Wiper leaders threaten to abandon united opposition over ‘disrespect’

Members of the Wiper Patriotic Front (WPF) from the Coast region have vowed to rally behind their party leader, Kalonzo Musyoka, in a solo presidential bid in the August 2027 General Election should he fail to secure the united opposition's presidential ticket.

The grassroots leaders maintained that Mr Musyoka deserves an opportunity to contest for the country's top seat, dismissing any possibility of him accepting a deputy presidential position in another political formation.

They also dismissed speculation linking the former vice president to a possible political partnership with President William Ruto, insisting that he would not agree to deputise the Head of State in the forthcoming elections.

Wiper National Executive Committee member Omar Twaha claimed that their party leader was being unfairly treated within the opposition despite his longstanding role in efforts to unite political forces against President Ruto.

Mr Twaha, however, said the party was not intending to pursue a political path that would fracture the opposition, insisting that its priority remained the removal of President Ruto from power.

“If we front Kalonzo as the party, we would disintegrate the opposition, and that is not our intention. Our goal is one, to remove President William Ruto from power, and so we must respect each other,” said Twaha.

The leaders insisted that their support for Mr Musyoka should not be interpreted as an attempt to weaken the opposition, arguing that his presidential ambitions deserve equal consideration in the ongoing negotiations over the coalition's leadership.

Wiper Coast chairperson John Chamia dismissed claims that Mr Musyoka could become Ruto's running mate, maintaining that the two leaders had no political prospects of working together.

“Whoever said Kalonzo will deputise Mr Ruto is dreaming. We can never even engage with him because Ruto and Kalonzo can never be together,” said Mr Chamia.

The leaders further warned that overlooking their party leader in the selection of the opposition's presidential flag bearer could force them to chart an independent political path, with Mr Musyoka contesting for the presidency outside a coalition arrangement.

They argued that he had supported the late former Prime Minister Raila Odinga in previous presidential contests and that the time had come for other opposition leaders to reciprocate his political support.

“Kalonzo was never born to be a running mate in every election. He supported the late Raila Odinga, and now it is time they support him. We are telling Kalonzo, as his supporters, that we do not want to hear that he is supporting someone else. We only want to see him on the ballot,” one of the leaders said.

The Coast leaders' position comes amid growing jostling within the opposition over who should fly its presidential flag in the 2027 elections, with competing interests emerging around Mr Musyoka, Nairobi Senator Edwin Sifuna, former Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua and former Interior Cabinet Secretary Fred Matiang'i, who also leads the Jubilee Party.

The contest has been further complicated by renewed calls from Democracy for the Citizens Party (DCP) deputy leader Cleophas Malala urging Mr Musyoka to shelve his presidential ambitions and support Mr Sifuna as the united opposition's presidential candidate.

Mr Malala has argued that Mr Sifuna, whom he describes as representing a younger generation of leadership, should be given an opportunity to lead the country, with an experienced political figure from the opposition ranks serving as his deputy.

“I want to urge Kalonzo to replicate the Obama and Biden formula. Let us support Sifuna, 45 years old, as the opposition presidential candidate and then identify an older person among you to be his running mate,” said Mr Malala.

However, the Wiper grassroots leaders defended Mr Musyoka's presidential ambitions, describing him as a seasoned politician with the experience and credentials to lead the country.

They also cautioned against attempts to create divisions within the opposition, alleging that government operatives were working to exploit internal differences and weaken the coalition ahead of the 2027 general election.

The leaders maintained that unity within the opposition should not come at the expense of their party leader's presidential ambitions, insisting that all aspirants should be accorded respect and a fair opportunity to seek the coalition's top ticket.

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