President William Ruto has dismissed claims that proposed electoral amendments would stop the livestreaming of results in the August 10, 2027, General Election.

“Nonsense. Propaganda. Fake news. Why would anyone want to stop livestreaming of results?” he asked.

Ruto’s remarks come against the backdrop of massive outrage from opposition leaders following reports on Thursday last week that the proposed amendment would put the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC) under no obligation to livestream election results in next year’s election.

The National Assembly has clarified that it deleted Clause 22 of the Elections (Amendment) (No. 2) Bill, 2024, retaining the existing legal requirement for the IEBC to establish a livestreaming mechanism.

The amended Bill is yet to complete the legislative process.

Meanwhile, the President has hit out at critics of Nigerian billionaire Aliko Dangote’s Sh42.5 billion purchase of Kenya Pipeline Company (KPC) shares, accusing some leaders of seeking to profit from public assets while frustrating foreign investment.

Speaking at an interdenominational church service at AIC Kasina in Mwingi, Kitui County, on Sunday, Ruto said his administration would not allow brokers to buy government-linked shares cheaply and resell them at a premium.

“Those making noise are shylocks and brokers. They are used to conning Kenya,” he said, insisting the government was determined to protect the value of public investments.

The President defended Dangote’s acquisition of a 24.76 per cent stake in KPC from state-backed pension schemes and other institutional shareholders, including the National Social Security Fund (NSSF).

The transaction makes the Nigerian investor the pipeline company’s second-largest shareholder after the Kenyan government, which retains 35 per cent. Uganda’s National Oil Corporation holds about 20.15 per cent.

Ruto accused opponents of changing their position, saying some had previously complained that KPC shares were overpriced but were now questioning their sale to Dangote.

“I hear some making noise about Dangote because he has bought Kenya Pipeline Company shares,” he said.

“Now that the parastatal has sold the shares at a profit, they are still complaining.”

He also cited unnamed investors who, he claimed, bought Kenya Power shares at Sh2 and later sold them at Sh19, accusing critics of seeking similar opportunities through privatisation deals.

The deal has drawn scrutiny from Kiharu MP Ndindi Nyoro, who has questioned whether state-backed institutions were pressured into buying and subsequently selling KPC shares, and whether pensioners received fair value. His allegations have not been independently established.

Ruto rejected the criticism, arguing that long-term foreign investment was essential to Kenya’s economic growth.

“We must keep petty politics out of investors and investment opportunities as a nation,” he said.

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