Event: William Ruto

Saturday, October 24, 2026 President William Ruto addresses members of the public at Nunguni Market in Makueni County on October 24, 2026. Photo credit: PCS What you need to know: President Ruto said the opposition, to which Mr Musyoka belongs, lacked a clear plan to transform the Ukambani region.Throughout the rallies addressed by President Ruto and his entourage, Mr Musyoka received a generous share of attacks. President William Ruto started his four-day tour of the Ukambani region on Saturday with a call on the region to ditch Wiper Patriotic Front leader Kalonzo Musyoka and the opposition, and instead support his 2027 re-election bid. The Head of State said he had the region’s best interests at heart. Addressing a series of rallies after commissioning, inspecting and launching roads, water, hostels and rural electrification projects in Kitui, Machakos and Makueni counties, President Ruto said the opposition, to which Mr Musyoka belongs, lacked a clear plan to transform the Ukambani region. “There are some people who assume the Ukambani region is theirs for advancing vomwe and vetwe politics,” President Ruto said at Mbiuni Township in Machakos County, referring to Mr Musyoka’s political mantra. “I am here to tell you that you should not accept to lag behind. Ukambani has suffered many years of marginalisation. We are teaming up to form a broad-based government which shall unite all Kenyans, including the people of the Ukambani region,” President Ruto said. “You should reject any group which will come here to promote discrimination and tribalism. They will say, ‘these are cousins and those are enemies. These ones belong to the Mountain but those others belong to another place. These ones come from the hinterland.’ That is outdated politics. It is foolishness. We are all brothers. We belong to one nation,” he went on. Throughout the whistle-stop…

Saturday, October 24, 2026 Deputy President Kithure Kindiki is welcomed by Ethiopian Prime Minister Dr Abiy Ahmed at the Bahir Dar Dejazmach Belay Zeleke International Airport. Prof Kindiki is in Ethiopia to attend the 12th Tana High Level Forum on Security in Africa in Bahir Dar. Photo credit: DPCS What you need to know: Prof Kindiki said that, like Kenya, African countries should seek to have a constructive engagement with all partners. Such an attitude, he noted, can protect Africa from exploitative tendencies that have caused under-development. Deputy President Kithure Kindiki has shared with Africa the approach that the Kenya Kwanza administration is taking in its foreign policy – which is engaging with as many partners as possible without having favourites. Addressing a forum in Ethiopia on Saturday, Prof Kindiki said that, like Kenya, African countries should seek to have a constructive engagement with all partners. “Africa must engage all partners constructively, without isolation or automatic alignment, guided by its interests and collective priorities. Africa should be a partner to all, a satellite of none, and an equal participant in shaping the international order,” Prof Kindiki said. Such an attitude, he noted, can protect Africa from exploitative tendencies that have caused under-development. It is a policy that has appeared active under President William Ruto, as he has often engaged with partners that have competing interests. Since taking office, President Ruto has aggressively pursued a policy of “strategic autonomy”, positioning Kenya as a bridge between competing global powers. A prime illustration of this balancing act occurred in March this year when the US State Department reported a phone call between Secretary of State Marco Rubio and President Ruto to discuss commercial opportunities and regional security, just as Chinese Vice President Han Zheng was in Nairobi flagging off tariff-free Kenyan exports via…