Former President Uhuru Kenyatta Calls for Opposition Unity Behind Single Candidate

Former President Uhuru Kenyatta urged opposition leaders to set aside individual presidential ambitions and rally behind a single candidate, saying voters have already decided to vote President William Ruto out in the August 2027 general election.

He made the remarks during the funeral service for his cousin Beatrice Wambui Muturi at PCEA Nairobi West Church in Lang’ata, Nairobi; NTV Kenya and Nation Africa reported the speech took place on Wednesday, while Tuko Kenya said it was on Tuesday.

Kenyatta named Wiper leader Kalonzo Musyoka, former Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua and Democratic Action Party of Kenya (DAP-K) leader Eugene Wamalwa, telling them “only one person can have the seat at one time” and said the opposition’s biggest obstacle was not a lack of public appetite for change but the failure of its leaders to agree on a common political direction.

He said his conversations with ordinary Kenyans, including informal exchanges while buying uji or porridge, convinced him that the public is ready for a change of government but that unity among opposition figures is the only problem.

Kenyatta also said he would visit Wamunyoro, Gachagua’s political base in Nyeri County, when the right time comes, adding that he seeks peace and unity despite being retired from active politics.

The emerging opposition coalition includes Gachagua’s Democracy for the Citizens Party (DCP), Musyoka’s Wiper Patriotic Front, Wamalwa’s DAP-K, the Linda Mwananchi Movement led by Edwin Sifuna, the Jubilee Party of former Interior Cabinet Secretary Fred Matiang’i and other formations led by Martha Karua, Justin Muturi and former Chief Justice David Maraga.

Musyoka, who also spoke at the funeral, backed Kenyatta’s right to voice his views and said Kenyans have decided to “shoot Ruto on the ballot” and limit him to one term.

Gachagua, speaking at the same event, said the Mt Kenya community would no longer allow political divisions to undermine its collective interests and acknowledged a “big mistake” he made in the 2022 election cycle, saying he has learned from it.

President William Ruto later responded, accusing Kenyatta of abandoning his national responsibilities and becoming a “broker”, urging him to hurry with his brokerage work and find the person looking for him.