President William Ruto has firmly dismissed claims that his aggressive development tour is a disguised campaign for the 2027 election, telling critics he has “passed the level” of merely seeking votes.

Speaking from the pulpit of the AIPCA Church in Gatundu North, Kiambu County, on Sunday, the President framed his administration's massive infrastructure push not as political bait, but as a necessary surgical procedure to transform Kenya’s economy.

“Hiyo kazi yote ninafanya sio kutafuta kura. Mimi nimepita kiwango ya kutafuta kura. Mimi nataka kubadilisha Kenya (All this work I am doing is not to seek votes. I have passed the level of seeking votes. I want to change Kenya),” Ruto declared, setting the tone for a week that could redefine the country's economic trajectory.

The KES 5 Trillion Gamble

The President’s remarks come just hours before he chairs a high-stakes Cabinet meeting in Nairobi today, Monday, expected to approve the National Infrastructure Fund (NIF). This ambitious vehicle aims to mobilize up to KES 5 trillion to finance roads, industrial parks, and energy projects without deepening the country's reliance on sovereign debt.

For the ordinary Kenyan, the NIF is pitched as the engine that will finally fix the disconnect between high taxes and visible service delivery. Ruto’s plan involves blending public resources with private capital from pension funds and international investors.

During the Kiambu tour, the President outlined specific deliverables intended to ease the daily hustle for residents:

• Muthaiga–Kiambu–Ndumberi Road: A KES 22 billion project to dual this notoriously congested artery, with groundbreaking set for February 2026.
• Road Network Expansion: A national target to tarmac 28,000 km by 2032, building on the 10,000 km completed under the previous administration.
• Kiambu Markets: A KES 4.5 billion investment in 30 modern markets to dignify the trade of “mama mbogas” and local farmers.

“Dusty Roads to Their Own Homes”

The President did not spare his political opponents, whom he accused of lacking the vision to execute such projects when they held power. In a sharp jab likely directed at veteran opposition figures, Ruto ridiculed leaders who criticize his plans while their own rural access roads remain impassable.

“Some have been in leadership for 50 years, yet the road to their own home is dusty and muddy. Where will they get the brains to plan roads for others?” he posed, drawing applause from the congregation.

This rhetoric serves a dual purpose: it attempts to inoculate his administration against accusations of “impossible promises” while casting the opposition as a relic of a stagnant past. However, analysts remain divided on the feasibility of the KES 5 trillion target, given the current fiscal constraints and the high cost of living squeezing Kenyan households.

Calming Local Storms

The tour was not without its local political drama. Kiambu, a critical vote basket that overwhelmingly supported Ruto in 2022, has seen rising temperatures between Governor Kimani Wamatangi and Thika Town MP Alice Ng'ang'a, both eyeing the gubernatorial seat in 2027.

Witnessing the tension firsthand, the President played the role of arbiter, urging leaders to holster their ambitions until the development agenda is met.

“Politics will wait. Everyone will be elected according to what they have done,” Ruto warned, signaling that the United Democratic Alliance (UDA) party machine would not tolerate premature infighting that distracts from the “Bottom-Up” delivery.

As the Cabinet convenes today to rubber-stamp the infrastructure fund, the President’s message is clear: judge him by the tarmac on the ground, not the noise on the podium. “Let everyone be measured by their work. Those who only offer noise and insults should be sent home quickly,” he concluded.