By Pascal Ndegwa - Reporter
Kenya, October 12, 2206 - President William Ruto on Monday used a stop in Kaptumo, Aldai Constituency in Nandi County, to blend a list of development pledges with a clear political mobilisation message, urging residents to acquire voters cards, back the UDA party and prepare for a unified vote in 2027.
Speaking to residents, the President switched at points into the local dialect as he sought to connect directly with the crowd. He told them that voters cards are what bring development, framing electoral participation as the foundation for continued government projects in the area.
He then led chants in support of the UDA party and joined residents in two-term calls, declaring that in 2027 Kenya would vote as one. He challenged the opposition, describing his rivals as lacking an agenda and insisting that no one on the other side could compete with his record.
The political message was delivered alongside a package of local and national commitments. Ruto announced that KSh2.1 billion had been allocated to connect homes in the area to electricity.
He said the government was constructing 3,500 housing units in the Nandi region under the affordable housing programme and building hostels to accommodate 6,000 students. He listed 15 markets, including one in the Kaptumo area, and spoke of new roads, with reference to a broader 350-kilometre road network planned for the region.
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On agriculture, the President told farmers that milk prices would reach Sh60 per litre this month, with tea prices mentioned at around Sh56 and gains also noted in coffee. He said fertiliser was available at Sh200 and seeds at Sh500. He urged tea farmers to elect competent leaders in their factories so they could secure better returns.
On health, Ruto said 72 per cent of people in Nandi were already registered under the Social Health Authority (SHA). He called on the remaining 28 per cent to register, arguing that the scheme was designed to stop families from selling land or property to settle medical bills. He stated that money had been disbursed over the past 18 months to cover medical costs and that the programme would continue to provide relief for Kenyans.
The President also pointed to progress in education, saying 20,000 teachers would be hired by December and that the higher education funding model was being improved through Parliament so that students would not be disrupted. He listed roads under construction across the country as evidence of equitable development and said the government was changing Kenya through these investments.
Throughout the address, Ruto returned to the political contest ahead. He told the crowd that if the 2027 election was to be decided on performance, his administration had proof to show. He dismissed his opponents as empty and without an agenda, telling them to stop their games because they would meet him at the polls. The dual message , development delivery on one hand and an early call for political consolidation on the other , defined the Kaptumo stop as both a project showcase and an opening mobilisation event in the North Rift.