President William Ruto and his allies have reportedly heightened the bid to rope in Wiper leader Kalonzo Musyoka into their camp as they ramp up the 2027 re-election bid.

Though Kalonzo, his allies and close aides dismissed claims he could be warming up to Ruto’s camp, sources intimated that the former Vice President has been in constant engagement with Deputy President Kithure Kindiki.

According to the insiders, the elaborate scheme is mainly to snatch Kalonzo away from former Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua in a brave effort to make Ruto’s rivals weak and derail their plans to ruin the incumbent’s second term.

Speaking in Mutomo market in Kitui South on Thursday during an empowerment programme, Kindiki promised to personally take the lead in “looking” for the former Vice President and make him work with Ruto and his administration without much delay.

“I hold Kalonzo with respect and high esteem. Have you heard me insult him or disrespect him? I haven’t and I won’t because he is a good person,” the DP said.

Kindiki traversed the Ukambani region between Thursday, June 12, 2025, and Saturday, June 14, 2025, as he upped his efforts to woo Kalonzo in a scheme believed to be aimed at scuttling the opposition.

During his tour of Machakos, Kitui and Makueni, where he took his economic empowerment programmes, Kindiki vowed to ensure that he woos Kalonzo to their camp.  

No, thanks

Kindiki, however, said the Wiper leader was associating himself with some political characters who misled and led him astray into dirty political routes, which were detrimental to his standing and career.

On June 15, 2025, Kalonzo dismissed Kindiki’s overtures, saying they were meant to divide the opposition.

In a sharply worded statement on his official X account, Kalonzo dismissed the DP’s remarks as insincere and a diversionary tactic intended to create cracks within the recently consolidated opposition movement.

“This is all diversionary and a poor attempt to divide the United Opposition. “I cannot work with or meet up with people with Gen Z blood on their hands, including that of Albert Ojwang,” Kalonzo said.

Kalonzo’s allies also laughed off the alleged scheme, describing it as an attempt to divide the opposition ahead of 2027.

Makueni Governor Mutula Kilonzo Jnr said the opposition was more intact than ever before and efforts to divide it by buying out some leaders would not succeed.

“We are aware of their plans to use money to influence some of our leaders, but they won’t succeed. They have previously tried sending emissaries to Kalonzo, but they failed miserably,” Mutula Jnr told People Daily.

Insiders aware of the ongoing talks disclosed that Kalonzo, although still coalescing around the opposition side, has on more than four occasions held meetings with Kithure Kindiki, who has been tasked with the job of ensuring that he joins Ruto.

The meetings, sources say, started immediately after Kindiki planned his tour of the Ukambani region ahead of Ruto’s visit, where he launched a number of projects and pushed for the completion of various roads that had stalled.

Sources in the opposition say Kalonzo and his allies have been unhappy with former DP Rigathi Gachagua’s insistence on being on the ballot in the 2027 election.

Former Interior CS Fred Matiang’i has also said that he will vie for the presidency and is said to be backed by former President Uhuru Kenyatta; thus, his options are limited.

“Soon you will see new changes. Kalonzo is slowly warming up. The good thing is that he feels betrayed by the opposition,” added the source.  

The new intrigues come hardly days after Ruto’s close aide, Farouk Kibet, suggested that Kalonzo should be considered for a senior national position in government.

According to the sources, Kindiki enjoys a respectable relationship with Kalonzo as they are neighbours, family friends, and mentor to his son, where Kindiki taught Kalonzo’s son-in-law in law school.

It is believed that more than anyone else, he can easily convince Kalonzo.

According to sources, Kindiki has been told by the President to take charge of Ukambani just like he is doing in the central region, to not only get the support of the region but to ensure that the opposition does not dominate the region.