The political fever is rising. The time has come for leaders to take sides and stand for something. Several serious political figures have already declared their positions, as they should in a democracy. What matters now is whether they can explain what is in it for Kenyans and persuade voters to support them.
Unlike previous elections, when Kenyans were often mobilised around what they did not want, 2027 could offer voters a more consequential choice. It could become a contest between what Kenyans want and what political leaders want for themselves.
In 2002, the opposition rallied the country around “Moi Must Go”. The slogan captured the public mood, but there was less clarity about what would follow Moi’s departure. The National Rainbow Coalition won, but disagreements over the political arrangements that brought the coalition together soon exposed the limits of a campaign built largely around removing one leader.
The lesson is not that “Moi Must Go” was wrong. After 24 years of KANU rule, Kenyans clearly wanted change. The lesson is that removing a leader and governing a country are very different propositions.
The same question arose in 2007. The Orange Democratic Movement generated enormous enthusiasm and became the vehicle through which many politicians sought power. Raila Odinga’s campaign attracted a broad coalition, but the election ended in a disputed result, violence and a power-sharing arrangement that left the country deeply divided.
Then came 2013 and 2017. In 2013, the ICC cases involving Uhuru Kenyatta and William Ruto became a powerful element of the political contest, with the two presenting their alliance partly as a defence of Kenyan sovereignty. In 2017, Jubilee sought a second term under the “Tano Tena” banner, while the opposition presented the election as a struggle against what it described as an increasingly authoritarian government.
Again, political narratives were built around personalities, alliances and fears about what might happen if one side or the other won.
The 2022 election was different in one important respect. William Ruto built a political movement around the idea that ordinary Kenyans had been excluded from economic opportunity by an entrenched political establishment. The “Hustler Nation” message resonated with millions who believed they had received little from decades of political independence.
For many voters, there was a clear sense of what was in it for them.
Four years later, the political language has changed again. We are now being presented with another powerful mobilisation message: “Ruto Must Go”.
There is nothing undemocratic about wanting to remove an incumbent president. The ability to vote a government out is one of democracy’s most important safeguards.
But removing Ruto cannot be the entire political programme.
Kenyans deserve to know what comes next. What policies will be introduced? How will jobs be created? What will happen to the cost of living? How will healthcare, education, agriculture and housing be improved? What will ordinary Kenyans gain from changing the government?
The opposition cannot simply ask Kenyans to reject Ruto. It must persuade them to choose something better.
That is where “Usawa ni Sawa” enters the debate. President Ruto has placed equity, equal opportunity and more even distribution of development at the centre of his emerging 2027 message. The slogan has become a prominent part of his political language.
The idea of equity deserves a serious national conversation.
When people become accustomed to privilege, treating everyone more equally can sometimes feel like losing something. That is one of the uncomfortable realities of redistributing opportunity and public resources more fairly.
Kenya’s devolution system was designed to address historical disparities by taking resources and decision-making closer to citizens. The question now is whether national development is also becoming more evenly distributed.
This is where the political debate needs to move beyond slogans.
When opposition leaders claim particular communities are being denied development or political influence, Kenyans should ask whether those claims reflect the interests of an entire community or the grievances and ambitions of individual politicians.
The same question applies to the politics surrounding Rigathi Gachagua. If Mt Kenya is presented as a single political bloc behind one leader, Kenyans should ask whether that assumption reflects the diversity of opinion within the region.
Kalonzo Musyoka’s decision to stand with Gachagua when some leaders from the region had distanced themselves from him also raises a broader question about political loyalty. Was it loyalty to an individual, a community or a political principle?
These are questions voters, rather than political strategists, must ultimately answer.
“Usawa ni Sawa” must also be tested against results. If the administration argues that development should be distributed more equitably across Kenya, it must demonstrate that claim through tangible results. Government has a responsibility to deliver, and voters are entitled to judge whether it is doing so.
That is where the 2027 election could become genuinely different.
Kenyans have heard enough political slogans. They have seen alliances formed and broken, communities mobilised, promises made and political careers built around powerful personalities.
The next election should demand more.
Two questions should remain at the centre of the debate: What will make a meaningful difference in the lives of ordinary Kenyans, and which political programme offers the most credible path to achieving it?
Those questions are more important than “Ruto Must Go”. They are also more important than “Usawa ni Sawa”.
Ultimately, elections are not supposed to be about rescuing politicians, preserving political fiefdoms or settling personal scores.
They are about citizens.
Kenya is bigger than the ambitions of its political class. Communities should not be asked to surrender their political choices to individual leaders, and voters should not be persuaded that the interests of one politician automatically represent those of an entire region.
The 2027 election presents an opportunity to move beyond that politics.
The real test is whether Kenyans will demand to know not only who should leave, but who should replace them, why, and what that change will mean for ordinary citizens.
That is the choice that should define 2027.
Disclaimer: The views expressed are solely those of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Capital FM.
