By Anderson Ojwang
The opposition is facing a herculean challenge: a challenge to survive and weather the storm to face President William Ruto in the August 10, 2027, Presidential Election.
The opposition finds itself fixed and boxed into a corner, with emerging internal cannibalism, strife and a fallout.
Not a single opposition party or formation is currently free from struggles over leadership, constant court cases, infiltration and unsuccessful back-and-forth attempts to register new political parties and formations.
Ruto’s prediction
President Ruto, in his recent tour of Nyanza and the Rift Valley, alluded to a possible fallout in the opposition outfit ahead of next year’s General Election.
Ruto said the United Opposition coalition would collapse because its founders lacked unity and a common purpose, before attempting to create another political outfit dubbed the alternative government.
“Walianzisha United Opposition hiyo ikazambaratika because there was no unity, and there was no convergence of anything,” Ruto said.
Ruto exuded confidence over the broad-based agreement, terming it as the only outfit that has a plan and development agenda for the country.
“I am a very proud person because it is very rare to be a leader of a big committed outfit as the one we have in this room today. Listen, guys, the other side is in chaos and I don’t have to say that. I don’t have to explain,” he said on August 11, 2026.
Ruto said the opposition was in chaos and had been disorganised, left to speaking in tongues.
“The opposition have no unity, they are now speaking in tongues. They are stuck in one-term and must-go slogans. We have opposition, which is clueless, brainless; they expect that there will be competition. Will there be any form of competition?” he said.
Ruto said while in Nyanza, “I want to say this when I am in Nyanza, our government cannot be left to formations that have no agenda and clueless.”
Ruto’s infiltration of opposition
But Democracy for Citizens Party (DCP) leader Rigathi Gachagua claimed Ruto had been infiltrating opposition outfits, with the latest being Linda Mwananchi.
“In DCP there is a lot of infiltration, and we have put mechanisms to vet aspirants so that he doesn’t plant more to come in the party pretending they belong to DCP. But the truth is they work for William Ruto, with a mission to come and wreck our party from within. Let other opposition parties do the same,” he said.
Gachagua said Ruto’s first target was the Jubilee Party of former President Uhuru Kenyatta and that he had been wrecking the outfit.
“Jubilee has had a big challenge and they have really worked on Jubilee. They have so many people there who are trying to wreck the party from within, undermining Fred Matiang’i and making sure he doesn’t go anywhere,” he said.
Gachagua said he had warned Matiang’i and that he now understood how hard Ruto was working to infiltrate and divide the opposition.
“These are people who work for Ruto and they are in Jubilee. I had warned Matiang’i about it and he took it lightly, but now he knows. Because they are the same people who have gone to court and nullified the appointment of Secretary-General Ole Kenta.”
Gachagua predicted a possible power wrangle when Uhuru finally hands over Jubilee leadership to Matiang’i.
“I am sure when President Uhuru Kenyatta decides that the party should have Matiang’i as the party leader, when he retires, I know they will make it very difficult because they work for Ruto. It is upon these parties to continue being very careful,” he said.
Linda Mwananchi co-principal Godfrey Osotsi said the troubles in the outfit and unsuccessful registration were the work of Ruto.
“We as Linda Mwananchi, we are united and focused. If you hear some differing opinion, what is there is Kasongo trying to bring war in Linda Mwananchi using the government bloggers. Let the government bloggers leave us. In Linda Mwananchi, we are one and our presidential candidate is Nairobi Senator Edwin Sifuna.
It is Kasongo who is trying to portray division through government bloggers,”he said.
Gachagua said there was trouble in Linda Mwananchi between the two leaders, Sifuna and Embakasi East MP Babu Owino, and put the blame on Ruto.
“I know there is a small challenge with Linda Mwananchi of Sifuna and Babu Owino supporters trading barbs and insulting each other,” he said.
Gachagua said he was building a truce between Sifuna and Babu to avoid a blown-out fallout.
“I placed a call to Edwin Sifuna and had a long chat with him and the same with Babu Owino. I told them, young guys, your movement is being infiltrated by William Ruto and the National Intelligence Service and your supporters are falling for it. You must very quickly meet, the two of you, and tell your supporters not to fall into the trap of infiltration.
The state has invested heavily in dividing Linda Mwananchi. The President is so scared of the young leaders after the Jacaranda meeting.
I have briefed Sifuna and Babu. They have agreed that they have to do whatever it takes to jointly call the supporters to order and inform them that the state is trying to divide Linda Mwananchi,” he said.
Wiper leader Kalonzo Musyoka appealed to Babu and Sifuna to resolve any issues and avoid dividing the outfit.
“We don’t want that movement divided. Kijana Sifuna, Kijana Babu, my call on them is not to allow any division in their ranks so that this issue,” he said.
first target was the Jubilee Party of former President Uhuru Kenyatta and that he had been wrecking the outfit.
“Jubilee has had a big challenge and they have really worked on Jubilee. They have so many people there who are trying to wreck the party from within, undermining Fred Matiang’i and making sure he doesn’t go anywhere,” he said.
Gachagua said he had warned Matiang’i and that he now understood how hard Ruto was working to infiltrate and divide the opposition.
“These are people who work for Ruto and they are in Jubilee. I had warned Matiang’i about it and he took it lightly, but now he knows. Because they are the same people who have gone to court and nullified the appointment of Secretary-General Ole Kenta.”
Gachagua predicted a possible power wrangle when Uhuru finally hands over Jubilee leadership to Matiang’i.
“I am sure when President Uhuru Kenyatta decides that the party should have Matiang’i as the party leader, when he retires, I know they will make it very difficult because they work for Ruto. It is upon these parties to continue being very careful,” he said.
Linda Mwananchi co-principal Godfrey Osotsi said the troubles in the outfit and unsuccessful registration were the work of Ruto.
“We as Linda Mwananchi, we are united and focused. If you hear some differing opinion, what is there is Kasongo trying to bring war in Linda Mwananchi using the government bloggers. Let the government bloggers leave us. In Linda Mwananchi, we are one and our presidential candidate is Nairobi Senator Edwin Sifuna.
It is Kasongo who is trying to portray division through government bloggers,”he said.
Gachagua said there was trouble in Linda Mwananchi between the two leaders, Sifuna and Embakasi East MP Babu Owino, and put the blame on Ruto.
“I know there is a small challenge with Linda Mwananchi of Sifuna and Babu Owino supporters trading barbs and insulting each other,” he said.
Gachagua said he was building a truce between Sifuna and Babu to avoid a blown-out fallout.
“I placed a call to Edwin Sifuna and had a long chat with him and the same with Babu Owino. I told them, young guys, your movement is being infiltrated by William Ruto and the National Intelligence Service and your supporters are falling for it. You must very quickly meet, the two of you, and tell your supporters not to fall into the trap of infiltration.
The state has invested heavily in dividing Linda Mwananchi. The President is so scared of the young leaders after the Jacaranda meeting.
I have briefed Sifuna and Babu. They have agreed that they have to do whatever it takes to jointly call the supporters to order and inform them that the state is trying to divide Linda Mwananchi,”he said.
Wiper leader Kalonzo Musyoka appealed to Babu and Sifuna to resolve any issues and avoid dividing the outfit.
“We don’t want that movement divided. Kijana Sifuna, Kijana Babu, my call on them is not to allow any division in their ranks so that this issue,” he said.
