NAIROBI, Kenya—President William Ruto has warned that more than two million jobs and employment opportunities could be jeopardised if the opposition wins the August 10, 2027 General Election, drawing a sharp rebuttal from Linda Mwananchi Movement leader Edwin Sifuna, who says many young Kenyans remain unemployed despite years of education.
Speaking during a church service at ACK Church in Kapsabet, Nandi County, Ruto defended his administration’s Affordable Housing Programme, overseas employment initiatives and digital jobs, arguing that an opposition victory could reverse the gains made through the programmes.
The President cited 1.1 million jobs linked to affordable housing, 680,000 overseas employment opportunities and 300,000 digital jobs, warning that the opportunities could be threatened if his political rivals dismantled key government initiatives.
He also accused the opposition of planning to scrap the Social Health Authority (SHA), arguing that this would undermine access to healthcare.
However, Sifuna dismissed the President’s claims, arguing that the government had failed to deliver meaningful opportunities for young people struggling to secure employment after graduation.
He said universities continue to release thousands of graduates into a job market where many remain unemployed despite the financial sacrifices made by their families to finance their education.
Sifuna painted a picture of educated young people struggling to make ends meet, saying some graduates, including those with master’s degrees, have resorted to selling water using handcarts on Nairobi’s streets.
He also alleged that some employment opportunities in government parastatals were being distributed along ethnic lines, raising concerns about fairness in access to jobs.
“So when you tell us that over two million jobs will be lost when we take the leadership from him, because we will definitely do that on August 10, 2027, then I don’t know which jobs the President is talking about because our youth here are jobless,” Sifuna said.
The Linda Mwananchi Movement (LMM) leader urged young Kenyans not to lose focus on the need for leadership change, maintaining that the country’s employment challenges should be central to the national political debate ahead of the next General Election.
The exchange highlights the competing narratives emerging ahead of the 2027 polls, with Ruto presenting government programmes as a source of employment and economic opportunity, while Sifuna challenges the administration to account for the experiences of young people struggling to find work.
