Kenyan multi-billionaire industrialist Narendra Raval, widely known as Guru, has ignited a fresh political debate after publicly stating that President William Ruto deserves to lead Kenya for at least 20 years, despite the constitutional limit of two terms.
Raval, one of the country’s most influential business figures and a close ally of the presidency, made the remarks while praising Ruto’s leadership direction and the economic reforms his administration is trying to implement. According to him, Ruto’s long-term development vision requires more time — far more than the constitutionally allowed ten years — to be fully realized.
Raval argued that Kenya needs consistent leadership to achieve major transformation in sectors such as manufacturing, infrastructure, energy, and industrialization. In his view, Ruto’s administration has laid down ambitious plans that cannot be completed within a single decade.
“President Ruto deserves to lead Kenya for 20 years, although the Constitution doesn’t allow it,” Raval said, suggesting that Ruto’s development agenda would be more effective if allowed to run uninterrupted over a longer period.
His comments immediately drew reactions across the political landscape. Supporters of the President saw the statement as a strong endorsement from one of the nation’s top industrialists, praising Raval for recognizing Ruto’s “transformational potential.”
However, critics argued that such remarks are dangerous in a constitutional democracy. They insisted that Kenya’s term limits exist to prevent the consolidation of power and protect the country from authoritarian drift. Opposition figures dismissed the statement as political exaggeration and warned that no leader should be encouraged to overstay in power.
The debate was further amplified by Uganda’s President Yoweri Museveni, who humorously weighed in by saying that if Kenyans wanted Ruto to rule longer, “there is nothing that can stop him.”
Museveni’s comments, combined with Raval’s endorsement, have sparked online conversations about leadership, democracy, and the importance of safeguarding constitutional structures. Many Kenyans expressed concern that such statements might be laying the groundwork for political narratives that undermine term limits, while others celebrated them as harmless political praise.
As the discussion continues, one thing is clear: Narendra Raval’s 20-year remark has added new fuel to Kenya’s political conversations — and has once again positioned him at the centre of national debate.