President William Ruto addresses residents in Nyamasaria, Kisumu county, on September 14, 2026, as he continues his four-day development tour of Nyanza. / PCSPresident William Ruto has said that the 2027 General Election will give Kenyans an opportunity to reject marginalisation, tribalism and hatred and unite communities across the country.
Speaking in Kisumu on Monday as he continued his four-day development tour of Nyanza, Ruto said his administration's focus was on delivering development across all parts of the country regardless of political or ethnic affiliation.
He urged residents to support the government's development agenda, citing roads, electricity, water and education among the areas his administration was addressing.
“Munasema tuendelee na kazi, barabara kama hii tujenge? Stima tuunganishe… maji tuunganishe… tusomeshe watoto wetu?” Ruto asked.
He said the broad-based government arrangement was aimed at bringing together communities from across Kenya and ending what he described as discrimination and tribal politics.
“We are going to unite all the communities of Kenya, we will bring unity to all parts of Kenya, and we will do away with discrimination forever,” he said.
Ruto said some politicians were seeking to divide Kenyans by selling hatred, tribalism and discrimination, but maintained that his administration would instead focus on development and national unity.
“We tell them in 2027, next year, we will vote to do away with discrimination, tribalism and hatred among Kenya's communities,” he said.
The President said Kenya could only move forward if all counties and communities worked together, urging residents to back an approach that prioritises development over ethnic politics.
His remarks came as he continued a tour of Nyanza, a region that has traditionally been associated with the opposition and the Orange Democratic Movement.
The four-day tour covers Kisumu, Siaya, Migori and Homa Bay counties, with Ruto scheduled to launch, commission and inspect roads, water, housing, health, education, energy and security projects. The visit is also part of his efforts to strengthen his political support in the region ahead of the 2027 election.
In Kisumu, Ruto on Monday launched the Lake Victoria Water and Sanitation Project, which he said would expand sewerage capacity and improve access to clean water in the city.
He said a new major sewerage system would be developed in Nyamasaria and that the project would double Kisumu's sewerage capacity while increasing water coverage.
The project is being implemented in three phases, with the first phase launched on Monday and the second already underway. Ruto said details of the third phase would be announced next week.
The President also linked the water project to other development programmes in the county, saying Sh20 billion had been allocated to roads in Kisumu and about 270 kilometres of new roads were being constructed within the city.
“I promised you that Kisumu will not be left behind in development,” he said.
At Nyamasaria, Ruto also defended the government's affordable housing programme against critics, saying Sh44 billion had been deployed for 12,000 housing units, 20 markets and 12,000 hostel beds in Kisumu.
He said the programme was also creating jobs, claiming that about 1.1 million people had benefited from employment opportunities generated by the housing projects nationally.
Ruto further said the government was targeting 300,000 housing units and 600 hostels across the country. He argued that the housing debate should focus on competing policies and development ideas rather than tribal divisions.
“We are ready to compete in ideologies, mambo na sera. Hatuna nafasi ya ukabila,” he said.
