President William Ruto has told leaders in his broad-based government that they must win the 2027 General Election, warning that he finds the alternative difficult to imagine.
Ruto made the remarks on Monday, August 10, during the ongoing UDA-ODM retreat in Naivasha, where leaders from the two parties are discussing their political partnership and plans ahead of the next election.
“By God’s grace, we must win the next election. Inshallah, we must win the next election,” Ruto said.
The President said the expected victory should not be viewed as being for his personal benefit or that of individual politicians.
“Not for your sake, for the sake of Kenya, because the alternative is difficult to fathom,” he said.
Ruto went further, telling the leaders that they had no choice but to work together to secure victory.
“So you, we have no choice, friends. You know, as you sit here, you have no choice because the alternative, I shudder…” he said.
His remarks gave the Naivasha meeting a clear political tone as the UDA and ODM camps work to strengthen their cooperation ahead of the 2027 polls.
The three-day retreat brings together leaders from the two political formations to discuss their partnership, the future of the broad-based government and preparations for the next election.
Ruto has previously backed efforts to turn the UDA-ODM working relationship into a formal political coalition ahead of the election.
UDA’s National Executive Committee endorsed structured talks with ODM earlier this year, with the party saying the engagement should work towards a coalition agreement before the 2027 General Election.
The President has also described the broad-based government as Kenya’s largest political formation after the 2008 Grand Coalition Government.
ODM, meanwhile, has been going through its own internal discussions on the party’s political direction following the death of its former leader, Raila Odinga.
The party has been weighing whether to contest the 2027 election on its own or work through a coalition arrangement.
Ruto’s latest remarks therefore place greater emphasis on the importance he attaches to keeping the two sides together.
The President’s warning also comes as opposition leaders begin laying out their own plans to challenge him in 2027.
Wiper leader Kalonzo Musyoka has, for example, expressed confidence that the opposition can defeat Ruto by a wide margin in the next election.
The political contest is now entering a more active phase, with parties reorganising their structures and potential alliances taking shape.
The Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission has set August 10, 2027, as the date for the General Election. Its election plan provides for campaigns to run from May 29 to August 7, 2027.
With exactly one year to the scheduled polls, Ruto’s message to his allies was direct: they must remain united and win.
For now, however, his description of the alternative as something that makes him “shudder” leaves room for political debate over exactly what he believes Kenya risks if his broad-based team loses the 2027 contest.
