Uhuru urges Opposition to unite behind a single candidate
Former President Uhuru Kenyatta has declared that Kenyans have already made up their minds to vote President William Ruto out of office in the 2027 General Election, challenging opposition leaders to set aside their individual presidential ambitions and rally behind a single candidate.
Mr Kenyatta said the biggest obstacle facing the opposition was not a lack of public appetite for political change, but the inability of its leaders to agree on a common political direction, warning that competing ambitions could undermine their efforts to dislodge the Kenya Kwanza administration.
He singled out Wiper leader Kalonzo Musyoka, former Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua and Democratic Action Party of Kenya (DAP-K) leader Eugene Wamalwa among other opposition principals, telling them that the country’s top seat could only be occupied by one person at a time.
“As Kenyans, we should be concerned about the future, not the past. I tell my brothers Kalonzo, Rigathi Gachagua, Eugene that only one person can have the seat at one time,” he said.
He was speaking on Wednesday during the funeral service of his cousin Beatrice Wambui Muturi at PCEA Nairobi West Church in Lang’ata, Nairobi.
The former head of state said his interactions with ordinary Kenyans, including during informal engagements, had convinced him that voters were ready for a change of government, but were looking to the opposition to resolve its internal differences and present a common candidate.
“I also listen to people. Just because I am retired my ears are not closed. I talk to people and I listen to what they are saying. When I talk to people and listen to what they are saying, when I go about to buy uji and ask people what they want, there is one thing, and that is that the people have decided. They are ready this time round, but the only problem is one: the unity of the opposition,” he said.
“They want these leaders in the opposition to be united. As our leaders, please be ready, fulfil the promises of Kenyans, that is unity. I am sure that you will deliver that for us.”
The former President’s remarks amount to one of his clearest interventions in the emerging opposition coalition negotiations, placing the question of a joint presidential candidate at the centre of the political contest ahead of the August 2027 elections.
The opposition has increasingly coalesced around Mr Gachagua’s Democracy for the Citizens Party (DCP), Mr Musyoka’s Wiper Patriotic Front, Mr Wamalwa’s DAP-K, Linda Mwananchi Movement’s Edwin Sifuna, former Interior Cabinet Secretary Fred Matiang’i’s Jubilee Party, alongside other political formations led by Martha Karua, Justin Muturi and former Chief Justice David Maraga.
The emerging alliance, however, remains a collection of political interests with different regional constituencies, party structures and presidential ambitions.
Although the leaders have repeatedly pledged to work together and support whoever emerges as their presidential candidate, disagreements over the coalition’s leadership, decision-making structures and the process of selecting a flagbearer have exposed the difficulties of translating their common opposition to President Ruto into a single political vehicle.
Mr Kenyatta’s appeal comes against this backdrop, with the former President asking the opposition principals to confront the question of who should lead the coalition rather than allow individual ambitions to stand in the way of a joint candidature.
The remarks also place renewed attention on his relationship with Mr Gachagua, who has been seeking to consolidate his political influence in the Mt Kenya region and build a broader opposition alliance. The two leaders were previously political rivals following the fallout between Mr Kenyatta and his former deputy after the 2022 General Election.
Mr Kenyatta, however, appeared to leave the door open for further political engagement, saying he would visit Wamunyoro, Mr Gachagua’s political base, when the right time came, even as he maintained that he was retired from active politics.
“I have lost someone who was very pivotal in my growing up. I have nothing else to say since I am retired. However, I want to say that I will come to Wamunyoro when the right time comes. We want peace and unity,” he said.
His reference to Wamunyoro is likely to attract political interest given Mr Gachagua’s efforts to establish himself as a central figure in the opposition and the significance of Mr Kenyatta’s influence in the Mt Kenya political constituency.
Mr Gachagua has increasingly sought to position Wamunyoro, his rural home in Nyeri County, as the nerve centre of his political operations and a rallying point for his bid to consolidate support in the Mt Kenya region.
Since his fallout with President Ruto, the former Deputy President has used the homestead as a meeting place for political allies, elected leaders and delegations seeking to associate with his emerging political movement.
Mr Gachagua, in his remarks, appeared to signal a determination to consolidate the Mt Kenya voting bloc, saying the community would no longer allow political divisions to undermine its collective interests.
He also acknowledged his role in the political realignments that preceded the 2022 General Election, describing his decision at the time as a mistake from which he had learnt.
“We have made a decision that at no time will we have someone dividing our community. I made a big mistake in 2022 and I have learned the hard way. I am happy now that we are together as a community and we will move forward together,” he said.
His ambition to turn the region into the bedrock of his opposition politics has, however, brought into focus the question of Mr Kenyatta’s influence in Mt Kenya, where the former President retains a significant political profile.
Mr Musyoka, who also spoke during the funeral service, backed the former President’s right to express his views, saying Kenyans were determined to vote President Ruto out after one term.
“The fourth President of the Republic of Kenya is a statesman. He is entitled to hold an opinion. Kenyans have decided that we will shoot Ruto on the ballot. That’s why Kenyans have decided that it is one term,” Mr Musyoka said.
Mr Kenyatta also urged political leaders to focus on the country’s future rather than past disagreements, linking national unity to the question of justice.
“There can be no peace without justice. That is all that we are looking for,” he said.
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