want to tell them, whether you unite or not, I will still defeat you,” he said.
“I will defeat you because you are selling us hate, fear, anger, negativity and tribalism.”
The President challenged his opponents to abandon what he termed political propaganda and present development plans against which voters could hold them accountable.
“In 2022, I went to Kenyans and told them we have an agenda to transform Kenya. Health, agriculture, housing, fairness and education. Today, I can account for every chapter of the manifesto upon which every Kenyan decided to have a government,” Ruto said.
“That is the reason we are holding every leader, starting with myself, to account for what they sold to the people of Kenya.”
The President’s remarks come as opposition leaders seek to unite and produce a single candidate to face him in next year’s polls.
But Ruto insisted that political alliances alone would not guarantee the opposition victory.
Instead, he argued that voters wanted leaders with practical programmes rather than a campaign centred on removing him from office.
“Kenya is going to be developed not because of anger but a plan. Don’t sell us anger,” he said.
The President also turned his guns on critics of government levies, particularly the Road Maintenance Levy Fund (RMLF), defending the charge as necessary for financing road construction and maintenance.
At Chepkorio, he took a swipe at Kiharu MP Ndindi Nyoro over his criticism of the government’s economic policies.
“I have heard some people are trying to lecture me. They are saying that we scrap road maintenance levy. I want to tell these people, stop that stupidity. RMLF is for building roads in Kenya,” he said.
Ruto said the government was undertaking construction on 6,000 roads, particularly in areas he described as historically marginalised, saying the projects were part of his commitment to distributing development across the country.
“Now, we are putting money to build roads in every part of Kena,. Now you are telling us stupid things that we scrap RMLF,” he said.
He defended his administration’s stadium construction programme, insisting that public investment should not be concentrated in a few regions.
“I am building stadiums across the country. I am a man of equity. I don’t want unfairness. We agree we build everywhere: Central, Northeastern, Coast, Western, Nyanza, Eastern, Nairobi and everywhere,” he said.
Ruto also attacked Sifuna over his opposition to the affordable housing levy, accusing the senator of ignoring the plight of Kenyans living in informal settlements.
“There is a man called Mr Empty. He is telling us to stop the affordable housing levy so that people can continue living in slums. I want to tell Mr Empty to give us a break. Leave us alone,” he said.
