DCP’s Peter Mbae confirms when opposition will name presidential candidate
By Mabonga Makhanu, March 8, 2026The Democracy for Citizens (DCP) party’s economic adviser, Peter Mbae, has stated that the United Opposition will reveal their presidential candidate in the first or second quarter of 2027.
In a statement posted on his social media channels on Sunday, March 8, 2026, he was responding to a People’s Daily newspaper publication titled “When Will the United Opposition Name Their Single Presidential Candidate?” Mbae confirmed the planned unveiling of the opposition presidential candidate.
This comes at a time when each principal of the United Opposition is harbouring presidential ambitions, but they have all announced that, at the right time, they will settle on a single person to challenge President William Ruto in next year’s polls, with all of them rallying behind the chosen candidate.
The formation, which is now being rebranded as the United Alternative Government (UAG), has witnessed differences among its principals regarding the timing for naming their flagbearer.
Wiper Party leader Kalonzo Musyoka, who also serves as the convener of the United Opposition, had proposed naming their flagbearer within the first quarter of 2026.
Former Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua, an integral member of the formation, disagreed with Kalonzo’s suggestion, stating that early naming of a candidate would expose them to state intimidation.
He cited 2002, when it was only 3 months to the general election, when the late Mwai Kibaki was unveiled as the NARC’s candidate
Democratic Action Party (DAP-K) leader Eugene Wamalwa, on his side, later stated that they would name their presidential candidate six months before the general elections and that they are not in a hurry.
Muturi’s remarks
Democratic Party leader Justin Muturi also opposed a last-minute approach, also citing the 2002 scenario when the late former president Daniel Moi kept his succession plans secret, promising different individuals that they would succeed him, only to later endorse retired president Uhuru Kenyatta as his preferred successor.
According to Muturi, this led to a mass exodus from the Kenya African National Union (KANU). He warned that the United Opposition might face a similar circumstance should it continue delaying the decision.
Muturi dismissed the notion that naming the candidate early would expose them to state intimidation, as Gachagua had suggested, arguing instead that early exposure allows Kenyans to become more familiar with the candidate.
Flagbearer metric
Differences over the method of selecting the flagbearer are also causing friction within the United Opposition. Jubilee presidential candidate Fred Matiang’i appears to favour a scientific method, while Kalonzo Musyoka advocates for a consensus-based approach.