NAIROBI, Kenya — During a church service in Nairobi on Sunday, President William Ruto urged Kenyans to ignore what he called the “planless opposition,” accusing critics of peddling negativity without offering genuine vision or solutions.
He said his administration is guided by a clear roadmap to transform Kenya into a first-world nation over the coming decades.
Addressing congregants at the African Independent Pentecostal Church of Kenya in Kasarani, the President said that some opposition voices have no agenda but are quick to criticize.
“Some people do not have a plan. They do not have vision. They lack an agenda, yet they want to tell us how the country is going the wrong way,” he said.
Ruto sought to reassure the public that progress already underway in housing, health, education, and infrastructure is being funded from domestic resources. He emphasized that the money used to build homes, markets, and hostels, and to support social health and education, is “our own money.”
He also revealed that he has held discreet consultations with key political actors, including former President Uhuru Kenyatta, ODM leader Raila Odinga, and Kanu chairman Gideon Moi, saying that national transformation requires collaboration across the political divide.
“I’m confident about the future of this country,” the President told worshippers. “Let us believe in God, believe in ourselves, and believe in our nation. That is how we are going to move Kenya forward.”
His comments echo past calls to disregard critics. In September 2025, during a public event in Mombasa, Ruto asked Kenyans to “ignore the naysayers… those who are negative” and backed his point by saying many critics “have no manifesto, no vision, and no agenda for progress.”
Still, by characterizing the opposition as devoid of plans, the President opened himself to critique: that dismissing political dissent risks underestimating legitimate scrutiny and reducing public debate to binary narratives — “us vs them.”
Some analysts suggest that a healthy democracy requires opposition voices that offer alternative strategies and hold government accountable, not ones swept aside as mere negativity.
The President’s push to cast his critics as aimless comes at a politically charged moment. With the 2027 general elections looming, every message matters. How Ruto balances the ambition of his development agenda with tolerance for dissent may become a defining tension in his ‘second term’.
