President William Ruto has said he will accept the results of the 2027 General Election, pledging to respect the will of voters whether he wins a second term or is defeated.
Speaking during the National Prayer Breakfast on Thursday under the Kenya Kwanza administration, the President said he would step aside if he loses, but would also fully commit to governing should he be re-elected.
The event, held amid appeals for political tolerance and national unity ahead of the polls, brought together top leaders including Deputy President Kithure Kindiki, Chief Justice Martha Koome, Speakers Moses Wetang’ula and Amason Kingi, Prime Cabinet Secretary Musalia Mudavadi, governors and legislators, alongside Ugandan cleric Reverend Chris Rwakasisi as guest speaker.
Ruto used the platform to emphasise his confidence in a peaceful electoral process while warning against those he claimed were predicting unrest.
“I want to say that in 2027, we are going to have elections and they will be peaceful. There will be no violence and they will be free and fair. Because what God has decided, no man can change. So relax. People are in a panic; I don’t know why. What God has decided will happen.
“If God has decided Ruto will get a second term, he will. If God has decided otherwise, that’s what will happen. And we will move on as a country. There is no problem. To those who believe they will divide this country, they will not. They will not succeed,” Ruto said.
The President used his address to highlight his administration’s achievements and policy agenda, framing them as evidence of progress across key sectors such as health, agriculture and housing.
He also pointed to proposed economic relief measures, including a plan to exempt low-income earners from income tax.
“We will be putting a proposal before Parliament to cushion all low income earners taking home Sh24,000. They have been paying PAYE at 10 per cent. We are saying they will not be paying anymore… people earning Sh30,000 or less will not be paying any taxes because we are using much more innovative ways of driving our development,” the President said.
He further defended his administration’s financing model, insisting that major development projects are being funded domestically rather than through external borrowing.
“I can proudly state on this podium that we have mobilized our own resources to drive some of the fundamental development that we have undertaken in the last three years. Our own resources. We haven’t borrowed from the IMF. We haven’t borrowed from the World Bank,” he said.
“We have driven our housing programme, for example, a project that is now Sh600 billion, with our own money. Yes. We have mobilized our own money. We are building Talanta Stadium not with borrowed money, but with our own money. We are building the Bomas of Kenya with our own money and we are driving Universal Health Coverage,” remarked Ruto.
“In the last one and a half years, we have paid Sh150 billion to our health facilities. Our own money. Let us believe in ourselves. Let us believe in our country. That is what I tell the citizens of our nation. We can do it. We have the capacity to do it and others are going to learn from us.”
The President also addressed criticism surrounding talks with transport sector stakeholders during recent fuel-related disruptions, denying claims that operators were pressured into calling off protests.
On his part, Deputy President Kithure Kindiki urged leaders to embrace unity and faith-based leadership, while ODM Party leader Oburu Odinga called for political maturity and reconciliation ahead of the elections.
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