History will repeat itself if the Opposition goes to 2027 elections divided

Ballot boxes at Ruaraka constituency tallying centre, Stima Club, Nairobi, on August 11, 2022. [File, Standard]

The Opposition must urgently craft a working formula to avoid repeating the mistakes of the 1997 General Election when fragmentation among opposition leaders handed victory to Daniel Arap Moi despite the majority of voters favouring change.

During that year, Mwai Kibaki, Raila Odinga, Michael Kijana Wamalwa, and Charity Ngilu all ran separately, splitting the vote and allowing Moi to easily win with only about 40.4 percent support, even though the combined opposition vote exceeded 57.7 percent. The political lesson picked here is crystal clear: Unite to win, divide and be defeated.