Kalonzo Musyoka Emerges as Opposition’s Most Preferred 2027 Presidential Candidate in New Poll

Wiper Party leader Kalonzo Musyoka has emerged as the most preferred opposition presidential candidate ahead of the 2027 General Election, according to a new survey by Swiss Poll International.

The poll, released on Saturday, November 14, placed Kalonzo at 28% in the overall presidential preference rankings, trailing President William Ruto, who led with 37%.

Nairobi Senator and Linda Mwananchi Movement leader Edwin Sifuna came third with 15%, while Jubilee Party leader Fred Matiang’i and Democratic Change Party (DCP) leader Rigathi Gachagua each recorded 6%.

Kiharu MP Ndindi Nyoro polled 4%, while 3% of respondents were undecided and 1% expressed support for other candidates.

Swiss Poll clarified that the figures represented respondents’ current preferences and should not be interpreted as a projection of the eventual election results.

Kalonzo Leads Opposition Contenders

When respondents were asked to identify their preferred opposition presidential flagbearer, Kalonzo widened his lead, securing 45% support.

Sifuna came second with 28%, followed by Matiang’i at 11%, Gachagua at 9% and Nyoro at 4%.

The findings place the former Vice President ahead of other opposition figures in the race to become the coalition’s presidential candidate.

Collectively, the five opposition politicians featured in the overall presidential preference question attracted 59% support, compared with Ruto’s 37%. However, the pollster cautioned against assuming that the opposition candidates’ support would automatically consolidate behind a single candidate.

Kalonzo-Sifuna-Matiang’i Ticket Leads

The survey also examined respondents’ preferred opposition presidential tickets, with a combination featuring Kalonzo, Sifuna and Matiang’i emerging on top.

The Kalonzo-Sifuna-Matiang’i arrangement attracted 48% support, while a ticket headed by Sifuna with Kalonzo as his running mate came second at 23%.

A Kalonzo-Matiang’i-Sifuna combination received 12%.

Kalonzo featured in all three leading configurations, reinforcing his strong position in the survey’s assessment of possible opposition alliances.

Waiguru Leads Ruto’s Running Mate Race

In the survey’s assessment of potential running mates for President Ruto, Kirinyaga Governor Ann Waiguru emerged as the most preferred choice with 42%.

Deputy President Kithure Kindiki followed with 31%, while Homa Bay Governor Gladys Wanga garnered 13%.

Former Deputy President Wycliffe Oparanya polled 6%, with Mombasa Governor Hassan Joho recording 4%. The remaining support was distributed among other candidates.

Waiguru’s 11-percentage-point lead over Kindiki stands out given that the latter currently occupies the deputy presidency.

UDA Maintains Lead in Party Popularity

On political party popularity, Ruto’s United Democratic Alliance (UDA) topped the rankings with 34.1%, more than twice the 15.1% recorded by the Linda Mwananchi Movement, which came second.

Gachagua’s Democratic Change Party followed with 9.8%, narrowly ahead of Kalonzo’s Wiper Party at 9.1%.

The Orange Democratic Movement (ODM) registered 7.5%, while Jubilee Party attracted 5.3%.

Other parties included PPK at 3.6%, DAP-K at 1.8% and FORD Kenya at 1.1%. Meanwhile, 12% of respondents had not settled on a political party.

Swiss Poll cautioned that party popularity and presidential preference were separate measures, noting that party choice “should not be treated as identical to presidential preference.”

Survey Methodology and Respondent Profile

The survey was conducted between November 5 and 10 through telephone interviews involving 4,113 respondents drawn from Kenya’s eight former provinces.

Men accounted for 53.1% of those interviewed, while women made up 46.9%.

Respondents aged between 26 and 35 years formed the largest age group, representing 30% of the sample.