Boniface Mwangi: Opposition’s unity is the only way to stop Ruto’s re-election bid
By Aloys Michael, January 26, 2026Human rights activist and Ukweli Party leader Boniface Mwangi has expressed openness to forming alliances with other opposition leaders ahead of the 2027 elections, urging a united front to prevent President William Ruto from securing a second term.
Speaking in an interview on a local TV station on Sunday, January 25, 2026, Mwangi said he would first seek the nomination of his party, which he founded at age 34, but insisted that the upcoming race is bigger than any single individual or party.
“I have the Ukweli Party, which I founded when I was 34 years old. It is still active, and I am going to go to Ukweli and seek nomination of the party to be their presidential candidate,” he said.
Mwangi, who announced his presidential aspirations in August 2025, argued that Kenya needs a collective approach in coalition forming, adding that the success of the National Rainbow Coalition (NARC) coalition in 2002, which united opposition parties to elect Mwai Kibaki and end the Kenya African National Union (KANU) decades-long rule, should be a model.
“I firmly believe that we need to work as a collective. The way Ruto is trying to consolidate power, we need to work all of us together,” Mwangi stated.
“We need a NARC moment. The one that happened in 2002, but we need the flag bearer, whether it is me or someone else, to have a clean record and not be a thief. That needs to be very clear. If you meet that, then you become the flag bearer,” he stated.
This comes even as Ruto is marshalling his camp to regain his 2022 election turf, like Mt. Kenya, which has been slippery since the ouster of former Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua.
The opposition has already accused Ruto of using violence to divide and stop them from expressing their views, as they still adopt a low-key strategy in naming the contestant for the upcoming general polls, fearing intrusion by Ruto’s camp.
Second term test
Amid concerns over a rift in the opposition even as the bigwigs continue to deliberate on who they will front for the country’s top seat in the 2027 contest, Mwangi suggested a strategy where multiple opposition figures collaborate, even if only one ultimately appears on the ballot.
“I am not running because I believe that I alone can fix this country. We can learn from Raila’s run in 2007, where there was a pentagon. I think for this election we need collective running, maybe one of us will be on the ballot, but collectively we are going to do that,” he said.
Mwangi warned that without a united opposition, President Ruto could easily secure a second term, emphasising the dangers of a divided vote.
“Kenyans must decide to give them an ultimatum. You either work all together, or we all perish. If we divide our votes, the man will be able to get back into power. But if we come together and say we are going to have one candidate, and this is the vision for this country. That is how we move forward,” he said.