Opposition cracks emerge as Kalonzo recalls Wiper members campaigning with Sifuna

By  Anthony Kitimo

Correspondent

What you need to know:

• Musyoka recalled party members who had been accompanying Sifuna in popularising Linda Mwananchi.
• The move signals an emerging contest within the opposition over party identity, grassroots mobilisation and control of political networks.
• Musyoka’s directive comes as Sifuna and his allies seek to establish a distinct political identity for the Linda Mwananchi.

Wiper Party leader Kalonzo Musyoka has moved to tighten his party’s political structures and assert his claim to the Coast opposition vote by recalling party members who had been accompanying Nairobi Senator Edwin Sifuna in popularising the Linda Mwananchi movement.

The move signals an emerging contest within the opposition over party identity, grassroots mobilisation and control of political networks ahead of the 2027 General Election, even as leaders seek to present a united front against President William Ruto.

Speaking in Mombasa during a two-day political tour, Mr Musyoka said Wiper members who had been campaigning alongside Mr Sifuna should now concentrate on party activities, making it clear that cooperation between the two camps would be restricted to the coalition level.

“Today we are in Mombasa and you can see Joshua Kimilu of Kaiti Constituency and Wundanyi MP Danson Mwashako who have moving around with Mr Sifuna have been recalled, we expect them now to concentrate with Wiper Party activities and leave Mr Sifuna also popularize his party as we meet at coalition level,” Mr Musyoka said.

The directive comes as Mr Sifuna and his allies seek to establish a distinct political identity for the Linda Mwananchi movement, which has been associated with calls for political accountability and opposition to the government.

The senator’s camp is planning to rebrand The Equitable Party (TEP) within three weeks after losing the opportunity to use the Ukombozi name, which Mr Musyoka’s camp reserved and adopted as The Ukombozi Alliance.

The dispute illustrates a broader challenge facing opposition leaders: how to balance collective opposition to the President with individual ambitions to build parties, recruit supporters and establish bargaining power ahead of coalition negotiations.

Mr Sifuna’s camp had planned to pursue a political identity linked to the Ukombozi name, but the reservation expired before Mr Musyoka’s side secured the alternative branding.

The branding dispute is more than a question of names. Party registration, leadership structures and organisational networks can determine how political movements negotiate coalition arrangements, nominate candidates and mobilise supporters. By drawing a boundary between Wiper activities and Mr Sifuna’s movement, Mr Musyoka is seeking to preserve his party’s organisational identity while leaving room for cooperation at a broader opposition level.

At the Coast, Mr Musyoka is positioning Wiper as an alternative for voters who have traditionally supported the Orange Democratic Movement (ODM), arguing that the region has not received sufficient political returns from its support for the party.

“ODM Party has been taking people of Coast for a ride that is why Wiper is coming to rescue the locals. We shall inherit all the votes and have biggest percentage of votes as we go for presidential seat,” Mr Musyoka said.

The remarks underline the importance of the Coast in the opposition’s efforts to assemble a national coalition. The region has a history of supporting opposition formations, but its political loyalties have also shifted depending on local leadership, party alliances and presidential campaigns.

Mr Musyoka’s visit comes days after President Ruto concluded an extensive tour of the region, during which he promoted development projects, issued title deeds and rallied support for his administration.

The competing visits demonstrate how national leaders are seeking to consolidate their positions at the Coast before the election campaign gathers pace. For Mr Musyoka, the task is to convert dissatisfaction with the government and uncertainty within opposition ranks into support for Wiper without relying solely on the region’s historical association with opposition politics.

He was accompanied by Democratic Party leader Justin Muturi, DAP-K leader Eugene Wamalwa and Nyali MP Mohamed Ali, who is seeking the Mombasa governorship.

Mr Ali’s presence adds a county-level dimension to the tour. The Mombasa race will require aspirants to negotiate local political interests while aligning themselves with parties seeking national influence. Such contests could complicate efforts to maintain a common opposition platform, particularly where candidates have competing ambitions.

