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

 Ruto questioned the motivations behind the calls for his early departure, noting that all Kenyan leaders have eventually left office after the end of their Presidency.

“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 witnessed deadly youth-led protests against Ruto’s administration, primarily over the high cost of living, taxation, unemployment, government corruption, and his contested policy reforms.

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.