Way back in January, I was very clear in this column that former vice-president Kalonzo Musyoka is the only option for the Azimio La Umoja to front as its presidential candidate in 2027 against incumbent William Ruto.

My position still stands. Only that it has come knocking much earlier than Kenyans could fathom after the declaration by head-of-the-pack Opposition leader Raila Odinga that he will be running for the position of African Union Commission (AUC) chairperson.

All eyes—both within and outside Kenya—are now focussed on Kalonzo. Thus, it is time for the former long-serving Mwingi North MP to step up to the plate, redefine himself to the world and unfurl his worth to Kenyans. He has to do so fast and meticulously.

Whether Raila gets the AUC job or not, it was always going to be a Herculean task for Azimio under Raila to present a formidable challenge to a shrewd, crafty and never-sleeping Ruto. It will be even harder if Raila secures the continental job in Addis Ababa. Which is why Kalonzo has to move with speed to endear himself to the electorate. The assignment ahead is enormous and very intricate indeed.

I submit that Kalonzo must start to cast his net far and wide, beyond the traditional Azimio electoral map. A Senior Counsel, Kalonzo has a stellar curriculum vitae. He previously served in the ministries for Foreign Affairs, Education and Home Affairs.

As stated earlier, he leads the most disciplined, loyal and united political party in the country today—Wiper Democratic Movement. He is among a few Kenyan politicians who still have a name to write home about in so far as their allergy to graft, impunity, tribalism, rancour and exclusiveness are concerned.

Loyal, restrained and respectful, Kalonzo does not exhale fear or hatred like some of his contemporaries.
But that is not all it takes to be a fully armed presidential contestant to floor a gritty Ruto. There is more for Kalonzo to do. He must break new ground to stage a more impactful challenge to Ruto.

He already commands unwavering support from his Ukambani backyard. He does not need to preach to the converted there. He must first convince former President Uhuru Kenyatta and Raila to fully back his bid.

He must then re-brand himself to be attractive to the young voter, especially the 13 million Kenyans who skipped the 2022 General Election (eight million registered and five million eligible but did not register).
Part of the re-branding is to ensure the Opposition and violence are not read as synonyms in our political parlance, that insolence is not the vocabulary that defines Opposition politics, and that reforms do not have to come through loss of lives.

Finally, in 1975, the highly popular Nigerian military President Murtala Mohammed coined what he termed as the 3Rs (Reconciliation, Reconstruction and Rehabilitation) policy as his guiding principles. Nationals of Africa’s populous country still remember him for that to date.

As part of his re-branding, Kalonzo can formulate his own 3Rs (Respect, Reflection and Reconstitution) policy. That will would be a milestone. In doing so, he must drop the unhelpful­—indeed unconvincing—Opposition’s lamentations about the 2022 presidential election having been stolen. That never happens in Africa.

Kalonzo must lay the foundation to win the 2027 election. Not the one to complain about after losing the contest. To be forewarned is to be forearmed, the Mafia of Sicily have always advised over the decades.
Back home, the Swahili say: Safari ya mbali hupangwa mapema. Former vice-president Kalonzo Musyoka, your work is clearly cut out. The ball is entirely in your court. Not anyone else’s.

— The writer is the Revise Editor, People Daily
—[email protected]