How Opposition delay in naming its flagbearer is frustrating Ruto

President William Ruto during the closing ceremony of the Maa Cultural Week at Sekenani in Narok County on November 14, 2026. [George Sayagie, Standard]

President William Ruto is aware that he will be hit, but seems not to know where the blow would come from, and his body and mind have lately gone into an anxious, defensive state.

When he is not hurling insults and personal attacks against his former Deputy Rigathi Gachagua, President William Ruto is going against Opposition leaders who include Kalonzo Musyoka (Wiper) Fred Matiangi’ (Jublee), Edwin Sifuna (Linda Mwananchi) or Eugene Wamalwa (DAP-K).

His aggressive verbal attacks, according to political analysts, may be driven by paranoia or anxiety arising from the fact that the Opposition leaders have delayed announcing their flagbearer who will face him in the next year’s polls.

The fear of a growing Opposition wave has also been credited to Ruto’s verbal exchanges against the Opposition leaders a move that may have informed him to remain bullish on the campaign trail as he rallies support for his re-election bid.

Body-shaming his opponents through words such as “fools”, “brainless” and “empty”, alongside other derogatory descriptions have become a recurring feature of the President’s speeches against his critics.

He has repeatedly questioned their intellectual capacity, prompting pundits to question his leadership style and warn that it could fuel political tensions ahead of the high-stakes polls.

 Ruto’s latest publicized political feud is with Gachagua after he labeled him a chief extortionist, claiming that he has swindled millions of money from his Democracy for Citizens Party (DCP) candidates.

 “Yule Mr chuki wa Texas...eti wanasema tunalipa watu wakuje mkutano. Wewe ndio chief extortionist. Umehangaisha watu, kuwa extort, sijui kila Gavana akitaka kukuona anatoa million kumi ndio akuone," he claimed.

He added "Wewe ni extortionist, umefukuzwa kazini kwa sababu ya extortion, wafanyibiashara hawana amani. Umehangaisha candidates wa chama yako sababu ya extortion. Kila mtu akikuja kwako lazima atoe pesa alafu unatuambia eti watu wanalipwa pesa.

 Earlier this month, Sifuna was in Ruto’s cross hairs as he accused him of being a leader of the ‘empty party referring to The Equitable party which has since been rebranded as Linda Mwananchi party.

He described the senator as a weak competitor who would be unable to sustain a stiff contest against him in 2027.

"Niliona mwingine anaitwa Mr. Empty alienda kulaunch chama inaitwa The Empty Party. Akatoka hapo Moja kwa moja hadi kwa bar. Mara ya mwisho tulimwona na Koffi Olomide na meza imejaa ile pombe kali ya jina mbili mbili sijui Johnny Walker, sijui Jack Natembeya," said President Ruto during a roadside rally in West Pokot on October 14.

"Mtu mwenyewe ni empty, chama ni empty. Alafu anaanza kuitisha wamama shilingi kumi kumi. Hiyo chama imekwama kwa bar. You are insulting our intelligence.

 Opposition figures such as Gachagua believe Ruto has been left to grope in the dark because he doesn’t have a rival who he can unleash his narratives against, saying their reason for keeping Ruto guessing was a result of his (Ruto) moving target against all the Opposition leaders.

Gachagua describes their decision not to give Ruto an opponent as a strategic ambiguity which he believes works in their favor and against Ruto’s political arithmetic.

He stated that the United Opposition will not rush to name its presidential flagbearer, arguing that keeping the candidate confidential until closer to the election protects them from being divided, intimidated, or persecuted by  Ruto's administration

 “By keeping the identity of the single joint candidate a secret weapon until late in the process, the opposition aims to prevent state-led intimidation, co-optation, or political persecution of their chosen leader,” he said.

DCP Secretary in-charge of Economic Planning and Strategy Dr Peter Mbae said that by the time the Opposition announces their preferred flagbearer, Ruto will have exhausted his attacks against them, giving them a chance to popularise their agenda without his political gimmicks.

“We are not going to give Ruto a candidate yet, let him continue groping in the dark, wondering. He is picking his fighting with Kalonzo, Gachagua, Sifuna and Matiangi that’s why we want him to be busy, because we know he is a master of narrative and if we give him a candidate he will develop narratives the way he did with Raila when he called him mtu ya kungo’a reli the lord of poverty and as such it is a strategic ambiguity,”Dr Mbae noted.

Political observers argue that Ruto’s words and actions point to public pressure over the economy, unemployment and the President’s declining popularity as possible factors behind his public outbursts.

“Ruto's insult culture is desperation. When a president resorts to name-calling instead of policy debate, it's not strength, its fear. It shows you that Sifuna has him rattled,” says political analyst James Malumba.

 He (Ruto) is increasingly in a very difficult position because everything is working against him. That is why when I see him rant during these political rallies, I’m not so disturbed and I’d expect that because he is still human, after all. He should however, realise that there is a sunset to everything and Kenyans have moved on from him and his administration,” he adds.

 It is against that backdrop that a section of pro-government allies such as Former Trade Cabinet Secretary Moses Kuria believes the Opposition leaders were only faking disunity to confuse the government as they continue strategizing ahead of next year’s polls.

Recently, the Opposition leaders such as Gachagua, Matiang’i and Democratic Party leader Justin Muturi have clasged over a number of issues including naming the Presidential candidates and the formula to use to arrive at one formidable candidate who will face Ruto.

While Gachagua has been pushing for the ethnic numerical strength to arrive at a joint Presidential candidate, Matiang’I and Muturi have been citing experience and the track record as the major determinants to arrive at the Opposition’s Presidential candidate.

Additionally, Muturi has differed with Gachagua on the best time to name their Presidential candidate with Muturi saying the Opposition risked being time barred on the strict electoral timelines if they named the candidate at the home stretch.

Kuria said the Opposition were united but were playing mind games with the government.

“Dear Kenyans. Trust politicians at your own risk. They know how to fake and feign. I can bet my one cow that the opposition is faking and feigning disunity,” he said.

 However, policy and governance expert Bosco Mutegi opined that the Opposition’s internal divisions were rife saying their personal ambitions were killing the Opposition within.

 “I am very worried about the United Opposition. If at all they have to win this election, they have to give us a presidential candidate by December, but the people in the United Opposition, most of them, are very selfish, for lack of a better word. Every person wants to be a presidential candidate. Opposition's biggest enemy is within, not Ruto! Internal divisions, personal ambitions and lack of a clear agenda could be their biggest undoing ahead of 2027,” he said.