President William Ruto expressed confidence in his reelection prospects while dismissing his rivals, stating he trusts voters to distinguish between empty political rhetoric and credible policy plans ahead of the upcoming general elections.
Speaking to the Daily Nation newspaper on Friday, August 21, President Ruto insisted he feels no fear facing his political competitors, placing full faith in the public’s judgment.
“I am not scared at all. I mean, those people, I trust the judgement of the people of Kenya that they can be able to see where a plan is and where an agenda is. It is not possible for you to engage in name-calling, you know, sloganeering, insults, and expect the people of Kenya to vote for you on account of that,” Ruto said.
The Head of State challenged opponents to offer substantive policy alternatives rather than relying on insults, slogans, and political chants. Ruto criticized opposition calls to dismantle or pause key administration programs, including the Social Health Authority (SHA), the Affordable Housing Programme, and the new university funding model.
Defending his government’s economic agenda, he argued that foundational initiatives like the Hustler Fund and the Bottom-Up Economic Transformation Agenda represent tangible policy execution rather than empty campaign language.
“Hustler was not a slogan. It wasn’t an insult. Hustler was a fund,” Ruto said, pointing out that the initiative has disbursed roughly Ksh.90 billion to 27 million citizens.
The president explained that his “Bottom-Up” model directs state resources toward small businesses, informal traders, and boda boda operators to spark broad-based economic growth. He further defended the Social Health Authority (SHA), higher education reforms, and public housing developments as vital components of a larger strategy designed to expand basic services and generate employment.
Addressing his predecessor, Ruto criticized former President Uhuru Kenyatta for choosing opposition activism over a non-partisan statesman role. Ruto revealed that he previously reached out to Kenyatta and former Prime Minister Raila Odinga to help build a broader national consensus, but Kenyatta opted to remain active in opposition politics.
“But he was reluctant, you know, and he said he wasn’t sure he wanted to do that. Well, those are choices that people make. So, of course, he chose to be, to do what he’s doing, organizing the opposition and sponsoring them,” he claimed.
Ruto questioned the opposition’s political substance, arguing that leaders reject government initiatives without proposing workable alternatives, and urged them to elevate the political debate.
“My competitors have to think beyond insults, slogans, and chants. They have to think beyond that,” Ruto said.
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