President William Ruto has accused former President Uhuru Kenyatta of backing political rivals in an attempt to derail his bid for re-election in the 2027 General Election.
Speaking to supporters in Eldoret after presiding over a Kenya Defence Forces passing-out parade, Ruto claimed Kenyatta was sponsoring what he described as political “puppets” against his administration.
Ruto also questioned Kenyatta’s record during his time in office, saying the former president failed to deliver on key promises before turning his attention to the 2027 contest.
“You know their sponsor and how I assisted him while in office, but he could not deliver on affordable housing, universal healthcare and education funding for our children,” Ruto said.
“Now he is sponsoring his political puppets against me, but I will trounce them by a landslide margin.”
The remarks marked another escalation in the political exchanges between Ruto and Kenyatta as parties position themselves ahead of the 2027 election.
Kenyatta backed former Prime Minister Raila Odinga against Ruto in the 2022 election, which Ruto won by about 200,000 votes.
Ruto takes aim at opposition
Ruto dismissed the opposition as disjointed and lacking a clear agenda for voters.
He challenged his political rivals to present their track records, manifestos and policies, saying Kenyans should judge leaders based on what they had delivered.
“What agendas do these opposition leaders have for you? They have no manifesto, plan or policies,” he said.
Ruto also warned his opponents against what he described as tribal politics, incitement and hatred ahead of the 2027 polls.
He said the election would provide an opportunity to end ethnic divisions and promised that the polls would be peaceful and fair.
The President also accused unnamed political opponents of using money to influence voters, saying Kenya belonged to all citizens rather than political dynasties.
President defends his record
Ruto used the Eldoret rallies to defend his administration’s record, pointing to programmes in healthcare, housing, agriculture and education.
He said more than 32 million Kenyans had registered with the Social Health Authority, while hospital bills worth more than Ksh178B had been cleared under the scheme.
He also defended the new university funding model, arguing that it would expand access to higher education.
In Uasin Gishu, Ruto said his administration had invested Ksh37B in affordable housing, modern markets and hostels, alongside Ksh20B for a new referral hospital and Ksh8B for roads.
The President said voters should judge his administration by its development record as he prepares for what he described as a major political battle in 2027.
