Meet the international influencers taking Ruto’s 2027 re-election bid to the world

A quiet but increasingly visible digital movement is taking shape around President William Ruto’s 2027 re-election ambitions, with international social media influencers joining the election battle and selling his projects online in a well-coordinated operation.

The silent revolution is happening one post at a time, with the foreign content creators and influencers churning out glamorous videos showcasing major infrastructure developments and government initiatives, online commentaries and coverage of major initiatives.

Concerns that could paint the regime negatively are significantly diminished or extinguished altogether in the unfolding operation, but Kenyans being as vocal as they are, often take to the comments section to point out what the influencers choose to ignore in their quest to control narratives online.

A spot check done by Pulse Kenya shows that several social media accounts belonging to foreign influencers who are neither Kenyan citizens nor based in Kenya have joined local influencers in creating a cross-border digital ecosystem celebrating Ruto’s record and pushing for his re-election as the country edges closer to the 2027 polls.

While Pulse Kenya could not independently verify if there was any structured agreement and payment made for the services of the foreign influencers, a clear pattern that goes beyond showcasing Ruto’s development projects, extending to openly backing his 2027 re-election bid and pushing back against criticism of his administration by challenging or dismissing critical voices in the digital space.

Some of the accounts are linked to personalities in Nigeria, South Africa and Uganda, among several other countries.

Notably, the posts often appear within hours of each other, carrying carefully crafted and remarkably consistent narratives that celebrate government achievements and the same development projects while questioning, challenging or dismissing criticism of Ruto’s administration.

“This guy's Twitter page is like an inventory of accomplishments. Yet, Kenyans keep complaining,” one user who highlighted Ruto’s accomplishments posted alongside a glamorous video of the Talanta Sports Stadium.

Another social media account involved in the online push, posted glamorous videos showcasing flagship government projects, including the Affordable Housing Programme, street lighting initiative, Talanta City Stadium and the Bomas International Convention Centre, presenting them as visible symbols of Ruto’s development agenda.

Yet another account heaped praises on Ruto for “revealing something new for his country” and questioning why others still badmouth him.

“Each and every day, this president is revealing something new for his country. But you still find someone badmouthed him,” the user wrote.

However, the growing wave of foreign influencer content has not gone unchallenged, with Kenyans on X pushing back against what they perceive as a carefully coordinated online operation by countering the glossy portrayals with raw facts, alternative accounts and criticism of the government's record.

Some have questioned the motives behind the sudden interest of foreign content creators in Kenya's political affairs, with suspicions that some could be receiving payment to promote particular narratives.

Others have maintained that decisions about the country's leadership and development trajectory should be driven by Kenyans, arguing that the country's affairs are too important to be shaped by foreign bloggers and content creators whose motives and possible financial interests in promoting particular narratives remain unclear.

A local influencer who has worked on similar projects in the past shared his suspicion that the services of the foreign influencers were enlisted to polish the image on the global stage after Kenyans overwhelmed local influencers brought on board for the same.

“Wakenya huchoma sana online, especially on Twitter (X) na hata sisi influencers hukuwa challenged na facts na reality kwa ground hata tukiskuma hizi projects. Reality is that 20, 30 or 50 influencers with huge following on social media cannot be louder than the voices of millions of Kenyans online,” he said.

With an election to worry about and a united opposition breathing down his neck and presenting an existential threat to his quest for a second term, President William Ruto has largely based his campaign on his achievements.