President William Ruto has taken his development-over-tribalism message into Nyanza, calling on residents to evaluate political leaders by their delivery of services and projects rather than by ethnic identity or long-standing party loyalties.

Addressing crowds in Kisumu on Monday, September 14, 2026, during the opening stretch of his four-day tour of the region, Ruto insisted that his administration is determined to spread government projects and public services to every corner of the country, irrespective of how communities voted in the 2022 General Election.

“Munasema tuendelee na kazi, barabara kama hii tujenge? Stima tuunganishe… maji tuunganishe… tusomeshe watoto wetu?” the president asked, anchoring his appeal in concrete priorities roads, electricity, water and education.

Ruto described his broad-based government as a vehicle for national unity that will end discrimination, tribalism and political hostility.

“We are going to unite all the communities of Kenya, we will bring unity to all parts of Kenya, and we will do away with discrimination forever,” he declared.

He further appealed to voters to use the 2027 General Election to discard ethnic politics and instead back leaders according to their contribution to national progress.

The message carries special weight in Nyanza, a region long regarded as an opposition bastion and traditional stronghold of the Orange Democratic Movement.

The Ruto administration is working to broaden its influence there by spotlighting ongoing government projects and engaging local leaders through the broad-based government framework.

The four-day itinerary spans Kisumu, Siaya, Migori and Homa Bay counties. Roads, water supply, housing, health facilities, education, energy and security projects dominate the programme.

Ruto is scheduled to visit Migori County on Wednesday, September 16, where he will commission and inspect several major infrastructure schemes.

A centrepiece of the Migori stop is the official commissioning of the 132kV Awendo–Masaba Transmission Line in Kuria West, part of efforts to expand electricity transmission and improve connectivity across the area.

The President will also inspect the Stella–Sibuoche–Gogo Road in Uriri Constituency and the Posta–Nyirongi Road in Suna East Constituency. In Awendo Constituency he is expected to review the Kanyawanga–Kwoyo–Madiaba Road along with other development initiatives lined up for the visit.

The Migori leg offers the administration another platform to highlight its development record while seeking to deepen political support in a region that has historically tilted toward opposition parties.

Ruto’s approach rests on the claim that development must rise above political and ethnic divides. Critics counter that access to government services is a constitutional entitlement and should never be framed as a reward for political allegiance.

In the end, the President’s test will be to prove that the projects being launched and inspected are producing real, measurable improvements in people’s everyday lives.

As Kenya advances toward the 2027 General Election, Nyanza is set to remain a critical contest ground in Ruto’s effort to reconfigure the country’s traditional political alignments.

For residents of Migori and the broader Nyanza region, attention will increasingly centre on whether roads, electricity, water, healthcare, education and other investments translate into lasting gains.

The 2027 vote will ultimately show whether Ruto’s twin message of development and unity can shift the region’s entrenched political patterns.