RUTO FIRES UP BROAD-BASED ALLIES: “WE MUST WIN THE NEXT ELECTION” Naivasha.

Speaking while presiding over a Joint Broad-Based Coalition Parliamentary Group meeting in Naivasha, Nakuru County, Ruto told the gathered lawmakers and leaders: “By God’s grace, we must win the next election, not for our sake but for the sake of Kenyans, because the alternative has no plan and it is too dangerous for Kenya.”

The President framed the contest as a choice between continuity of the current arrangement and what he described as an opposition without agenda, policy or vision. “We have no choice because the alternative, I shudder. A group of people who have no plan, no agenda, no policy, no vision is too dangerous for Kenya,” he stated, according to reports from the meeting.

The gathering, held at a Naivasha resort, brought together members of the United Democratic Alliance (UDA), Orange Democratic Movement (ODM) and other parties supporting the broad-based government. It was attended by more than 250 National Assembly members, senators, governors, Cabinet secretaries and other senior figures. Among those present were Deputy President Kithure Kindiki, Prime Cabinet Secretary Musalia Mudavadi, ODM leader Oburu Oginga, Interior Cabinet Secretary Kipchumba Murkomen, and several governors including Susan Kihika of Nakuru, Gladys Wanga of Homa Bay and Cecily Mbarire of Embu.



Ruto opened the session by leading a minute’s silence in honour of the late former Prime Minister Raila Odinga, describing him as a consequential statesman without whom the current political formation would not exist. He praised ODM for choosing national interests at a critical moment, saying the party, under Odinga and now Oburu Oginga, would be remembered for pointing the nation forward.

The President described the broad-based arrangement as the second-largest political outfit in Kenya’s history after the 2008 grand coalition government, noting that it unites more than 250 MPs. He urged participants to accommodate one another and work towards converting the current cooperation into a formal coalition capable of contesting the 2027 elections together.

“Azimio was a coalition, so what is the problem? Will broad-based become another miracle? It will become a coalition, just as we have done others, and we will agree on how we will move forward together,” Ruto said. He expressed confidence that UDA and ODM leaders possessed the experience needed to structure and sustain such an arrangement.

The three-day retreat, which began with leaders checking in over the weekend and climaxed on Monday with the President’s address, is focused on reviewing the broad-based government’s performance, implementing its 10-point agenda, harmonising legislative priorities and laying groundwork for the 2027 polls. Discussions are also expected to touch on inter-party affairs, power-sharing considerations and strategies to counter a potential united opposition.

The meeting comes as opposition figures intensify efforts to forge a single front against the administration ahead of next year’s election. Leaders within the broad-based camp have emphasised the need for unity, with some describing the re-election of President Ruto as the central priority requiring collective sacrifice.

Ruto stressed that the partnership had already accelerated delivery on key priorities such as housing and universal health coverage, areas on which he said he and the late Raila Odinga had found common ground. He called on the leaders to recognise the weight of their decisions, arguing that the future of the country would be shaped by the resolutions reached in Naivasha.

The broad-based government emerged from a political understanding between Ruto and Odinga that brought previously opposing forces into a working relationship within the administration. With the 2027 election now a year away, the Naivasha retreat represents an early attempt to translate that governmental cooperation into a durable electoral strategy.

As the meeting continues, attention remains on whether the two sides can resolve internal differences, agree on a shared roadmap and present a united front capable of delivering the victory Ruto insisted is essential for Kenya’s stability and progress.