Fresh challenges are emerging within the United Opposition camp as parallel campaigns by key principals raise concerns over internal coordination, cohesion and overall strategy ahead of the 2027 General Election.
Initially presented as a broad and disciplined alliance designed to mount a united challenge against President William Ruto , the group is increasingly showing signs of competing centres of power, with rival blocs operating almost independently on the ground.
The wave of parallel political activities has seen one faction led by former Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua and Wiper leader Kalonzo Musyoka teaming up with Democratic Action Party-Kenya (DAP-K) chief Eugene Wamalwa and Democratic Party (DP) counterpart Justin Muturi in a series of joint engagements across the country.
On the other hand, Jubilee presidential candidate Fred Matiang’i, People’s Liberation Party (PLP) chief Martha Karua, and Party of National Unity (PNU) boss Peter Munya have opted to pursue separate party-led programmes across different regions, fueling speculation over possible cracks within the coalition ahead of the 2027 elections.
Mr Gachagua’s camp has been touring Lower Eastern before shifting to the Coast for a three-day rally schedule, while Ms Karua was in Kirinyaga on Friday and Nyeri on Saturday.
Dr Matiang’i, meanwhile, has alternated between Jubilee meetings in Nakuru and grassroots mobilisation in Kisii on Friday and Saturday, where he sought to consolidate support amid President Ruto’s recent intensified political activities in the region.
However, insiders now paint a more troubling picture of what is happening behind closed doors, pointing to coordination gaps, mistrust and an absence of structured communication between the different factions.
From left: DCP leader Rigathi Gachagua, Wiper party leader Kalonzo Musyoka and PLP leader Martha Karua, alongside other United Opposition leaders head to Vigilance House in Nairobi on January 30, 2026.
Photo credit: Bonface Bogita | Nation Media Group
A senior member of the alliance confided that decisions taken by one bloc are often communicated late to the other, leaving principals with little room to adjust already planned engagements. “Gachagua and Kalonzo don’t disclose to the Matiang’i camp until the last minute. By that time, Matiang’i had already planned his meetings. Does he cancel all those plans? Their strategy against his team is ambush,” the source said.
The insider went further, describing what was termed an increasingly hierarchical style of coordination within the Gachagua-Kalonzo axis.
“Wamunyoro is behaving like a headmaster,” the source added, suggesting that decision-making has become centralised around a few key individuals.
While these claims could not be independently verified, they reflect growing unease within sections of the coalition about the absence of a fully functional coordination structure. Beyond scheduling mismatch, deeper political suspicions are also emerging over the perceived exclusion of some principals from key planning processes.
Ms Karua, who did not attend the Gachagua-Kalonzo rallies at the Coast, however, downplayed any differences.
While rallying support for the United Opposition in Nyeri town on Saturday, Ms Karua said the coalition was focused on ensuring all leaders are known to the public and tested in what she described as a “political contest of equals.”
“We are here to make sure everyone gets the opportunity to be known, as far as I am concerned, and we are not afraid of political competition,” she said, framing the coalition’s outreach as part of building national visibility ahead of 2027.
She said the opposition’s ultimate aim is to present a united front after what she termed as “friendly internal competition” among principals, saying, “We will continue moving together as a United Opposition even as we test our strength internally, and in the end we expect a single candidate to emerge through a fair process.”
But interviews with multiple insiders in the United Opposition allege that certain leaders are being systematically sidelined from major strategy discussions, particularly those involving field mobilisation and messaging, depicting cracks in the outfit. “There are attempts to leave out Matiang’i. They wanted a way to frustrate him to go it alone. There are cracks. We don’t even have a national secretariat,” the source said.
Questions have also been raised over communication within the coalition’s information structure, with some members claiming that spokesperson Mukhisa Kituyi is not fully briefed on internal decisions.
The allegations, if accurate, point to a coalition still struggling to transition from loose political cooperation to a structured electoral machine.
Jubilee Party Presidential candidate Fred Matiang'i (left) and Wiper Patriotic Front leader Kalonzo Musyoka during a church service at PCEA Utawala in Nairobi on February 22, 2026.
Photo credit: Dennis Onsongo | Nation Media Group
When reached, Dr Kituyi told Sunday Nation : “It is not for me to offer assurances about the future. Different principals had already scheduled separate events for the weekend, although one side chose to brand its programme as a United Opposition activity.”
As things stand, the United Opposition spokesperson added, “both joint and individual engagements remain part of the coalition’s current political calendar.”
Indeed, not all players within the coalition agree that the situation amounts to a breakdown in unity.
A member of the coalition’s technical committee dismissed claims of fragmentation, arguing that parallel campaigns should not automatically be interpreted as political division.
