President William Ruto is increasingly using his tours across the country to defend his government's record as the political contest ahead of the 2027 General Election takes shape around two opposing messages — Wantam and Tutam.
Wantam, derived from “one term”, has become the rallying call for opposition leaders who want to deny Ruto a second term. Tutam, or “two terms”, has emerged as the response from the President's supporters, who argue that he should be allowed to complete a second and final term.
The two messages have featured prominently in recent political rallies, with Ruto and his opponents increasingly turning government programmes and their implementation into part of the argument over whether he deserves another five years in office.
During his tour of Narok on Tuesday, Ruto combined announcements on development projects with a fresh attack on opposition leaders, accusing them of lacking policies and relying on the Wantam campaign.
“Wale wengine wote ambao wanajaribu hapo ni watu bure. Si mnajua hawa watu? Mpango hawana, agenda hawana, maono hawana, sera hawana, hata akili... Mnawajua?” Ruto said as he dismissed his opponents during rallies in the county.
The President said the opposition should present Kenyans with its plans instead of concentrating on calls for his removal from office.
His message is similar to one he delivered in Taita Taveta last week, where he challenged his critics to explain what they had done for Kenyans.
“And those saying a lot of things, I want to ask them mine I have done what is yours? Show us your plans and projects; leave the one for William Ruto,” he said.
Ruto has accused the opposition of building its campaign around Wantam, “Kasongo” and “Ruto Must Go” without explaining what it would do differently if it formed the next government.
His critics, however, argue that the slogans are part of a wider campaign against an administration they accuse of failing to meet the expectations created by Ruto's 2022 campaign.
Nairobi Senator Edwin Sifuna, one of the leaders of the Linda Mwananchi movement, has rejected Ruto's argument that the opposition has no agenda.
Sifuna said the President himself used powerful political slogans to mobilise voters before winning the 2022 election.
“I heard Ruto saying that the bar has been raised. When did the bar rise, and by who? Ruto too rode on slogans to be where he is. We will also use the same slogans to remove him from office,” Sifuna said.
Sifuna said the opposition would continue using “Ruto Must Go” and Wantam as part of its political campaign, arguing that Ruto's own “Hustler versus Dynasty” narrative had similarly helped him build support.
But the Nairobi Senator has insisted that Linda Mwananchi's politics go beyond the slogans, saying its leaders have a broader agenda for the country.
The disagreement has brought the nature of the emerging 2027 contest into sharper focus.
Ruto wants the opposition to state what it would do differently on issues such as healthcare, housing, agriculture and the economy. The opposition, on the other hand, is seeking to make the election a judgement on Ruto's performance after nearly five years in office.
The Social Health Authority has become one of the clearest examples of that argument.
In Narok, Ruto defended SHA against calls by some of his critics for changes to the programme and questioned why the opposition wanted to return to the defunct National Hospital Insurance Fund.
“I am telling my competitors, stop treating us like fools. You are telling us that we should go back to NHIF, which covered only eight million people, and abandon SHA, which covers 32 million people,” Ruto said.
“Why are you testing our intelligence? You are telling us to go back to NHIF, where you had to wait for three months before getting treatment, while with SHA, when you go and register that same day, you are already eligible to receive treatment that same day,” he said.
The President also defended the government's affordable housing programme, another policy that has attracted opposition criticism.
Ruto accused sections of the opposition of opposing government programmes without offering alternatives, saying some leaders were mobilising Kenyans against initiatives such as SHA and affordable housing.
His critics say the government cannot simply point to the number of projects launched or people registered under its programmes without addressing concerns raised by Kenyans over implementation, taxation, the cost of living and access to services.
The Wantam campaign has gained momentum as several politicians who were previously allied to Ruto join or cooperate with opposition groups.
Kiharu MP Ndindi Nyoro is among the latest to openly associate himself with the movement after moving away from the President's camp.
Nyoro has called for opposition leaders to put aside their differences and agree on a single presidential candidate and running mate ahead of the 2027 election.
“We will all walk together and liberate Kenya. If it is Ndindi Nyoro who will be the opposition flag bearer, be sure I will send Ruto home. And if it is any other of the opposition leaders, I will support him or her. By next year we will have one candidate and ensure we win by a big margin,” Nyoro said.
He has also appealed to opposition leaders to agree on a joint ticket early enough to avoid splitting the anti-Ruto vote.
“I appeal to my opposition colleagues that we should not be selfish. Let us make sure by next year we have one candidate and the running mate to face Ruto and finish the job in round one. We don’t want to take chances in our journey to liberate Kenyans,” he said.
Nyoro's involvement is significant because he was one of Ruto's allies in the 2022 election and played a role in building Kenya Kwanza support, particularly in Mt Kenya.
Former Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua has also been a central figure in the anti-Ruto campaign, accusing the government of economic and governance failures while conducting consultations aimed at bringing opposition groups together.
Gachagua has argued that opposition leaders must consult voters and build support for a common candidate instead of allowing politicians to decide the political direction on their own.
The former Deputy President has also addressed the debate over Ruto seeking a second term, saying the Constitution only makes a President eligible for a maximum of two terms and does not guarantee an incumbent a second term.
