President William Ruto has urged Wiper Party leader Kalonzo Musyoka to support his re-election bid in the 2027 General Election, invoking their political history to appeal for a return of favour dating back more than three decades.
Speaking at a public rally in Tseikuru, Mwingi North, Kitui County, on Monday, October 26, Ruto recalled campaigning for Kalonzo during the 1992 General Election, when the Wiper leader contested the Mwingi North parliamentary seat on a Kenya African National Union (KANU) ticket.
The President asked residents to remind Kalonzo of the support he received at the time and persuade him to back his second-term bid.
“In 1992, I came here to Mwingi to campaign for Kalonzo. I was in YK92 at the time, and I came to campaign for him under the KANU party. He won,” Ruto said.
He urged the residents to convey his message to the former Vice President, saying it was time for Kalonzo to reciprocate the political support he had received.
The appeal came as Ruto continued his development tour of Ukambani, a region where Kalonzo has maintained a strong political following. The President has been using the tour to promote his administration’s infrastructure projects while seeking to expand his political support ahead of the 2027 elections.
Kalonzo was absent from the Tseikuru rally, where Ruto launched the Twimiwa-Tseikuru-Usweni Road project and outlined additional development plans for Kitui County.
The road project, which covers approximately 55 kilometres, is estimated to cost KSh5 billion. It is intended to improve connectivity for communities in the area and ease access to markets and public services.
Ruto also announced plans to allocate KSh100 million towards the construction of a new market in Tseikuru, asking residents to identify suitable land for the project. He said the government was also undertaking market developments in other parts of Kitui County to improve trading facilities.
The President said the government had allocated KSh20 billion from the Housing Fund for projects in Kitui, including 4,000 houses, 17 markets and student hostels.
He defended his administration’s development agenda, arguing that government investment should benefit all Kenyans regardless of their political affiliations.
“The kind of politics that has held us back is the politics of discrimination, the politics of looking down on other people, the politics of marginalizing others,” Ruto told the gathering.
The President also highlighted his administration’s education and healthcare policies, saying the government had hired 100,000 teachers and planned to recruit another 20,000 by the end of November. He urged residents who had not enrolled in the Social Health Authority (SHA) scheme to register, claiming that 551,000 people in Kitui County were already enrolled.
Ruto’s appeal to Kalonzo comes amid growing political activity ahead of the 2027 General Election, with opposition leaders positioning themselves to challenge his administration.
Kalonzo has remained a key figure in discussions on opposition unity and the search for a presidential candidate to contest against Ruto.
The Wiper leader has also expressed confidence in his own presidential prospects, making the President’s appeal a significant political overture to a leader whose support could influence voting patterns in Ukambani.
