President William Ruto has warned that more than two million youths risk losing their jobs if the opposition wins the 2027 general election.
The President claimed opposition leaders were plotting to dismantle key government initiatives, including affordable housing and the Social Health Authority (SHA), with devastating consequences for millions of Kenyans.
“Those competing with us will take us back. They are saying that they will scrap affordable housing. I don’t know where all these over one million youths will go to,” Ruto said.
Speaking during a service at ACK Church in Kapsabet, Nandi county, on Sunday, Ruto accused his political rivals of advancing policies that would reverse gains made under his administration.
He claimed more than 1.1 million jobs linked to the affordable housing programme, 680,000 overseas employment opportunities and 300,000 digital jobs could be jeopardised by an opposition administration.
The President particularly defended SHA, warning that its abolition would return Kenyans to the days of selling property and organising harambees to settle hospital bills.
“They are saying they will remove SHA so that people can go back to selling cows, doing harambees, and selling their property to pay hospital bills. Those people, pray that they don’t take us back,” he said.
“Working with these people (opposition) will be like playing cards. It will be guesswork. Those people are useless. They are brainless. They have no vision. They have no agenda,” he said.
Ruto urged Kenyans to carefully scrutinise the policies and development agenda of those seeking their votes in the next election.
He maintained that democracy should be about competing visions, development plans and manifestos rather than political rhetoric.
“We must use our freedom and right to choose in a democracy to choose a better vision. Choose a better plan. Choose a better manifesto. That is the essence of democracy,” he said.
“It is going to be a very big shame if we are going to be people who are free but in poverty. It defeats the very essence of freedom and democracy.”
The President said his administration remains committed to transforming healthcare, education, agriculture and infrastructure to improve the livelihoods of Kenyans.
Prime Cabinet Secretary Musalia Mudavadi described opposition leaders as merchants of dishonesty who cannot be trusted to lead the country.
"If someone has been secretary general of ODM, how can he lie to us that within six months, he can launch a party, market it and create structures?" he said.
He said that the country was in safe hands with President Ruto.
He urged Nandi residents to register as voters to guarantee the President a second term.
National Assembly Majority leader Kimani Ichung'wa said Mt Kenya residents will fulfil their pledge to the President to give him a second term.
"We said Uhuru kumi and Ruto kumi. That is a journey we started in 2013. We have already given Ruto his first term. We still have five years for a second term," Ichung'wa said.
Ruto announced the government had streamlined operations at the Kenya Medical Supplies Authority (Kemsa) to ensure timely delivery of drugs to public health facilities.
Ruto said strengthening dispensaries and health centres would reduce congestion in referral hospitals.
On education, the President announced plans to overhaul funding for students joining universities, colleges, technical institutions and Kenya Medical Training Colleges from January.
He said the government will mobilise sufficient resources to ensure no student misses an opportunity for higher education because of financial constraints.
“Let the education of our children not be based on the money the parent has but the ability of the child to learn,” he said.
Turning to agriculture, Ruto said reforms in the dairy sector had increased milk prices from Sh35 per litre in 2022 to Sh65 this month.
He directed dairy processors to ensure farmers receive their payments before the fifth day of every month.
The President also defended the housing levy, saying it had enabled the government to undertake construction projects across the country.
He said more than 6,000 kilometres of roads were under construction as part of efforts to promote equitable development.
Ruto called for national unity, insisting that his administration would serve all communities regardless of their political affiliations.
He said transforming Kenya required collective responsibility involving the national government, county administrations and citizens.
INSTANT ANALYSIS
Ruto is framing the 2027 election as a contest between economic progress and reversal of government gains, portraying the opposition as a threat to jobs, healthcare and livelihoods. By linking his flagship programmes to millions of jobs and affordable treatment, he seeks to rally beneficiaries behind his re-election bid. However, the strategy exposes his administration to scrutiny over the actual impact, sustainability and effectiveness of these programmes ahead of 2027.
