President dismisses ‘Ruto Must Go’, ‘Wantam’ as empty slogans

President William Ruto has pushed back against mounting calls for his resignation through growing ‘Ruto Must Go’ chants in street protests and social media posts.

In an address at the Nairobi Securities Exchange (NSE) on Wednesday, Ruto questioned the motivations behind the calls for his early departure, saying all Kenyan leaders have eventually exited office.

“Just like those who were there before me, my time will come and I will go,” the President said. “But, respectfully, sirs and madams, what are your reasons for this ‘Ruto must go’?”

The past two years have seen deadly youth-led protests against Ruto’s administration over the high cost of living, taxation, unemployment, government corruption, and his contested policy reforms.

Ruto campaigned on a platform of reducing the cost of living and championing the ‘ordinary’ Kenyans.

But nearly three years since he assumed office, ‘Ruto Must Go’ slogans have become a unifying rallying cry among demonstrators who accuse him of failing to deliver on his promises.

They have called for his resignation and vowed to vote him out of office come 2027, labelling him ‘Wantam’ to mean that he will be Kenya’s first one-term president.

Yet Ruto on Wednesday dismissed the slogans as empty noise, saying, “Maybe you don’t agree with the policies and plans he has for our nation, which is okay. But please, would you kindly favour us with your alternative plan? The more I listen, the more I find it just sloganeering.”

“You cannot replace a plan you don’t like with nothing… I have heard some say, ‘Let Ruto go and we will figure out the alternative plan later.’ To me, that sounds like ‘wash wash’ conmanship,” he added, referencing fraudulent money laundering operations.

The President challenged his critics to present concrete proposals that could outperform his administration’s in key areas such as the economy, education, healthcare, and job creation.

“Be bold enough to tell us. ‘Wantam’, ‘Kasongo’, and ‘Ruto must go’ are not enough!” he said.

Ruto also defended some of his most controversial reforms, including the affordable housing project, the change from the National Health Insurance Fund (NHIF) to the Social Health Authority (SHA), and the overhaul of the university funding model—all of which have drawn fierce opposition.

“The NHIF never worked. The old university funding model crippled our education,” he said, adding that those seeking to abolish these initiatives are “accustomed to the status quo; the familiar” and are resistant to change.

“Aiming higher invites scrutiny from critics, suspicion from cynics, and doubt from their cousins, the naysayers,” Ruto told the NSE audience, “but that is the nature of bold reform: it unsettles the status quo and challenges the comfort of the known and the familiar.”