Gachagua: No rush to name Ruto’s 2027 challenger

DCP leader Rigathi Gachagua addresses Kenyans in Boston, Massachusetts /FACEBOOKFormer Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua has said the opposition is not in a hurry to settle on a single presidential candidate for the 2027 General Election, dismissing suggestions that its leaders cannot agree on who should face President William Ruto.

Gachagua said he was ready to make sacrifices and use his influence to unite opposition leaders behind one candidate, arguing that their priority should be securing political change rather than rushing to name a flag bearer.

Speaking in Massachusetts, US, Gachagua said reports suggesting the opposition was headed for a split were premature, insisting that efforts to build a common front were underway.

“I’ll do whatever is within my power and ability; I’ll make whatever sacrifices necessary to make sure that we have one single presidential candidate, so that the liberation of our country can begin in earnest,” he said.

He was responding to media reports suggesting opposition leaders were struggling to agree on a common candidate and could turn against one another as the 2027 election approaches.

Gachagua dismissed the reports, saying the opposition’s unity efforts should not be judged by the absence of an early agreement on its presidential candidate.

His remarks come amid continuing discussions among opposition figures, including former Interior Cabinet Secretary Fred Matiang’i, Nairobi Senator Edwin Sifuna, Wiper leader Kalonzo Musyoka and Gachagua himself, over how to challenge Ruto in the next election.

The DCP leader also criticised remarks he attributed to a government-aligned MP, who he claimed had suggested that the opposition could be divided by encouraging different regions to insist on their preferred presidential candidates.

Gachagua said he had seen reports of the MP discussing what he described as a strategy to divide the opposition.

“I saw some young fellow, an MP, he was talking, saying we are going to divide this opposition,” Gachagua said.

He claimed the purported strategy involved telling residents in Kisii that Matiang’i must be on the ballot, those in the Kamba region that Kalonzo must run, and those in the Mount Kenya region that he must be a candidate.

Gachagua compared the purported strategy to political tactics used during former President Daniel arap Moi’s era, saying those behind it underestimated the electorate.

“I want to tell that young man, the way he is talking is the way Moi and his people were talking. They don’t know the people of Kenya; they don’t know what decisions have been made by the people of Kenya,” he said.

The former DP’s remarks appear aimed at countering suggestions that regional interests and competing ambitions could prevent opposition leaders from settling on a joint candidate.

However, he did not announce a timeline for selecting the flag bearer or explain what mechanism the opposition would use to settle on one candidate.

With the 2027 election approaching, opposition leaders face the challenge of balancing individual presidential ambitions, regional support bases and the need to present a united political alternative to Ruto.

Gachagua maintained that the process should be allowed to run its course, with unity taking precedence over an early announcement of the candidate.