The aggressive rebranding and restructuring of the Azimio la Umoja coalition has turned into a double-edged sword that could either put Wiper leader Kalonzo Musyoka in pole position to become the opposition’s presidential candidate or expose him to possible isolation.
Mr Musyoka has been at the centre of rebranding the 2022 election vehicle as The Ukombozi Alliance (TUA), having succeeded the late former Prime Minister Raila Odinga as the coalition’s party leader.
Wiper Patriotic Front leader Kalonzo Musyoka interacts with residents of Juda in Kisauni Constituency on October 10, 2026.
Photo credit: Pool
But emerging resistance to the Ukombozi identity from key opposition players suggests that presenting the re-branded outfit as the vehicle for the 2027 General Election could deepen divisions within a camp already facing a clash of egos and competing interests. Various parties within the opposition are also fighting to protect their political identities.
DCP, of former Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua, and the Linda Mwananchi Movement, associated with Nairobi Senator Edwin Sifuna, have expressed opposition to joining the coalition. Mr Gachagua’s allies, for instance, have said they would rather join a completely new coalition.
Asked whether he would join Ukombozi, Mr Sifuna said the current focus of his outfit was to build its political support base before engaging in talks about alliances.
Nairobi Senator Edwin Sifuna during the unveiling of The Equitable Party at The Stanley Hotel in Nairobi on October 4, 2026.
Photo credit: Evans Habil | Nation Media Group
“My party right now is undertaking serious rebranding. We have structures to put in place; we have electoral commission and Registrar of Parties deadlines to think about. Conversations about alliances will come later,” Mr Sifuna said on Friday.
Speaking in Mombasa, Mr Musyoka escalated the dispute, asking his MPs who had associated with Mr Sifuna to toe the party line.
“Today we are in Mombasa and you can see Joshua Kimilu of Kaiti Constituency and Wundanyi MP Danson Mwashako who have been moving around with Mr Sifuna, have been recalled. We expect them now to concentrate on Wiper Party activities and leave Mr Sifuna to also popularise his party as we meet at coalition level,” Mr Musyoka said on Friday.
The move signals an emerging contest within the opposition over party identity, grassroots mobilisation and control of political networks ahead of the 2027 General Election, even as leaders seek to present a united front against President William Ruto.
Jubilee co-deputy party leader Jeremiah Kioni said the former ruling party would be hesitant to join the coalition. He argued that winning the 2027 contest required new ideas.
“I don’t see what Jubilee would be doing in Azimio. I would be very hesitant to go near Azimio,” Mr Kioni said.
He said some of them had become casualties for supporting the coalition’s presidential candidate, whom he described as unpopular in the Mt Kenya region.
“Those of us who came from regions where the presidential candidate had no control became casualties. Those casualties are still haunted by the Azimio arrangement. No politician will again sacrifice their ambitions because of a presidential ticket,” said the former Ndaragwa MP.
For others, Ukombozi is seen as Mr Musyoka’s brainchild. There is also a feeling that the former VP already has an upper hand within the outfit. Some of those who have publicly endorsed him as their preferred candidate for the opposition ticket are senior members of the coalition.
Democratic Party leader Justin Muturi and his Democratic Action Party-Kenya counterpart Eugene Wamalwa have embraced TUA as the most viable outfit to challenge President Ruto. Mr Muturi is among the senior opposition politicians who have declared support for Mr Musyoka, while Mr Wamalwa is also perceived to favour him for the ticket. The three have been campaigning together. Retired President Uhuru Kenyatta, who resigned as the council’s chairperson last week, had recently led the coalition in making major leadership changes. These included admitting Jubilee Party leader Fred Matiang’i, Party of National Unity (PNU) leader Peter Munya and Devolution Empowerment Party (DEP) leader Lenny Kivuti as new council members. The council is the coalition’s top decision-making organ.
At the heart of the resistance to joining the coalition is a clause in its deed of agreement that names the party leader as the automatic presidential candidate. Mr Odinga was the coalition’s party leader and its 2022 presidential candidate. Mr Musyoka’s allies say the clause has since been amended to allow any member to contest for the ticket.
For Mr Musyoka, being at the forefront of crafting an election-driven coalition that fractures over competing presidential ambitions would be a major blow to his bid. At 72, the 2027 race presents perhaps his last viable chance to pursue the presidency.
In a statement on Wednesday, Mr Musyoka insisted that there was no vacuum or change of leadership at the helm of Ukombozi Alliance.
“The party leader is the political and executive head of the party. He speaks for the party, runs its day-to-day affairs, and represents it before the Office of the Registrar of Political Parties and other institutions.
“I hold that office, and it is unaffected by President Kenyatta’s resignation. There is no vacuum at the helm of Ukombozi, and no change in the party’s leadership, direction or programme,” Mr Musyoka said.
Mr Musyoka is already popularising Ukombozi, having mounted billboards across the country. Should a majority of opposition leaders reject the coalition, he would either go his separate way or abandon the re-branded outfit and join others in creating a new election vehicle.
