A political rally in Kakamega addressed by President William Ruto allies on Friday, September 26, 2025, gave the electorate a sneak preview of the messaging to expect during the 2027 General Election campaign as his party, the United Democratic Alliance (UDA), struggles to stave off fierce onslaught from the opposition in a region that is already ambivalent to endless political lies owing to past unfulfilled promises by successive regimes since independence.

And even more ominous for President Ruto, his predecessor Uhuru Kenyatta is rolling up sleeves to bat back allegations of excesses. Kenyatta is now hitting back at the president whose rating – opinion polls show – has lost favour with large swathes of the country, including his Rift Valley backyard. Opinion polls since the start of the year have consistently shown that under Ruto, Kenya is “headed in the wrong direction.”

Aware of the unfolding scenarios, President Ruto has been dispatching emissaries to parts of the country with critical ballot power to stump for his re-election in 2027.

Unfortunately for the president, the emissaries have turned to be agents of falsehoods that barely conceal the lies they are often accused of peddling. In Kakamega, the parliamentary by-election provides an ideal launch-pad for the highly predicable unfulfilled promises of economic development and social welfare.

Against this backdrop, the president finds himself in an unenviable position after promising 1,000 kilometres of asphalt roads, revival of the sugar and dairy industries, besides cheaper agricultural inputs and delivering almost nothing.

He and his allies are back on the stump with the same promises and it is proving difficult to convince the electorate to bet on them. While the prices of fertiliser dropped by half, farmers lament that the stuff they were sold was fake – a recurring theme of Ruto leadership.

So, as National Assembly Speaker Moses Wetang’ula campaigned for President Ruto – although the General Election is still two years away – by addressing the importance of unity in western Kenya and asserting that the community has come a long way in the country’s leadership, questions remain about the ethnic composition of the Ruto government. Nearly all senior positions in the Ruto government are occupied his Kalenjin community.

While Wetang’ula was preaching unity of the community – a refrain that no longer appeals to a people relegated to the margins of economic equilibrium by the ruling class despite its numerical superiority – he inadvertently declared himself superior to Prime Cabinet Secretary Musalia Mudavadi.

Functionally and politically, Mudavadi who is perceived to have President William Ruto’s ear, has a more clout compared to Wetang’ula’s position as National Assembly Speaker. Wetang’ula is just a rank below the deputy president in the constitutional pecking order.

Speaking in Lugari, Kakamega County, during a Women Empowerment Programme hosted by area MP Nabii Nabwera, Wetang’ula reminded Kakamega County residents that speakership is the third-highest position in Kenya’s leadership and should not be underestimated.

“The Luhya community must remain united in support of President William Ruto’s government, which prioritises the best interests of this country,” Wetang’ula said.

By reminding the audience that he was the third most powerful official by dint of being head of the third arm of government – the legislature – Wetangula was effectively dwarfing Mudavadi’s stature to inconsequentiality, thereby reviving the longstanding insidious supremacy fight between them. This time round, however, Mudavadi and Wetang’ula are going through a rough patch as senior-most politicians and neither of them is assured of the following thy have enjoyed over the years.

Wetangula and Mudavadi have for a long time fenced over the control of western Kenya electoral bloc to no avail. Their call for unity of the Luhyia community has often been rebuffed by citation of their failure to influence appointment of professionals from the community to senior positions in government.

Instead, the two are perceived as selfish and anti-Luhyia and use their (Luhyia) numbers to feather their nests. Wetang’ula observed that, under President Ruto’s leadership, the road infrastructure expansion and power connectivity are key priorities aimed at spurring development in western Kenya.

As soon as Wetangula finished address, the audience raised questions about the 1,000 kilometres of tarmacked roads Ruto promised during the 2022 presidential campaign. Not a single kilometre of roads has been constructed during the three years Ruto has been in power. The unfulfilled promises make Ruto and his UDA party a hard sale in a region where the local economy has almost ground to a halt.

He praised the Kenya Kwanza government for employing the highest number of teachers in the nation’s history. This is despite complaints in western Kenya over the numbers of recruited from the region being abysmal compared to the president’s Rift Valley backyard, central Kenya and Nyanza regions.

The teachers were hired on short term contracts that have not translated to permanent employment despite promises given prior to their employment.

On Friday, the national assembly speaker struggled to enumerate milestones achieved under President Ruto’s administration in western Kenya, including the tarmacking of Musikoma-Munganzi road and the upgrading of Masinde Muliro Stadium, as well as the tarmacking of the Turbo-Naitiri-Sikhendu-Endebess road, which connects four counties: Uasin Gishu, Trans Nzoia, Kakamega and Bungoma.

