Wiper leader Kalonzo Musyoka was the man of the moment as the united opposition propped him for the 2027 State House bid when it stormed Machakos County on Friday.
As the opposition addressed charged rallies at Masinga, Matuu, Mbiuni, Kangundo, Mwala, Masii and Machakos Town, Mr Musyoka exuded confidence that he was set to fly the united opposition ticket to the 2027 presidential race and, ultimately, send President William Ruto home.
“It is coming home,” Mr Musyoka said as the opposition luminaries took turns to rally the Ukambani voting bloc behind him ahead of the 2027 General Election.
As the opposition accused President Ruto of mismanaging the country and underscored the need to deny him a second term, Democracy for the Citizens Party (DCP) leader Rigathi Gachagua positioned Mr Musyoka as a viable option. He said the Ukambani political kingpin has what it takes to send President Ruto home.
Similarly, Democracy Action Party-Kenya leader Eugene Wamalwa, Naivasha MP Jayne Kihara and former Embu senator Lenny Livuti endorsed Mr Musyoka’s presidential bid.
“The entire Embu County is behind Mr Musyoka’s presidential bid,” Mr Kivuti said as Mr Gachagua called on the Ukambani region to vote only Wiper candidates in the 2027 General Election, in the clearest indication yet that Mr Musyoka may be the united opposition 2027 presidential candidate. “You need to vote Wiper six-piece,” Mr Gachagua said at Masinga Township.
Jubilee presidential candidate Fred Matiang’i said the united opposition was united around denying President Ruto a second term.
The former Security Cabinet Secretary accused the Head of State of mismanaging the country’s education, healthcare and security sectors.
“If goons can attack a leader like Vihiga Senator Godfrey Osotsi in broad day light what is the fate of the ordinary citizen? We shall issue a statement on that issue next week. They are taking our country to the direction of Haiti. We shall not allow that to happen,” he said as former Attorney General Justin Muturi rallied Kenyans to register as voters. “We have agreed that President Ruto will serve only one term. That cannot happen when we do not register as voters,” Mr Muturi said.
As the united opposition brigade snaked through Masinga, Matuu, Mwala, Kangundo and Machakos Town constituencies, the mission became clear; taking the fight to the doorsteps of MPs allied to President Ruto.
“We have a big problem of Ukambani leaders who troop to State House to undermine Kalonzo’s leadership. We know them. They are traitors. We need to teach them a lesson when the time comes. We shall not allow anyone to become a stumbling block as this community heads to bringing the presidency home,” Mr Musyoka said.
Tension gripped the rally at Matuu Township as a team of masked goons armed with batons clobbered a section of the crowd which was associated with Yatta MP Robert Basil, a former ally of Mr Musyoka who has allegedly joined President Ruto’s camp.
Machakos Lands Executive Nathaniel Nganga and former Yatta MP Charles Kilonzo set off the series of events. They characterised the first-term Wiper MP as a traitor who did not deserve a second term.
“Machakos County has eight MPs. Only three of them are loyal to Mr Musyoka. The rest, including Mr Basil, are traitors. They are running errands for President Ruto,” Mr Kilonzo said.
At Mbiuni Township, Mr Musyoka moved to address the raging sibling rivalry between Thomas Kasoa and Kilei Mutinda, who are eyeing the Wiper ticket to challenge Mwala MP Vincent Musyoka.
“As I head to become the president, I do not want to have a UDA MP in Mwala. This time round I am determined to have a Wiper MP. We shall conduct free and fair nominations. In some cases, we shall go for consensus to pick the most suitable candidate,” he said.
Mr Gachagua said the Wiper leader needed an army of loyalists to make it hard for him to be impeached should the united opposition occupy State House after the 2027 General Election as he accused President Ruto’s allies in the Ukambani region of undermining Mr Musyoka.
“Where I come from, we do not spare eggs when killing a snake. As you kick out President Ruto in the ballot, you also need to send his allies home. Kalonzo needs a loyal army for him to succeed. He needs a Wiper governor, senator, woman representative, MP and MCA. We are heading to a point where a leader must have loyal leaders around him so that he does not run into trouble. I ran into trouble because my friends were traitors,” Mr Gachagua said.