To avert a possible rejection by key players, there are already efforts to entice Mr Gachagua to replace Mr Kenyatta as the council’s chairperson. Mr Gachagua has become a crucial player in opposition politics, and the re-branded coalition risks collapsing or being weakened without his support.
Those promoting Ukombozi believe that offering him the position could persuade him to reconsider his position and embrace the coalition.
Mr Gachagua’s name and that of Siaya Governor James Orengo were reportedly floated during the coalition’s meeting on Wednesday, which was chaired by Mr Musyoka. Mr Orengo is a member of the Linda Mwananchi Movement.
Siaya Governor James Orengo during a Sunday service at St Stephens ACK Cathedral in Kisumu on July 12, 2026.
Photo credit: Alex Odhiambo | Nation Media Group
Having Mr Orengo take up the position is also seen as a way of persuading the Linda Mwananchi Movement to embrace the coalition. His role is also intended to attract support from Luo Nyanza. The proponents believe that Raila’s supporters can easily identify with the coalition that sponsored his 2022 presidential bid.
In his resignation letter, Mr Kenyatta sought to address some of the concerns, assuring partner parties that they would not lose their identities by embracing the re-branded coalition.
“In a coalition, political parties are like tributaries joining a great river. The tributaries do not lose their unique identity when they merge; rather, they combine their waters to form a current strong enough to shape the landscape,” he said.
Mr Muturi told the Nation that rebranding was necessary to accommodate new members. He accused critics of spreading misinformation to foment resistance, dismissing claims that the coalition’s party leader was the automatic presidential candidate.
“People have peddled misinformation. Truth as per the Azimio deed of Agreement, the party leader is not the automatic presidential candidate,” he said, disclosing that parties such as the Democratic Party were uncomfortable with the former brand, “whose influence and purpose had ceased”.
Similar views were expressed by Kitui Senator Enoch Wambua, who urged opposition politicians to embrace the re-branded coalition.
“The universal concept of political parties re-branding is not unique to Azimio. Kenyans will appreciate that our coalition has attracted membership from parties that were in the opposing coalition in the last elections,” Mr Wambua said.
He said some newly registered parties had also expressed interest in joining the coalition to forge a united opposition front. He cited the exit of ODM as another reason for the rebranding. ODM entered into a broad-based government arrangement with President Ruto’s UDA.
“These new realities, buttressed by the Gen-Z awakening, have necessitated and catalysed the re-branding of Azimio.”
He disclosed that the clause making the coalition’s party leader the automatic presidential candidate had since been amended.
“The amended deed of agreement, which is the foundational document for The Ukombozi Alliance (TUA), is explicit that the coalition party leader is not the automatic presidential candidate,” he said.
He added: “I must defray whatever discomfort on this front because it would be based on outright disinformation. If the WPF leader is crowned the coalition’s presidential flag bearer, it will not be because he is the leader of the coalition party. No. It will be because he is the ‘baba wa taifa’ that Kenya needs to stabilise our nation.”
But Gatanga MP Edward Muriu, a close ally of Mr Gachagua, said DCP had no plans to join an existing coalition. He said the party’s current focus was to consolidate its support base and that it would be willing to work with like-minded parties to form a grand coalition.
“Our focus as DCP party is to consolidate our bases so that by the end of the year we start engaging the other principles in the united opposition and come up with a grand coalition to send Ruto home,” Mr Muriu said.
“So from where we sit as DCP, we shall engage with other coalitions and form a giant coalition, not to join existing coalitions. Once the giant coalition has been formed, we shall decide on the leadership.”
Prof David Monda, a political analyst, said rebranding and restructuring Azimio was part of Mr Musyoka’s effort to energise his political base.
“I don't think it is the most viable opposition coalition. Kalonzo, Sifuna, Rigathi and Matiang’i will need to excite the electorate with a mega coalition. They either fight together to dislodge Ruto or they will die separately, with each working alone,” the US-based analyst said.
“I don't think Rigathi or Sifuna will be willing to join because this is an outfit designed for and by Kalonzo,” Prof Monda said, adding that the coalition would do little to advance Mr Musyoka’s presidential ambitions without the involvement of the major players.
Ultimately, Mr Musyoka and his allies are seeking to rebrand Azimio to make the coalition more appealing to young people, popularly known as Gen Z, as well as new partners.
Mr Kenyatta is also pulling out all the stops to secure a single opposition presidential candidate and avoid a repeat of the 1992 elections, when the opposition fielded multiple candidates, handing then President Daniel arap Moi another victory.
The rebranded outfit is pushing for a coalition model inspired by the National Rainbow Coalition (Narc), which swept Mwai Kibaki to power in 2002.
Under the arrangement, parties would retain their identities while rallying behind a common presidential candidate and a shared coalition platform.
In 2002, Mr Odinga’s Liberal Democratic Party joined Mr Kibaki’s National Alliance Kenya to form Narc, which fielded candidates in 205 of 210 constituencies and won 125 of them, while Mr Kibaki secured 62 per cent of the presidential vote.
