Devki Boss Narendra Raval Defiantly Calls for Ruto to Abolish Term Limits for Economic ‘Force’

Devki Group founder and prominent industrialist Narendra Raval has once again ignited a political firestorm by openly proposing that President William Ruto should serve an astonishing 20 years in office. Raval, speaking on Sunday during the commissioning of a Devki Steel Factory in Uganda’s Tororo District, acknowledged the suggestion flies directly in the face of Kenya’s sacrosanct two-term constitutional limit, but defiantly insisted that sustained, long-term leadership is the only path to economic salvation.

This is not the first time the billionaire businessman has made such controversial remarks, having previously called for a 25-year tenure for the President in 2024. His latest remarks have forced the conversation about constitutional term limits—widely regarded as a pillar of Kenyan democracy—to the forefront of political debate.

Raval’s justification for this unconstitutional extension is framed entirely around the success of the current administration’s economic reforms. He lavished praise on President Ruto, citing tangible results that have supposedly transformed the Kenyan business environment:

• Inflation Control: Raval hailed the administration’s success in drastically cutting inflation from nearly 10% to approximately 4%, calling it an achievement of strategic decision-making, not luck.
• Shilling Stabilization: He credited Ruto’s policies with strengthening the Kenyan Shilling, reducing the volatility that previously hampered long-term business planning.
• Investment Confidence: Raval asserted that the business environment has become more predictable, noting that Foreign Direct Investments have “tripled in three years’ time” and fostered industrial expansion and job creation.

“Again, I will repeat, although the Constitution does not allow, I will say you should be there for 20 years… if you want to remove unemployment in the country, we need this,” Raval stated, arguing that continuity is essential to accelerate job creation and raise living standards.

He painted the President as a decisive leader who excels at hiring experts and implementing well-timed interventions, necessary to stabilize the economy.

Raval’s repeated calls for an extended presidency, while wrapped in the language of economic development, immediately attract intense criticism and speculation. Political observers are asking whether these statements are merely the effusive praise of a key investor who has financially benefited from the current regime, or if they represent a more alarming signal from powerful business interests that are willing to undermine core democratic principles for the sake of market stability and industrial predictability.

In a country where presidential term limits are viewed as the primary guardrail against authoritarianism and the ‘Big Man’ syndrome prevalent in other African nations, Raval’s proposal is seen by critics as a dangerous attempt to normalize the discussion of term limit removal.

The fundamental question remains: Can a country sacrifice its hard-won democratic stability for the promise of accelerated economic gain, or is the predictability offered by the Constitution’s five-year mandate a greater guarantor of long-term national interest? Raval, a powerful voice in the regional industrial sector, has firmly pitched his tent on the side of political permanence.