Ruto called for peaceful political competition, credible institutions, respect for the law and respect for citizens' choices.
NAIROBI, Kenya, Sep 1 — President William Ruto has invoked Kenya’s 2027 General Election while urging African leaders to ensure political competition does not turn elections into sources of national conflict.
Speaking at the inauguration of Zambian President Hakainde Hichilema for a second term in Lusaka on Tuesday, Ruto said Kenya would face the same democratic test confronting countries across the continent in 2027.
“Kenya too will hold a general election next year,” Ruto said.
“We therefore speak not as spectators, and certainly not as lecturers, but as fellow Africans travelling the same democratic path.”
Ruto called for peaceful political competition, credible institutions, respect for the law and respect for citizens’ choices, warning that the pursuit of political power should not come at the expense of national unity.
“Elections are designed to settle who governs. They should never determine who belongs,” he said.
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The President urged political actors to compete without treating opponents as enemies and to accept that no political victory should be greater than the nation itself.
“We must compete vigorously without becoming enemies. We must disagree without destroying anything. And we must seek victory without excluding,” he said.
Ruto’s remarks came as Hichilema began his second term following a disputed August 13 election in which the icumbent secured about 60 per cent of the vote against opposition candidate Brian Mundubile’s 38 per cent, according to official results.
Mundubile rejected the outcome and was unable to mount a legal challenge after Zambia’s seven-day presidential petition window expired without a petition being received by the Judiciary.
He was subsequently arrested alongside his running mate, Makebi Zulu, and charged with treason, deepening scrutiny of the political environment surrounding Hichilema’s inauguration.
Election observers have also raised concerns over aspects of the tallying process, including weak verification between digital entries and paper records and delays at some tallying centres.
Hichilema, in his inauguration speech, called for political disagreements to be handled peacefully and said his government would listen to the opposition when it had good ideas.
Ruto did not directly refer to the disputed Zambian election or Mundubile’s detention in his remarks.
Instead, he framed the experience as part of a broader African challenge, arguing that democracy must deliver both political stability and economic opportunity.
“Africa cannot industrialise if every election becomes a moment of national uncertainty,” Ruto said.
He argued that businesses cannot plan in an environment where political uncertainty persists, while investors require trusted institutions and the rule of law.
“Political competition may divide choices. It must never divide our destiny,” he said.
Ruto said the responsibility of African leaders was not simply to win elections but to preserve the common nation in whose name political authority is exercised.
