Suba South MP Caroli Omondi has called on opposition parties to urgently conclude negotiations and settle on a single candidate for the forthcoming Ol Kalou by-election, saying such a move would pave the way for the Linda Mwananchi movement to throw its full support behind the opposition flagbearer.

Speaking during an interview on K24 TV, the outspoken Azimio la Umoja Parliamentary Group leader described the Ol Kalou contest as a crucial political battle that the opposition cannot afford to lose.

According to Omondi, opposition parties should put aside their differences and unite behind one candidate in order to maximise their chances of defeating the United Democratic Alliance (UDA) candidate, Samuel Muchina.

He specifically urged the Democracy for the Citizens Party (DCP), the Jubilee Party, Martha Karua’s People’s Liberation Party (PLP) and Caleb Amisi’s People’s Renaissance Movement (PRM) to engage in consultations and agree on a consensus candidate.

Omondi noted that once such an agreement is reached, the Linda Mwananchi movement would be ready to mobilise support across the constituency and campaign vigorously for the chosen candidate.

“We do not want to take sides in the by-election. The best option is for the opposition to agree on one candidate,” Omondi said.

The legislator expressed confidence that a united opposition would stand a strong chance of winning the seat, adding that leaders affiliated with Linda Mwananchi are prepared to tour the constituency and actively campaign for the agreed flag bearer.

“We have encouraged the parties that are in the opposition, DCP, Jubilee, and Renaissance,  that they should find a way of giving out now the clear instruction that they have one candidate,” he said.

“So that you know, as Linda Mwananchi, we don’t want to go there and take sides, yeah, but if there’s one person from the opposition, it’s easy; we will go and campaign for that person, and I’m very sure we will win Ol Kalou.”

Oppositions win in Ol Kalou

His latest remarks come just days after he predicted a difficult contest for UDA in Ol Kalou, arguing that the ruling party’s previous success in byelections was aided by voter intimidation and violence. Omondi maintained that such tactics would not help the party secure victory in the upcoming by-election.

One candidate

The push for opposition unity follows a recent agreement among opposition principals to support a single candidate in the race. The leaders announced that they would rely on a scientific opinion poll to determine the most popular candidate to carry the opposition banner.

Meanwhile, DCP Deputy Party Leader Cleophas Malala recently claimed that the Jubilee Party and the Martha Karua-led PLP had withdrawn their candidates in favour of DCP aspirant Samuel Waweru Kamau.

Kioni backs the DCP.

However, Jubilee Deputy Party Leader Jeremiah Kioni appeared to suggest that his party could support the DCP candidate if doing so would strengthen the opposition’s chances of securing victory. Kioni argued that if winning the Ol Kalou seat would significantly influence the country’s political direction, then opposition parties should be willing to make the necessary sacrifices for the greater good.

With campaigns beginning to gather momentum, the race for the Ol Kalou seat is increasingly shaping up as a major test of the opposition’s ability to unite behind a common cause ahead of the 2027 general election.