The former Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua has expressed confidence in the United Opposition, saying they are capable of defeating President William Ruto by a margin of 5 to 6 million votes.

While speaking during the first day of his United Kingdom tour in London in the wee hours of Sunday, May 17, 2026, the former second in command stated that the United Opposition plans to defeat the president with a wide margin that would prevent him from even thinking of petitioning the results in the Supreme Court.

“When I’ve done my arithmetic, we want to give this guy a margin of between five and 6 million, so that he doesn’t even go to Supreme Court,” Gachagua stated.

Gachagua further stated that in 2027 their victory is secured and that what they may only be short of is the margin.

He also assured supporters of unity within the opposition, saying that at the appropriate time they will sit down and produce one candidate who will challenge President William Ruto in the 2027 polls.

He emphasised that he is ready to offer unconditional support to the person whom the entire United Opposition team will rally behind.

This also comes days after Suba South MP Caroli Omondi expressed confidence in the opposition’s ability to defeat President William Ruto in 2027, saying that he foresees the defunct Azimio formation, which Wiper leader Kalonzo Musyoka wants the United Opposition to use as their vehicle in 2027, scooping close to 16 million votes.

He added that should the Linda Mwananchi team partner with the United Opposition, it will be an easy win for them and guarantee early victory.

Tifa polls

This also comes on the backdrop of TIFA rankings on who might win the 2027 presidential seat, which placed William Ruto at 24 per cent, with Kalonzo coming in second at 19 per cent, followed by Matiang’i at 18 per cent and Edwin Sifuna at 14 per cent.

According to the TIFA report, should the opposition settle on one candidate, there are high chances of defeating President Ruto on election day, since their combined ratings surpass his by far.

It further noted that as things currently stand, none of the candidates have met the constitutional threshold of 50 plus 1, urging that if the opposition partners, they would surpass it.

Wamalwa’s perspective

Democratic Action Party leader Eugene Wamalwa, who is also a key figure within the United Opposition, has also come out expressing similar sentiments, saying that as things currently stand, they have already surpassed William Ruto by over 2 million votes.

He added that the president has resorted to attempting to woo United Opposition leaders with government positions in order to secure support for his bid.

Both the Linda Mwananchi team and the United Opposition have shown willingness to partner ahead of 2027 and approach the polls as a united front.