Presidential hopeful David Maraga has publicly criticised President William Ruto’s government for its handling of the ongoing university lecturers’ strike and what Maraga described as a deepening health‑care crisis.

The former chief justice delivered his remarks on Friday at Kerumbe Village in North Mugirango, Nyamira County.

He warned that students are being left at home because lecturers remain on strike, arguing that education should be a priority rather than an afterthought.

The United Green Movement co‑party leader echoed the concern, accusing the government of allowing the strike to derail students’ academic progress and risk long‑term frustration among youth.

Maraga urged Kenyans to reject Ruto’s 2027 re‑election bid, saying the country needs leaders who place education, employment and social welfare at the centre of development.

He also highlighted media reports that Ruto travelled to the United Nations General Assembly with a delegation of nearly one hundred people, including seven cabinet secretaries, at an estimated cost of about Sh500 million, questioning whether such spending aligns with national priorities.

On health, Maraga described the public system as being in crisis, noting that patients in government hospitals and dispensaries continue to struggle to access treatment.

He pledged to strengthen public health services, improve the supply of essential medicines and ensure Kenyans can obtain care without being forced into poverty.

Maraga stressed that leadership should be judged by whether ordinary citizens can access health care with dignity, without having to sell land or borrow money.

His campaign platform lists education, youth employment, innovation, technology, economic revival, social justice and equality as core priorities.

Maraga’s remarks place the delivery of essential public services at the centre of his challenge to Ruto as prospective presidential candidates position themselves for the 2027 general election.