Internal wrangles hit opposition in push to name 2027 flagbearer

Internal wrangles, vested interests and indecisiveness continue to rock the United opposition as it grapples to identify the outfits flag bearer to face President William Ruto ahead of the 2027 general elections.

Divisions over who should carry the joint presidential ticket, the timing on when to name its flag bearer and the political strategy to adopt to emerge victorious in the forthcoming polls have also led to critics accusing the opposition of being confused.

And as the electoral clock ticks towards the August 2027 contest, pundits warn that the opposition risks losing its momentum even as the government seeks to capitalize on the chaos to ensure an incumbent Ruto clinches a second term in office.

The biggest hurdle threatening to cripple the opposition are the competing presidential ambitions between the opposition principals namely former Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua who is also the leader of the Democracy for Citizens Party (DCP), Wiper Party leader Kalonzo Musyoka and Jubilee Deputy party leader Fred Matiangí who are all being touted to clinch the Presidential ticket.

Whereas the opposition had announced that it would settle on a scientific method to identify its flag bearer, Democratic Party leader Justin Muturi has already thrown his weight behind a Kalonzo Presidential candidate, further exposing the growing fissures within the party.

Speaking during a church service on Sunday, Muturi publicly endorsed Kalonzo to be named as the opposition flagbearer. Muturi boldly claimed that if it was not him who would emerge as the preferred joint candidate, he would support Kalonzo.

“I want to say this while I am here today and God help me. If it will not be me, I will support my brother Dr Stephen Kalonzo Musyoka to be the flagbearer,” he said.

His sentiments seemed to challenge a strategy proposed by DCP Leader Gachagua who had just a day earlier warned of the early naming of a presidential candidate, fearful that it would hand the government an upper hand.

Gachagua advocated for the wait- and- see strategy where he proposed that the united opposition names its candidate just two months to the general elections. The move was to presumably give party principals time to rally their respective regions and to prevent state machinery from prematurely targeting the chosen flagbearer.

“We can name a candidate as late as 15th of May next year which is the deadline of naming a presidential candidate. We will not give you (President Ruto) the advantage of dividing us or the advantage of intimidating our flagbearer,” Gachagua had said.

He was speaking during a meeting at his Wamunyoro residence where he is holding a 45-day conclave, which he says is meant to ensure consultations with cultural leaders, opinion shapers and like-minded individuals to come up with a unified candidate to carry the united opposition’s presidential flag.

Muturi was however of a dissenting opinion and urged his co-principals to avoid cowardice and not let inaction cripple the outfit.

“Up to now we do not have a presidential candidate just because we are worried that if we name one now, Ruto will do something to him. Doesn’t he (Ruto) know Martha Karua, Matiangí, Gachagua, Eugene Wamalwa or myself? What can he do?” he posed.

It is however Jubilee co-deputy party leader Jeremiah Kioni’s sentiments that fully exposed the disgruntlement and egos within the united opposition.

During his interview with Standard Group’s Spice FM on Monday, Kioni regretted the fact that the united opposition lacked grassroots structures to help it clinch the presidency.

“If you go to Mombasa and ask who is the official opposition helping to organize the Presidential campaign there is absolutely zero but if you ask for a jubilee official organizing party affairs you will find one...we cannot rely on the united opposition to organize a presidential campaign. We will have to rely on a political party,” said Kioni.

And while reiterating his firm stand that no candidate within the opposition would make for a better Presidential candidate, he called on all the constituent parties to first bolster their political bases and outfits before a consensus can be reached on who leads the team.

“A party without a presidential candidate, organizing becomes a very difficult thing. All the other parties other than DCP have a presidential candidate. DCP will have difficulty fielding a candidate because they still have issues to address within the court corridors. There is the fear that if we continue naming candidates, those within the DCP may flee the party and join those with strong presidential candidates,” he added.

But in the recent past, President Ruto has accused the opposition of being a clueless and rudderless outfit due to its inability to name a flagbearer, and one incapable of generating ideas to transform the country.

Political analyst Herman Manyora believes that the options to become flagbearer will narrow down to Kalonzo or Matiangí and for the opposition to have a shot at dethroning President Ruto, member parties should announce a candidate as soon as possible.

“Time is of the essence and I’m persuaded that they should name a flag bearer sooner. I am convinced that one of the reasons that Raila Odinga did not do as well as he would have in  the 2022 elections was because he joined the race late partly because of the broad based initiative (BBI). The opposition should name a candidate now so that they get time to manage the fall out and the expectations within the coalition. None of these people in the opposition are as influential as Raila and they need to hit the ground running and rally support for one candidate,” observes Manyora.

“Personal interests should be subdued and people subordinate their own interests to the greater good which is this country. If they believe they want to change this country by removing Ruto then there is no better way to show it than by reaching a compromise and agreeing on a candidate,” he adds.

The professor however holds that the squabbles within the united opposition are normal for any political outfit seeking to take over government.

 “People coming from different backgrounds to sit and agree is not always easy. There must be some back and forth. It is made much more difficult because they are all interested in the Presidency. What we are witnessing is normal because during past elections there have been candidates such as Raila Odinga whose head was far above the rest and it was obvious that he would be the most preferred candidate in any outfit. But that is not the case today,”he says.

“It is expected to get even more acrimonious as we progress and wouldn’t even be surprised if someone walked out but I am convinced that ultimately they will agree on a candidate,” he further notes.