“It is true we have witnessed parallel rallies, but we can only be worried if Gachagua, Kalonzo and the Linda Mwananchi de facto leader Edwin Sifuna were reading from different scripts; not Matiang’i, Karua and Munya, who is not even a principal in the first place,” the official said.
The official added that what is currently unfolding may still fall within acceptable coalition practice, especially in a politically diverse alliance.
He, however, acknowledged that delays in formalising structures are creating uncertainty.
A planned coalition retreat meant to agree on the method of selecting a presidential flag bearer has reportedly been postponed indefinitely for more than two months.
Political analysts now warn that the coalition risks being defined more by internal rivalry than external competition if urgent corrective steps are not taken.
Dismas Mokua, a political analyst, said the United Opposition risks becoming a victim of its own internal contradictions.
He argued that leadership style within the coalition, particularly around Mr Gachagua, is already creating tension.
“Mr Rigathi Gachagua’s political leadership is a recipe for the united opposition to disintegrate. He serves his colleague principals with generous portions of contempt and ridicule,” Mr Mokua told Sunday Nation.
He went on: “One does not need to be an Ivy League-trained NASA scientist to come to the conclusion with military precision that Mr Gachagua is the only threat to opposition unity. It is the case that United Opposition leaders haven’t agreed on the methodology of selecting the candidate because Mr Gachagua insists on having the last word given his seniority, political capacity and mobilisation capacity.”
From left: Democracy for the Citizens Party Leader Rigathi Gachagua, Wiper party leader Kalonzo Musyoka and People's Liberation Party Leader Martha Karua during a presser outside Vigilance House in Nairobi on January 30, 2026.
Photo credit: Bonface Bogita | Nation Media Group
Mr Mokua further warned that unresolved disagreements over flag-bearer selection could weaken the opposition’s electoral prospects.
“Parallel campaign activities cannot be a strategy at this stage. They are useful in last-mile communication, not in building unity,” he added.
Within the coalition, however, another school of thought insists that what appears as fragmentation is actually a deliberate tactical arrangement.
Cleophas Malala, Deputy Party Leader of the Democracy for the Citizens Party, defended his boss, Mr Gachagua, saying the coalition has intentionally adopted a decentralised campaign structure, with no divisions at all.
“Due to the expansive nature of our country and the limited time we have ahead of the elections, it is prudent for us to break our team into small factions of formidable leaders to cover political ground,” Mr Malala said.
DAP-K leader Eugene Wamalwa echoed this view, saying parallel mobilisation is a logistical necessity.
“The country is vast. We don’t have much time. We have 1,450 wards to cover,” he said.
Mr Wamalwa added that the coalition’s strategy involves simultaneous mobilisation across regions to counter the ruling party’s national reach.
“In fact, as we have our first eleven in Mombasa, the Wantam’s second eleven led by Edwin Sifuna is today (Saturday) in Vihiga and will be in Kisumu tomorrow (today), this is our strategy,” he said in reference to the Linda Mwananchi camp without mentioning the Matiang’i-Karua team.
“It is important not to read fragmentation too quickly into what may well be strategy and scheduling,” Multimedia University of Kenya don, Prof Gitile Naituli said.
However, he acknowledged that optics are politically significant.
“When key figures appear absent from joint events, it raises questions among supporters,” he noted.
Mr Gachagua has meanwhile intensified his rhetoric against the government, portraying the opposition as a unified force under pressure from state machinery.
He has also made remarks widely interpreted as endorsing Mr Musyoka, further complicating internal balancing within the coalition and upsetting the Matiang’i camp.
At the heart of the dispute remains the unresolved question of how the coalition will pick its presidential flagbearer.
While the Gachagua-Kalonzo camp is pushing for boardroom negotiations through consensus among principals, the Matiang’i team is demanding a scientific method based on opinion polls and national reach.
The Naivasha retreat that was meant to resolve the matter more than two months ago has not taken place, leaving the coalition without a formal decision-making framework.
With competing camps, delayed structures, and rising mistrust, the united opposition now faces its most critical test yet.
Advocate Chris Omore, however, argues that, “Kenya’s opposition history is filled with alliances that collapsed not due to lack of numbers—but inability to agree on leadership.”
“Unless the coalition resolves its internal contradictions, the race to unseat President Ruto may be decided long before the first ballot is cast.”
Ms Karua, however, firmly rejected the push for zoning by some coalition principals.
“I do not agree with zoning. Let voters decide freely in a fair and open election. Political seats must not be reserved in advance,” she said, warning against what she described as attempts to predetermine outcomes outside the ballot.
Mr Gachagua’s DCP has laid claim to Mt Kenya region, upsetting Ms Karua’s PLP and former President Uhuru Kenyatta’s Jubilee, which is fronting Dr Matiang’i for the top seat.
