Former Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua has publicly endorsed Wiper leader Kalonzo Musyoka as the Mt Kenya region’s preferred candidate to challenge President William Ruto in 2027, pledging to deliver millions of votes from his stronghold.
Gachagua, impeached in October 2024 and now heading the small Democracy for Citizens Party, told supporters in Murang’a County this week that Musyoka possesses eight qualities that make him the strongest contender in the loose United Opposition alliance.
“Mt Kenya will give seven to eight million votes. Ukambani will add three to four million,” Gachagua said. “I will personally rally seven million votes from the mountain for Kalonzo Musyoka in 2027. Politics is a game of numbers, and we have the numbers.”
The two politicians, both former vice presidents to different presidents, have forged a close relationship built on shared political setbacks. Gachagua described Musyoka as “a gentleman who never reneges on agreements” and someone who “will not betray Kenya.”
Musyoka, campaigning alongside Gachagua in Murang’a, welcomed the backing.
“Rigathi is always truthful,” he told the crowd. “I like how he breaks down complex issues into simple terms.”
A calculated push to unify votes
Speaking Sunday at a thanksgiving service at Dominion City Church in Kasarani, Nairobi, Gachagua said defeating Ruto would require more than slogans.
“This journey needs Kalonzo’s expertise,” he said. “We need a solid candidate, real mobilization and the ability to turn that mobilization into votes.”
Analysts say Gachagua is effectively trying to zone the opposition presidential ticket by combining Mt Kenya’s voting bloc with Musyoka’s lock on the Ukambani region, where the Wiper leader has dominated politics since 2002.
Opposition leaders downplay rift
The endorsement has raised eyebrows within the broader opposition coalition, which includes several presidential hopefuls: former Interior Cabinet Secretary Fred Matiang’i of Jubilee, DAP-K leader Eugene Wamalwa, Narc-Kenya’s Martha Karua and Trans Nzoia Gov. George Natembeya.
Wamalwa told reporters the public jockeying is normal.
“These discussions are healthy. They show we are bonding,” he said. “What matters is the final consensus ticket.”
Matiang’i, appearing on Kameme TV, echoed the sentiment.
“We are building consensus. It’s not easy, but Kenyans want us united,” he said.
Natembeya described the process as standard coalition politics.
“Individual preferences will always come out,” he said. “But our flag-bearer will be chosen through public participation — an organic candidate, not one imposed by godfathers.”
Wider challenges ahead
Political analyst Gasper Odhiambo said the opposition still faces major hurdles, including funding, joint nominations at lower levels, low Gen Z voter registration and new splinter groups such as the emerging Kenya Moja front.
Gachagua has sharpened his rhetoric in recent weeks, dismissing Jubilee as “a red wheelbarrow” and warning against leaders trying to enter Mt Kenya politics “through the back door.” He has also referred to retired President Uhuru Kenyatta as “the past” while declaring himself “the present and future of the mountain.”
With more than a year until the election, the opposition landscape remains fluid, but Gachagua’s aggressive backing has suddenly elevated Musyoka into the strongest position within one key faction of the anti-Ruto alliance.
