Dr Fred Matiang’i and Rigathi Gachagua during the United Opposition's tour of Kisumu.
The United Opposition, touted as a formidable coalition to unseat President William Ruto in 2027, is already wobbling under the weight of mistrust, personality clashes, and conflicting strategies that threaten their unity.
At the heart of the split is contrasting opinions on the place of former President Uhuru Kenyatta’s Jubilee Party. Former Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua and former Interior Cabinet Secretary Fred Matiang’i are reading from different scripts.
Mr Gachagua on Friday threw jabs at Dr Matiang’i, downplaying “boardroom negotiations” as a shortcut to nowhere. However, at a separate event, Dr Matiang’i insisted that his loyalty to Jubilee is both a democratic right and a necessary step for inclusivity.
“There is no president you can make in a boardroom,” Mr Gachagua declared defiantly. “Getting elected as president is about political mobilisation… Option number one, ground. Option number two, ground. Option number three, ground. Option number four, ground. Option number five, ground. There is no other formula. You cannot post a picture on social media and caption it that you are the sixth and expect to be the President,” he said at the Democracy for Citizens’ Party (DCP) headquarters in Nairobi.
Opposition leaders led by Kalonzo Musyoka and Rigathi Gachagua address a rally in Bisil, Kajiado County, on October 03, 2025, during a meet-the-people tour to solidify their base.
His remarks were directed at the former Interior CS, who has already aligned himself with the Jubilee Party. It was also a direct dismissal of his colleagues within the United Opposition who believe unity can be forged at conference tables in hotels.
“Every Kenyan knows that it is only DCP that is truly one-term. That is why Ruto is always disrupting our meetings because he knows we will send him home come 2027,” he added.
However, Dr Matiang’i – who skipped a United Opposition rally in Kajiado on Friday to meet youth leaders in Nakuru – pushed back at accusations that he had become Uhuru’s “lapdog”.
“As the United Opposition, we chose to uphold democracy, which means you have a right to join a party of your choice and no one should dictate which party to join or which friend to associate with,” he said, in remarks widely interpreted as a defence of his Jubilee pivot.
Dr Matiang’i’s remarks in Nakuru were widely read as a veiled shot at Mr Gachagua, who has insisted that DCP should be the sole opposition vehicle in the Mount Kenya region. He also seemed to imply that he will stick with his choice of Jubilee.
“You cannot choose a party for someone. You cannot dictate who I should associate with,” he said.
The utterance was as much a defence of Mr Kenyatta’s embattled Jubilee Party as it was a coded rejection of Gachagua’s Mount Kenya-first politics.
Ethnic balkanisation
Mr Gachagua has also openly told Matiang’i to “go get a party solidifying his base in Kisii region,” a jab that underscored the turf wars already splitting the coalition along ethnic and regional lines.
By invoking the principle of free association, Dr Matiang’i was effectively rejecting Mr Gachagua’s attempt to ring-fence the mountain under DCP. The tension within the opposition deepened after Jubilee Secretary-General Jeremiah Kioni on Wednesday accused Mr Gachagua of cutting deals with President Ruto in Narok.
According to Mr Kioni, the former deputy president boasted of cobbling together “seven million votes from the mountain, one million from Kalonzo, and 800,000 from Matiang’i”, a projection that painted him as kingmaker within the opposition and fuelled suspicion that he was double-dealing with the government.
Mr Gachagua has denied betrayal, casting himself instead as the only leader willing to fight Dr Ruto head-on.
Prospective Jubilee Party flag bearer, Dr Fred Matiang’i, takes part in a jig with youth at Mat Farm in Lanet, Nakuru City on October 3, 2025, where he met the party supporters.
“We are his greatest obstacle,” he told DCP supporters at the party headquarters on Friday.
While Mr Gachagua frames himself as a victim of state intimidation, his rivals in the opposition view him as a spoiler too eager to play lone ranger. For Dr Matiang’i, the challenge is no less daunting: his association with Mr Kenyatta risks alienating those in the coalition who argue that Jubilee’s brand is too tainted to be the face of the future.
“This is a journey that we are walking and some of these challenges will test our political maturity, leadership skills, sense of inclusion and patience,” Dr Matiang’i said in Nakuru. “People like myself who are interested in the country’s top leadership are willing to be patient as long as time allows.”
Dr Matiang’i also noted that the Jubilee Party has been in the process of revamping itself and recruiting new members ahead of the elections. He called on the youth to come out in large numbers to register to vote in the 2027 General Election, which he said is the only way Gen Zs can realise their dream of changing the leadership. He promised to work closely with the youth and also called upon them to seek leadership positions through the party.
“Jubilee Party should be a youth-driven party which means that they should be part of its leadership,” said Dr Matiang’i.
But political analysts argue that this kind of disarray is precisely what President Ruto needs to cement his political base. Every public quarrel among opposition figures reinforces his image as the only leader with organisational discipline.
The stakes are also high. With Jubilee revamping under Mr Kenyatta, DCP claiming to be the only true vehicle of change, and Wiper, People’s Liberation Party, and DAP-Kenya leaders hedging their bets, the opposition risks spending the next two years in endless negotiations over who carries the flag.
At the Kajiado County rally, the United Opposition members vowed to arrest President Ruto for extrajudicial killings and massive corruption in his administration in case they win the 2027 polls.
The team was led by Mr Gachagua, Mr Musyoka, Democratic Action Party-Kenya leader Eugene Wamalwa, Democratic Party leader Justin Muturi, among others. They were in Kajiado Central, drumming up support for DCP candidates in the November 27 by-elections in Purko ward. DCP candidate Simon Sanare will battle out for the MCA position with United Democratic Alliance (UDA) and Orange Democratic Movement (ODM) candidates.
Former President and Jubilee Party leader Uhuru Kenyatta (left) with former Interior Cabinet Secretary Dr Fred Matiang’i during Jubilee Party Special National Delegates Conference at Ngong Racecourse in Nairobi on September 26, 2025.
Said Mr Muturi: “After we (opposition) win the 2027 polls, we will arrest Ruto for atrocities he has committed against Kenyans, from extrajudicial killings mounting to State capture and massive corruption.”
Mr Gachagua urged the Maa community to rally behind the United Opposition, promising to address the years-old land injustices against the community.
“President Ruto doesn’t mean well for this country. The opposition will remain intact to dislodge him during the 2027 General Election,” said Mr Gachagua.
Kajiado Senator Samuel Seki, a UDA rebel, castigated the Kenya Kwanza administration for "continuously hoodwinking the Maa community with non-existent projects".
“Our people are victims of fake projects. We were promised markets that were never built. Recently, we were promised 100 percent Amboseli National Park handover, but we are now being forced to take 20 percent control,” said Senator Seki.
On his part, Kajiado North MP Onesmus Ngogoyo criticised President Ruto’s government for serving politicians’ interests at the expense of Kenyans.
Additional reporting by Stanley Ngotho