Mr Musyoka also sought to portray defections from the ruling United Democratic Alliance (UDA) as evidence of growing dissatisfaction with the government.

He cited the decision by Nakuru Senator Tabitha Karanja to leave UDA and join the Democracy for the Citizens Party (DCP), where she announced plans to contest the Nakuru governorship.

“On Friday, Nakuru senator has dumped President Ruto and we know a number in line. That's a writing on the wall and by February, those who are close to him, will dump him,” Mr Musyoka said.

The defection provides the opposition with an opportunity to question the cohesion of the ruling party, although one leader’s departure does not, by itself, establish a wider movement away from UDA.

Mr Musyoka’s prediction that more leaders will leave the ruling party also places defections at the centre of the emerging campaign narrative. The significance of such moves will depend on whether they are followed by additional departures, changes in party structures and the ability of opposition parties to accommodate new entrants.

The opposition leader’s challenge is therefore twofold: to convince voters that the government is losing political support and to demonstrate that rival opposition parties can work together despite differences over leadership and party identity.

The opposition delegation also criticised proposed reforms to State-owned enterprises, particularly the Kenya Ports Authority (KPA) and Kenya Pipeline Company (KPC), arguing that changes to their ownership and governance could undermine public interests and threaten employment.

Mr Musyoka accused the administration of transferring public investments into private hands.

“How can this government devalue key parastatals and sell them at a cheap rate? KPA and KPC are now public limited companies which will leave many jobless in the near future,” he said.

Mr Muturi said he had obtained CR12 company records relating to the two institutions, which he claimed showed that President Ruto’s allies owned them.

“KPA Lamu alone was constructed by about Sh42 billion, leave alone Mombasa port which is the only profit-making parastatal but is being valued far below its price. It is unfortunate,” Mr Muturi claimed.

However, the claims about private ownership remain unverified. The National Treasury on October 6 dismissed as fake a document circulating on social media that purported to show KPA had been registered as a public limited company, with senior Treasury officials listed as directors and shareholders.

The controversy follows changes introduced under the Government-Owned Enterprises Act, 2025, which provides for the reconstitution of existing government-owned enterprises into public limited liability companies.

Conversion into a public limited company does not, in itself, establish that a State corporation has been sold to private investors or listed on the stock exchange. The distinction is important in assessing the opposition’s allegations and the government’s position on the reforms.

Nevertheless, the issue provides Mr Musyoka with a way to connect national economic policy to concerns specific to the Coast. Mombasa and Lamu ports are critical gateways for Kenya and several landlocked countries, while KPC provides essential infrastructure for the movement of petroleum products.

Changes affecting the institutions could have implications for employment, logistics costs, investment and the region’s wider economy. These concerns are likely to feature in political debate as parties seek to explain how their policies would protect jobs and public assets.

Mr Musyoka’s programme began with political engagements in Changamwe and Mwembe Tayari on Friday. On Saturday, he met political aspirants before proceeding to Junda, Mwisho, Kisauni and Shanzu to address supporters.

The tour follows recent opposition engagements by Jubilee Party leader Fred Matiang’i and comes after the President’s extensive Coast visit, placing the region at the centre of competing efforts to build political networks ahead of 2027.

Yet the recall of Wiper members who had been accompanying Mr Sifuna exposes the organisational tensions that could complicate the opposition’s coalition-building efforts.

Leaders may agree on the need to challenge the government while differing over who controls local structures, which party provides the political vehicle and how presidential ambitions should be accommodated.

At the Coast, both efforts will compete with ODM’s established networks and UDA’s attempts to consolidate support following the President’s regional tour.

The wider question is whether opposition parties can reconcile their organisational interests with the need for a common political platform. Their ability to coordinate nominations, agree on leadership arrangements and present a coherent policy agenda will shape how effectively they approach the 2027 contest.

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