Opposition leaders say they will have one presidential candidate

United Opposition leaders Rigathi Gachagua, Kalonzo Musyoka, Fred Matiang'i, Martha Karua and Eugene Wamalwa address residents in Utawala, Nairobi, on February 22, 2026. [Kanyiri Wahito, Standard]

Principals of the united opposition, now calling themselves United Alternative Government, have vowed to stick together and identify one of them to challenge President William Ruto in the 2027 General Election.

The leaders who addressed public rallies in Embakasi East and Embakasi South constituencies in Nairobi also promised to work with the ODM Party wing allied to Nairobi Senator Edwin Sifuna and Embakasi East MP Babu Owino in order to send President Ruto home next year. 

Wiper Party leader Kalonzo Musyoka,  Democracy for the Citizens Party (DCP) leader Rigathi Gachagua, Jubilee Deputy Party Leader Fred Matiangi, DAP K party leader Eugene Wamalwa and PLP leader Martha Karua vowed to stick together to liberate the country from what they termed the yoke of desperation. 

“The United Alternative Government has devised a formula that will ensure that we clinch power in the coming general election and send the Kenya Kwanza regime home. We have measures to safeguard our votes in place and ask citizens to turn out to send this government home,” said Kalonzo.

He said the leaders will not allow Ruto to determine the next Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC) CEO after the departure of Hussein Marjan.  Kalonzo said the current acting CEO Moses Sunkuli was part of the problem and he should pave way.

The Wiper leader said Ruto’s claim that he will win the next general election with more than two million votes was setting ground for rigging. He called for an open inquest into the death of former Prime Minister Raila Odinga, saying that when Siaya Senator James Orengo claimed that Raila was killed, he was raising genuine concerns which need to be addressed to set the record clear among Kenyans.

“We have seen leaders being assassinated in this country before. That is why we want this matter concerning the death of Raila Odinga clearly looked at to set the record straight,” said Kalonzo.

The leaders, who spoke during public rallies in Utawala and Kware areas in Nairobi, accused President Ruto of reneging on everything he had promised Kenyans on assuming office after the 2022 elections and instead made life more difficult for citizens. 

Gachagua said the leaders would reach out to the Sifuna-Babu Owino led ODM wing to ensure that UDA Party and the ODM wing allied to Senator Oburu Oginga does not get a single elective seat in the capital city county. Nairobi has one governor, one senate, 18 MPs and 85 MCAs. 

“We are going to lock out Ruto and Oburu from the country since they have nothing to offer citizens. Ruto and his surrogates are the enemies of the people. We are starting from Nairobi where we will ensure they do not get  any elective seat in the coming elections, “ said Ruto’s former deputy.

The former Deputy President said that the country cannot wait to send Ruto home and that citizens are unanimously united behind the one term slogan to change the leadership of the country. Gachagua called on religious leaders to stand up and point out the ills committed by the current regime which has run scared and was using every trick in the book to stay in power, including sponsoring goons to disrupt meetings organized by the opposition.

Dr Matiangi said the current administration has failed Kenyans and citizens are tired of bad leadership by the Kenya Kwanza regime.