Kalonzo turns to Raila’s name to charm Nyanza, but convoy attacked in Migori
Nyali Member of Parliament (MP) Mohamed Ali and Wiper Democratic Movement leader Kalonzo Musyoka. Migori rally was disrupted by stone-throwing youths and teargas.
Wiper Democratic Movement leader Kalonzo Musyoka has taken his presidential campaign to Homa Bay and Migori counties, declaring himself the best-placed opposition candidate to defeat President William Ruto in the 2027 General Election.
In a spirited push to popularise his Ukombozi (Liberation) movement, Mr Musyoka used Thursday’s tour to test his political fortunes in Nyanza, a region that has traditionally voted overwhelmingly for the Orange Democratic Movement (ODM).
His visit came against the backdrop of shifting political loyalties, with several sitting leaders from the region gravitating towards the Kenya Kwanza administration and openly mobilising support for President Ruto.
Accompanied by former Cabinet Secretary Justin Muturi, Nyali Member of Parliament (MP) Mohamed Ali, Raphael Tuju and other politicians, Mr Musyoka repeatedly invoked the legacy of the late former Prime Minister Raila Odinga, seeking to establish an emotional connection with an electorate long associated with the ODM leader.
"I know the vision of Raila. Seeing me is like seeing him," Mr Musyoka told cheering crowds, casting himself as Baba Mdogo (younger father) in reference to Mr Odinga’s celebrated political moniker, Baba.
He pledged to carry forward the political aspirations of the region, insisting that the dream championed by the former Prime Minister remained alive.
"It is one year since Raila died. I assure Nyanza that the Canaan journey is still on. We will ensure it continues," he said.
The opposition team’s convoy travelled without incident from Kisumu International Airport to Migori, a striking contrast to previous political visits that have been marred by hostility and disruption.
However, Mr Musyoka's team was attacked by a group of youths in Migori. According to him, the violence was scripted, with a group of youths told to throw stones at him before police responded by hurling teargas.
The Wiper leader, however, said he will not be deterred from his campaigns.
"Stones and teargas could not stop us from addressing the great people of Migori. That is the predator regime's answer to peaceful assembly: violence and intimidation. We will not let it rot our democracy or take away a right the Constitution guarantees every Kenyan," he wrote on his Facebook account.
Mr Musyoka said no amount of intimidation will keep his team from the people, saying the Ukombozi movement cannot be stopped.
"We will continue with our rallies in Homa Bay tomorrow (Friday), as planned)," he said.
Mr Musyoka acknowledged that critics had cautioned him against taking his campaign to the grassroots in the region, recalling the August 16 incident in which a Linda Mwananchi convoy encountered blockades and stone-throwing in Homa Bay.
The Wiper team held its first major rally in Ndhiwa, Homa Bay County, before proceeding to Sori in neighbouring Migori County.
At both stops, the speakers launched scathing attacks on the Kenya Kwanza administration, citing the rising cost of living, corruption and unresolved security challenges as evidence of what they described as the government's failure to meet public expectations.
"We are living on overdrafts. Kenya is reeling from problems that the government is unable to address. Teachers are crying while university lecturers are on perennial strikes," Mr Musyoka said.
He also accused President Ruto of failing to honour economic promises made to the Lake Region, including the proposed construction of a local fish processing factory.
The Wiper leader further dismissed claims of a close political friendship between President Ruto and Odinga, arguing that the President's past remarks about the former Prime Minister told a different story.
"He [Ruto] used to call him names like mganga (witch doctor) and threatened to wheelbarrow him home. That is not friendship," Mr Musyoka said.
Reflecting on his 15-year political alliance with Mr Odinga, Mr Musyoka alleged that their electoral victories had repeatedly been stolen, singling out the 2022 General Election.
"When he changed tactics and tagged along with Martha Karua, they stole his vote to the extreme extent," he claimed.
Mr Musyoka credited his longstanding partnership with Mr Odinga with helping secure the establishment of devolved governments and the decentralisation of public funds, achievements he suggested remained central to their shared political legacy.
Addressing the shifting political alignments in Nyanza, former Cabinet Secretary Raphael Tuju offered a sympathetic interpretation of the leaders who have thrown their weight behind the Kenya Kwanza administration.
He argued that their decisions were driven less by ideological conviction than by economic hardship and the struggle to sustain their livelihoods.
"We cannot prevent them from doing what they are doing because it is done out of anger. People are just looking for ways to put food on the table," he said.
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