Nine opposition heavyweights have intensified efforts to form a united front aimed at challenging President William Ruto in the 2027 general election.

Under the chairmanship of Wiper Democratic Movement (WDM) leader Kalonzo Musyoka, the nine have already established a technical working team and a secretariat tasked with developing a strategy to identify one of them to face Ruto in 2027.

Sources reveal that the team may use either consensus or secret voting to decide who among them should be the flag-bearer. The group intends to announce their joint presidential candidate by the end of next year.

The coalition comprises Kalonzo, impeached Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua, former Interior CS Fred Matiang’i, Narc-Kenya party leader Martha Karua, Dr Mukhisa Kituyi, former Public Service Cabinet Secretary Justin Muturi, former Agriculture CS Mithika Linturi, Jubilee national chair Torome Saitoti and Democratic Action Party (DAP)-Kenya leader Eugene Wamalwa.

Yesterday, the team held an early morning meeting at Karen Blixen Restaurant where they agreed to unite against Ruto and established a working plan and rules of engagement as they began their journey toward fielding a joint presidential candidate.

According to Paul Ajiba, a close ally of Wamalwa, the leaders will continue leading their respective parties until the end of next year when they will have settled on how to nominate a joint presidential candidate.

Each leader, Ajiba disclosed, has been tasked with solidifying his or her regional base to ensure that President Ruto and his allies are completely locked out.

“Wamalwa has been tasked to concentrate on securing Western, while Gachagua, Muturi, Linturi, and Karua have been assigned to consolidate the Mt. Kenya region. Likewise, Kalonzo and Matiang’i have been tasked with consolidating Ukambani and Gusii regions, respectively,” Ajiba told People Daily after the Karen meeting.

All eight leaders will continue leading their respective parties, and those like Gachagua who have not yet announced their political vehicles have been encouraged to proceed with forming their parties.

Ajiba further explained that apart from the frequent meetings they will hold to review progress, bond, formulate strategies, and jointly challenge President Ruto’s government on pressing issues, each leader will continue charting their respective paths.

Gen Z killings

Yesterday’s meeting culminated in the team issuing a statement criticising President Ruto’s government over the Gen Z killings, an alleged scheme to influence the selection of members of the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC), and alleged land grabbing. The meeting was also meant to welcome new members: Matiang’i, Muturi and Linturi.

This marks Matiang’i’s first public political engagement since returning to the country two weeks ago, amid speculation that he had come back to begin campaigning following his endorsement as Jubilee Party’s presidential flag-bearer.

Over the past week, Matiang’i, who is currently operating under former President Uhuru Kenyatta’s Jubilee Party, has held closed-door meetings with key regional and national leaders, with insiders suggesting he prefers private engagements over public appearances.

Yesterday, Wamalwa told People Daily that the meeting was part of plans to build a mega political coalition ahead of the 2027 general election.

“The team is growing stronger and stronger, and the next government is slowly gaining momentum. We expect to name our presidential candidate through consensus toward the end of next year,” Wamalwa said in a telephone interview.

At the conclusion of yesterday’s meeting, the eight leaders issued a statement accusing the government of orchestrating illegal land grabs through intimidation, violence, and extrajudicial killings – tactics they say echo Kenya’s darkest chapters.

“Land fraud and displacement have now become a rampant national crisis. Organized syndicates, operating with the protection of heavy-handed police force and a compromised justice system, are fraudulently preparing ownership documents to forcefully and illegally expropriate land from rightful owners,” they said in their statement.

Citing growing instances of land-related violence and forced evictions from Mavoko and Nairobi to Ndabibi and now Kilgoris, the opposition leaders claimed the Ruto administration is overseeing a coordinated campaign of land dispossession, aided by corrupt officials and rogue security agencies.

“With Dr Ruto’s checkered past with forceful land displacements, we want to remind him that such acts are crimes against humanity, and we are committed to escalating these cases to the International Criminal Court,” they stated.

The deadly confrontation in Kilgoris involved a dispute over 6,800 acres of land claimed by the local community. Witnesses say heavily armed General Service Unit (GSU) officers opened fire on protesting residents, leaving at least five dead.

IEBC commissioners

Regarding the ongoing recruitment of new commissioners to the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC), the opposition expressed grave concern over the credibility of the process, which they claim lacks transparency, inclusivity, and integrity.

“The IEBC must not be reduced to a partisan tool. We will not sit back and watch as a sham process appoints commissioners whose loyalty lies with the executive and not with the Constitution. This country cannot afford another disputed election. The stakes are simply too high,” the statement read.

The leaders demanded that the IEBC selection panel engage in meaningful consultations with the opposition and civil society before forwarding any names to the President for appointment.

“If this process is hijacked and the outcome predetermined, we will not recognise the legitimacy of that commission. There must be concurrence on appointments. The era of one-sided decision-making must end,” the statement continued.