Three opposition leaders have dismissed President William Ruto's new tax relief proposals as an election ploy, telling a rally in Nakuru County that Kenyans should judge the government on what it has done since 2022 rather than on fresh promises.

People's Party of Kenya leader Ndindi Nyoro, People's Liberation Party leader Martha Karua and Jubilee Party presidential hopeful Fred Matiang'i spoke at a joint rally in Njoro on Wednesday, a day after the President unveiled the proposals in his Mashujaa Day address in Eldoret.

What Ruto promised

On Tuesday, Ruto proposed exempting workers who earn Sh32,333 or less a month from Pay As You Earn (PAYE) and scrapping stamp duty on land transactions worth Sh1 million or less. He said the proposals would be taken to Parliament, and they will need changes to the law before they can take effect. The opposition leaders also criticised his pledge to raise Hustler Fund borrowing limits.

'Those campaign promises, we know them'

Nyoro said the timing gave the game away. Speaking in a mix of Swahili and English, he said the President had announced a PAYE cut for workers but that "those campaign promises tunazijua", meaning the opposition recognised them for what they were, and that anything done from now on would be campaigning, Citizen Digital reported. He told the crowd Kenyans had already decided that Ruto should go home.

Karua turned to the cost of living, saying many Kenyans were going to bed hungry and had no hope of a meal, and that this was what the opposition was focused on. She used the nickname "Kasongo" for the President and told him to stop wrecking the economy, according to Citizen Digital.

TV47 reported that the leaders said the announcements were "insufficient to address the challenges facing ordinary citizens."

Kitutu Chache MP Antony Kibagendi, who was also at the rally, accused the President of arrogance and said he had damaged education, the economy and health.

One candidate, named later

Beyond the tax row, the rally was a show of unity. Capital FM reported that the three leaders vowed to back a single presidential candidate against Ruto in August 2027.

"We are keeping our cards close to our chests and re-aligning ourselves. We will declare a united flag-bearer later next year, and we urge you to elect leaders who will liberate this country," Karua said, according to Capital FM. She said the flagbearer would be chosen through a democratic process and that none of the principals was above the others.

Karua also said the opposition's door remained open to other leaders, adding in Swahili that newcomers would be judged by their conduct and words, Citizen Digital reported.

Matiang'i urged supporters to keep the opposition's voice loud and called for peaceful politics, recalling the violence that followed the 2007 election in the Rift Valley and saying Kenya should never see a repeat.

Nyoro's counter-offer

Nyoro used the platform to set out his own proposals. Capital FM reported that he pledged to lower taxes deducted from salaries, widen medical insurance cover so households face fewer large bills, and raise the monthly stipend for older persons from Sh2,000 to Sh4,000. He said the proposals would form part of the opposition's agenda if it wins power.

The leaders also repeated their criticism of the sale of a stake in Kenya Pipeline Company and said economic growth figures had not translated into relief for households and businesses, TV47 reported.

Whether Parliament passes the tax proposals before the 2027 election, and how much they cost the Treasury, is likely to shape the campaign debate in the months ahead.

Photos: Capital FM (Nyoro and Matiang'i at the Njoro rally); Citizen Digital (Njoro rally).