By Anderson Ojwang’
The stage for the 2027 presidential election is turning out to be a contest between the immediate former President Uhuru Kenyatta and the incumbent, William Ruto.
The once-bromantic relationship witnessed in 2013, when the two appeared and operated like Siamese twins, donning similar attire and suits, is today a toxic one, boiling into a nasty encounter.
It is becoming a case of jilted lovers who no longer see eye to eye, with any opportunity that comes their way turning into mudslinging and counterattacks.
On Monday, 12 October 2026, while in Ziwa, Eldoret, Ruto described Uhuru as a very ungrateful and deceitful person.
“Uhuru, stop annoying us. How can you dare oppose me when the people of Kenya have elected me? How dare you oppose me when I supported you all those years?” he asked.
Ruto said Uhuru had campaigned against him, but Kenyans voted for him because of his agenda.
“You told the people of Kenya in 2022 not to elect me, but they chose to elect me. They elected me because I have an agenda for the nation,” he said.
Ruto said he had supported Uhuru in all his presidential bids and wondered why he had reneged on the power arrangements they had agreed on.
**“Because I supported you. You, my friend, leave me alone. Let that person leave me alone. I hope we are understanding one another.
“I want to ask you people of Ziwa, did we not vote for Uhuru Kenyatta during former President Daniel Moi’s time in 2002?
“Did we not vote for him in 2013, 2017 and the repeat election? Did he support me when I requested his support? That is a useless person,”** he said.
Ruto said Uhuru was ungrateful despite the support he had given him.
“Get lost. You are the most ungrateful person I have met. You are the most deceitful character I have met,” he said.
He said Uhuru was annoying and that it was unfortunate he was opposing him.
He told the opposition, which was relying on Uhuru’s support, that the former president would betray them as he had betrayed him.
“You are a useless person. Those walking with Uhuru Kenyatta should ask me. That man is a betrayer. If he betrayed me, who voted for him and campaigned for him, he will be done with you in the morning,” he warned.
Ruto took issue with Uhuru for traversing the country to criticise Kenyans for having voted for him.
“He is traversing the country telling Kenyans that they made a mistake by electing me as president. My friend Uhuru Kenyatta, what mistake did Kenyans commit?” he asked.
Ruto said he had outperformed Uhuru in service delivery and blamed his former boss for mismanaging the country’s economy and education sectors.
“I have achieved better than you ever delivered. Give us a break. I am asking my friend Uhuru Kenyatta: I voted for you four times,” he said.
You Lost the Election
Uhuru stirred the relatively calm political waters in the country, with only 11 months to the next general election, by claiming that Raila had won the last general election.
The statement triggered a flurry of reactions from Ruto and his allies.
Uhuru said, “We supported Raila as Jubilee and members of the Azimio Coalition, and we did all that to make him president,” he said.
Uhuru said he believed Raila had won the election and that the truth would finally come out.
“Raila won the election. I am convinced he won the presidential election. I know that, we know. Those who want to know, know the truth,” he said.
Uhuru said Azimio La Umoja had won the majority of MPs’, senators’ and governors’ seats against President Ruto’s Kenya Kwanza coalition.
“We had more MPs than the coalition. We had more senators and governors than the other coalition. How did we lose this? We know how it went, and we do not want to go that route again,” he said.
I Defeated Uhuru
Last week, during President Ruto’s tour of Nyanza, Ruto went bare-knuckle on his former boss, retired President Uhuru Kenyatta, terming him a rebel leader.
“He was the President of Kenya. Instead of going into retirement to be a statesman, you have turned yourself into a rebel leader, the leader of the opposition,” he said.
Ruto also said that Uhuru could not defeat him in the 2027 presidential election after he had defeated him in the 2022 general election.
Ruto reminded Uhuru that he had defeated him in the last general election and that he lacked the capacity to defeat him this time.
Ruto wondered how Uhuru could defeat him in the 2027 presidential election now that he was the president.
“If I defeated you when you were the president, how can you defeat me now when you are in retirement? Surely, that can never happen,” he said.
But Uhuru dismissed Ruto’s claim that he had defeated him in the last general election, saying he had not been on the ballot.
“Some people say we didn’t win. I believe Raila won the election. They said they defeated me. Was it not Raila on the ballot? Uhuru was not on the ballot. Why are you dividing the country through the politics of division?” he said.
We Respected the Supreme Court
Uhuru said that even though they did not agree with the Supreme Court ruling that upheld Ruto’s victory, he had presided over a peaceful transfer of power.
“I will speak my truth. After the election, the Supreme Court gave its verdict. We did not reject it, and in broad daylight, we handed over the instruments of power. There was no violence,” he said.
Uhuru wondered why Ruto and his allies kept abusing and accusing him of their own failures.
“After four years, they keep on saying Uhuru this and that. Were you elected to talk about Uhuru? If it is not working, you must look for an object to blame, and that is Uhuru Kenyatta. Kenyans know so well.”
My Right Is Enshrined in the Constitution
Uhuru said his democratic right was enshrined in the Constitution and that he was free to speak out.
“You call me names, sponyo, a rebel leader. Is it wrong to talk about our democracy? I have not forced people to follow me,” he said.
The 2027 election is turning out to be a contest between Uhuru and Ruto.
