KALONZO: 2027 IS MY LAST CHANCE AT PRESIDENCY

Wiper Party leader Kalonzo Musyoka has declared that the 2027 Presidential Election is the race he must run, hinting it could also be his last shot at Kenya’s top seat , framing the race as a “now or never” moment in his decades-long political career. Further dismissing chances of deputising another Presidential candidate.

Speaking during an interview on Citizen TV on Wednesday, September 24, Kalonzo revealed that his party, recently rebranded as the Wiper Patriotic Front, will endorse his candidature during a Delegates Congress on October 10 before he embarks on coalition negotiations with other opposition leaders.

“It is now or never. If I don’t go for it now, I’ll never go for it. But if I go for it now and my colleagues give me the flagship, believe you me, I will not disappoint,” Kalonzo saiid.

Kalonzo stressed that the opposition will settle on a joint presidential candidate through a transparent vetting process, weighing contenders’ integrity, service records, and national appeal.

“Let everybody come out. But at the end of the day, I can tell you, it will be a negotiated position. We’ll all negotiate. Look at each other in the face. And I think the parameters will be established. For example, record of service, record if you have any scams or whatever, they will be brought out. If you have no scams, and people also stand up there and say yes,” he explained.

He went on downplaying individual ambitions, including those of former DP Rigathi Gachagua - who has been so vocal in declaring his capacity to topple Ruto - saying the coalition will eventually reach consensus.

The former vice president further dismissed the idea that unseating a sitting president is impossible, citing Malawi’s recent election, where incumbent Lazarus Chakwera lost to his predecessor Peter Mutharika.

“Kenyans should not get into that unfortunate belief that it is difficult to remove a sitting president. I’ve just demonstrated by a few examples how easy. And if it was easy for Chakwera to lose to Mutharika, can you imagine Ruto with all the atrocities this administration has committed? Kenyans cannot even wait for August 11, 2027. They wish it was next year,” Kalonzo said.

Kalonzo positioned himself as the most prepared challenger, recalling his role in Mwai Kibaki’s coalition government, which delivered GDP growth of 7%, far higher than the current administration’s claims of 5.5%. He argued that President Ruto’s much-publicised National Transformation Agenda is a “cover for failed governance.”

Despite speculation of internal cracks, Kalonzo and Gachagua have both insisted that the United Opposition remains intact. They acknowledged that several leaders, including Martha Karua and Fred Matiang’i, also harbor presidential ambitions, but stressed that personal interests would not derail the broader goal of unseating Ruto.

Gachagua, however, cautioned against premature declarations, warning they could hand the ruling camp an advantage.

As this happens, Jubilee - which is also part of the United Opposition - has thrown its weight behind former interior CS Fred Matiang'i - seemingly unwilling to support no other opposition flag bearer aside from Matiang'i.