Masinde Muliro Stadium modernisation is an undertaking of the Bungoma County government that began during the reign President Uhuru Kenyatta.

“Sugar factories are being revived to ensure that farmers receive timely payments for their sugarcane, purchased at fair prices. We urge our people to avoid divisive and parochial politics in favour of fact-based, agenda-driven leadership that focuses on uplifting lives and unlocking opportunities.”

He called for unity among Luhya leaders and expressed his commitment to working in harmony with Prime Cabinet Secretary Musalia Mudavadi and Cabinet Secretary for Cooperatives and Micro, Small, and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs) Development Wycliffe Oparanya.

“Unity of purpose has no boundaries. Let us foster friendships with each other and with all other leaders across the country,” he appealed.

What sound like most barefaced lies came from Senate Majority Leader Aaron Cheruiyot who said economic empowerment projects are designed to enhance the Bottom-up Economic Transformation Agenda propagated by Kenya Kwanza regime.

“What are those criticising the government doing to uplift the people? Our host MP Nabii is hardworking and focused on development, especially road networks, water supply and education,” Cheruiyot said.

He reminded the audience that President Ruto inherited a huge debt from his predecessor, President Uhuru Kenyatta. However, the MP was silent on the additional heavy foreign debt accrued by Ruto in just three years. Under Ruto, foreign debt has f galloped to roughly Ksh12 trillion – more than double what Kenyatta borrowed in 10 years. By March 2025, Kenya’s public debt had ballooned to Ksh11.36 trillion, up from Ksh7.7 trillion in December 2021 – eight months before Ruto came to power.

According to Cheruiyot, “The broad-based government is now working across all political divides to promote development.”

On the day Chruiyot blamed Kenyatta for Kenya’s economic and political woes, the former president told a Jubilee party convention in Nairobi that Ruto and his ilk were promoting ethnic rivalry and economic marginalising through political profiling.

“I wish to remind Kenyans that Jubilee has been silent for the last three years. We worked to bring greater cohesion in our social construct, to reduce ethnic tension and address both social and regional inequalities. This was used against us in the last campaigns and called an attempt to erode democracy. I wonder what they call theirs today. Even when we were in the presidency, all the work we did was for everyone, and we did not leave any communities out of the developments. That is the way of improving the lives of Kenyans. This issue of saying this party is for this community let’s have a party that brings everyone together because of the vision,” Kenyatta the Jubilee parley.

Kenyatta went on dismiss Ruto as descript liar who should have not been given the reins of power.

He observed, “This story about a hustler, this is a child of a dynasty. I am a single mother’s child. When you say you were born with… come and tell Kenyans what you will do for them. What are you doing for them? It does not have to be where you were born. Every child, whether you were born in a mud house, everyone has a right to lead, and of importance is that they are given a chance to lead. These days I don’t talk a lot, they will misquote me. Of importance is that our party from the beginning was to build a united party that brought Kenyans together.”

In Lugari, host Nabii Nabwera told Luhya leaders to unite for the betterment of Kenyan lives, stating, “Kenya is one united country that we all must feel proud of.”

Navakholo MP Emmanuel Wangwe and his Aldai counterpart Marianne Keitany urged Kenyans to concentrate on development, mentioning that stalled projects such as markets and other progressive initiatives are now progressing. Kimilili MP Didmus Barasa warned that the Luhya community will only gain recognition in the formation of the next government if they remain united.

“I urge the residents of our great western region to stay united and vote for President William Ruto,” he said.

Kiminini MP Kakai Bisau noted that the western region is beginning to experience the benefits of the Kenya Kwanza regime. H said, “This is the first time we have witnessed development across the region. The IEBC has begun voter registration, so please turn up in large numbers and register for IDs (identification cards).”

Webuye East MP Martin Pepela asserted that the Luhya community aspires to have a seat at the national table. Kanduyi MP John Makali praised the Women Economic Empowerment Programme as an excellent initiative to support Kenyan women.

“In the next elections, we will vote as a bloc for President William Ruto. Insults and tribal politics will remain a thing of the past,” he declared.

Sirisia MP John Waluke noted that President Ruto “has developed a clear agenda for Kenya. We will strive to deliver for the country. He is a visionary leader who deserves support to achieve his agenda. We must also ensure transparency in police recruitment.”

Kakamega County Woman Representative Elsie Muhanda said that women empowerment programmes have established numerous savings and credit cooperatives (Saccos) and groups in the county.

“We are now in a development partnership with William Ruto, and we must continue to support the government to benefit our people. All of our leaders from western must unite for the good of our community and development agenda.

• A Tell Media report / By Isaiah Wakhungu Andanje