Ruto: Opposition will see dust in next year's polls

President William Ruto says the opposition has no development agenda for the country. [File, Standard]

President William Ruto has exuded confidence that he will be re-elected in next year's General Election.

Speaking in Meru where he was accompanied by Deputy President Kithure Kindiki and other leaders during the 60th anniversary celebrations for Burieruri Boys High School in Igembe Central, President Ruto said his development record and transformative agenda will win him a second term.

He said the current crop of opposition leaders had been in past governments, but had no development track record to match what he has done in the years he has been at the helm.

He said the opposition had no development agenda for the country.

"We are going to show them dust in the elections next year. They will be shocked," said Ruto, who also gifted the school with multimillion development projects, including classrooms, laboratories and a school bus.

Ruto said Meru was central to the country's development, as were all other parts of the country, but he had made deliberate efforts to distribute development opportunities to all parts of the nation.

"In the past some parts were discriminated against," he said.

Ruto listed some of the successes of his administration which included enhanced staffing of schools, their infrastructure, as well as roads, electricity, water and other projects, which he said will ensure he beats the opposition in the polls.

"They do not have a development agenda. Their biggest achievement is giving me a nickname, Kasongo!" he said.

He added: "Some people have been in government for 50 years but have nothing to show for it. They have not done any development."

Dr Ruto listed Sh20 for affordable housing, hostels and markets, Sh2.3b for electricity connections for 27, 000 households and a Sh1b for Meru Level Six hospital as some of his ongoing projects in Meru.

He also told off those who are opposing the construction of a State Lodge in a section of Imenti forest, saying the project will go on.

"I hear there are some people who are opposed to a state lodge. We have built them (mini state houses) elsewhere, so why can't we do it in Meru? Who says the president cannot stay in Meru?" he posed.

At the same time Ruto announced that the process of compensation land owners who are affected by the Sh7b construction of a new bridge at Nithi had been done, paving the way for the contractor to start work.

The President particularly pointed at his record in the education sector, saying he had been deliberate in  transforming it for the sake of the children and the country's future.

He said when he took over there had been four major challenges-inadequate teachers, classrooms, funding and a policy to guide the education system.

"We have resolved all the four challenges," he stated.

"We have employed 100, 00 teachers, and 24,000 more in this (2026/2027) budget, to ensure all the children, wherever they are, get an education," he said.

On school unrest he asked parents to also play their roles in bringing up their children to avoid incidents of indiscipline.

"In recent weeks, our nation has watched with deep concern incidents of unrest in some of our schools, causing anxiety among parents, teachers and concerns across the country. These events should make all of us to reflect," he advised.

He said it was important for parents and community to partner in good parenting.

"A school can educate a child, but it cannot raise one alone. Be present in your children's lives. Know their friends. Understand their struggles. Walk beside them every milestone and every season."

He added: "Let us recover the wisdom of African parenting., where no child belonged to one household alone! but to the whole community, where every elder was a guardian and every child a shared responsibility."

He said he was committed to giving the Kenyan children and youth the best education possible.

"That conviction explains our choices. We have treated education as the single greatest investment in Kenya's future. That is why education receives the largest share of our national budget, at almost 30 percent, rising from Sh526b in 2022 to Sh784b in the 2026/2027 financial year."

DP Kindiki assured the president that Meru people will support his re-lection.

"In Meru we are for two-term. Next year all our votes will be for President Ruto," Prof Kindiki said.

His sentiments were echoed by Governor Isaac Mutuma, Igembe Central MP Dan Kiili and other leaders.

Ruto said he planned to make another visit in the coming weeks.