Kalonzo's awakening: From the watermelon to the trenches

Wiper leader Kalonzo Musyoka.[File, Standard]

For years, Kalonzo Musyoka built his political reputation around caution and diplomacy. He was comfortable in coalition negotiations, boardrooms and carefully worded press conferences, a style that eventually earned him the “Watermelon” label from critics who portrayed him as a politician reluctant to take decisive political risks.

That image is now being tested by a very different Kalonzo. As the 2027 General Election approaches, the Wiper Patriotic Front leader has increasingly moved away from the politics of statements and negotiations to a more aggressive grassroots campaign. He has been travelling across counties, addressing rallies, entering politically competitive areas and confronting hostility that would once have been enough to send many politicians back to Nairobi.