President Ruto Accuses Former President Kenyatta of Betrayal Ahead of 2027 Election

President William Ruto on Monday, October 12, in Ziwa, Uasin Gishu County, accused retired President Uhuru Kenyatta of betraying him during the 2022 presidential election, reviving a political rift as the country prepares for the 2027 General Election.

Ruto said he had supported Kenyatta in the 2013 and 2017 elections and had voted for him four times, adding, “I voted for you four times. I stood with you when you started your journey to leadership. I stood with you in 2013 and 2017. You conned me.”

He claimed the two leaders had an understanding that each would serve ten years, and that Kenyatta broke that pact by urging Kenyans not to vote for Ruto in 2022, even though voters elected Ruto, and warned, “You have no business giving us a lecture on who to elect or how to conduct our elections.”

Ruto urged Kenyatta to step back from politics, saying, “My friend, please retire. Stop deceiving people. How long will you continue deceiving people?”

The president also alleged that Kenyatta misled opposition figures, including the late former Prime Minister Raila Odinga and Wiper Party leader Kalonzo Musyoka, and criticised Kenyatta’s reported association with Jubilee Party leader Fred Matiang’i, who took over the party in September.

Kenyatta, on October 3, called for opposition unity, criticised Ruto’s bid for a second term and warned against repeating the “mistake” of electing Ruto in 2022; he later handed over Jubilee Party leadership to Matiang’i in September.

Ruto defended his administration’s record, noting the recruitment of 1,100 teachers, the construction of classrooms and a revised university funding model, the building of homes, markets and student hostels, and the enrolment of 33 million Kenyans in the Universal Health Coverage programme. He also said inflation had fallen, foreign direct investment had risen from $1.6 billion to $3.2 billion and that Kenya had become Africa’s sixth-largest economy.

He concluded by urging the former president to stop intervening in political contests.