Lawyer Willis Evans Otieno has renewed his call for President William Ruto to abandon his 2027 re-election bid, arguing that growing public dissatisfaction has made victory increasingly difficult.

In a statement shared on his X account on Tuesday, July 28, 2026, Willis said the Head of State should reconsider seeking a second term and instead prepare for a peaceful transition of power.

“President William Ruto should seriously reconsider seeking re-election. The growing public dissatisfaction suggests he faces a difficult path at the ballot box. Rather than risking a decisive electoral defeat, he should prepare for a peaceful handover and allow Kenyans to choose a new course for the country,” Willis Otieno stated.

Warns of changing public mood

The lawyer maintained that political leaders must pay attention to the mood of the electorate rather than relying on assurances from allies.

His latest remarks come just a week after he cautioned the President against contesting any elective seat in the 2027 General Election, saying politics does not reward leaders who ignore public opinion.

“If I were William Ruto’s political adviser, I would tell him something no one in his inner circle has the courage to say: Don’t run in 2027,” Willis said in an earlier statement.

He argued that the President’s greatest political challenge was not the opposition but advisers who shield him from the reality on the ground.

“The greatest danger facing you is not the opposition; it is the illusion created by those who survive by telling you what you want to hear. They clap at every speech, celebrate every rally and call every crowd ‘historic’. They are not measuring public opinion; they are protecting their paychecks,” he said.

Ballot box warning

Willis also warned President Ruto against mistaking the privileges of office for genuine public support.

“Do not mistake the privileges of office for popularity. A convoy is not love. A State House reception is not public approval. A crowd assembled by power is not the same as a nation willing to vote for you,” he stated.

He further argued that every leader eventually reaches a point where public opinion becomes more important than praise from political allies.

“Every ruler eventually reaches the point where the mirror tells one story and the people tell another. Wise leaders believe the people. Proud leaders believe the mirror,” he said.

Calls for voluntary exit

The constitutional lawyer maintained that President Ruto should consider leaving office voluntarily to protect his political legacy instead of risking defeat at the ballot.

Earlier, Willis urged the President to retire from elective politics, warning that remaining in the race could eventually appear as an inability to read the country’s political mood.

“Leave while retirement is still a choice. If you insist on staying, don’t be surprised when the ballot box becomes the harshest political adviser you have ever ignored,” he said.

President Ruto is constitutionally eligible to seek a second and final term in the 2027 General Election, but Willis insists the changing political landscape should compel him to rethink his re-election ambitions.