{"id":117517,"date":"2025-07-03T12:03:25","date_gmt":"2025-07-03T12:03:25","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/chezaspin.com\/blog\/index.php\/2025\/07\/03\/kalonzo-downplays-flagbearer-question-as-he-leads-allied-opposition-in-western-tour\/"},"modified":"2025-07-03T12:03:25","modified_gmt":"2025-07-03T12:03:25","slug":"kalonzo-downplays-flagbearer-question-as-he-leads-allied-opposition-in-western-tour","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/chezaspin.com\/blog\/kalonzo-downplays-flagbearer-question-as-he-leads-allied-opposition-in-western-tour\/","title":{"rendered":"Kalonzo downplays flagbearer question as he leads allied opposition in Western tour"},"content":{"rendered":"

KISUMU, Kenya, Jul 3 \u2014 Opposition leaders seeking to challenge President William Ruto in 2027 have kicked off a regional tour in Western Kenya, pledging unity and a common while steering clear the presidential flagbearer question.<\/strong><\/p>\n

Wiper party leader Kalonzo Musyoka said while the coalition intends to settle on a single candidate, discussions around a flagbearer are premature.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe important thing now is to solidify our base,\u201d Musyoka said. <\/p>\n

\u201cOne fine day, we\u2019ll go for a retreat to come up with the name. Whoever is chosen will have our full support.\u201d<\/p>\n

He emphasized that all leaders in the coalition are equal partners, adding: \u201cWhoever will carry the flag will be the first among equals.\u201d<\/p>\n

The tour\u2014covering Vihiga, Kakamega, Busia, and Bungoma counties\u2014is focused on addressing regional concerns, with the struggling sugar sector topping the agenda.<\/p>\n

Democratic Action Party of Kenya (DAP-K) leader Eugene Wamalwa said the team will confront challenges plaguing the region, including opaque leasing of state-owned sugar mills.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe are in the sugar belt. Most of the mills have been leased to private individuals without public participation,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

Wamalwa added that the team will also review infrastructure projects promised by the national government.<\/p>\n

Speaking to the press in Kisumu on Thursday, leaders including former Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua, former Interior Cabinet Secretary Fred Matiang\u2019i, and Trans Nzoia Governor George Natembeya reaffirmed the opposition\u2019s commitment to advocating for citizens.<\/p>\n

Natembeya framed the tour as a strategic move to ensure the region has a voice in government after decades of political exclusion.<\/p>\n

\u201cSince independence, this region has never been fully in government. This time round, we will be there,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

\u2018Sponsored chaos\u2019<\/h2>\n

He urged residents to turn up in large numbers to engage with their leaders and listen to the coalition\u2019s vision for uplifting the region out of poverty. <\/p>\n

Natembeya also called on security agencies to protect all leaders from potential acts of hooliganism during the tour.<\/p>\n

Addressing recent claims by the government that opposition leaders were behind the Gen Z-led protests, Gachagua and Matiang\u2019i dismissed the allegations as baseless.<\/p>\n

Former DP Gachagua accused Interior Cabinet Secretary Kipchumba Murkomen of incompetence, questioning how protestors could breach a police station under 24-hour surveillance.<\/p>\n

\u201cHow can goons attack a police station that\u2019s guarded 24\/7, then you turn around and say you\u2019re looking for them?\u201d he posed.<\/p>\n

Matiang\u2019i echoed Gachagua\u2019s sentiments, stressing that the opposition had nothing to gain from inciting violence.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe are an organized team with a clear intention of saving Kenyans\u2014not sponsoring chaos,\u201d he said.<\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

KISUMU, Kenya, Jul 3 \u2014 Opposition leaders seeking to challenge President William Ruto in 2027 have kicked off a regional tour in Western Kenya, pledging unity and a common while steering clear the presidential flagbearer question. Wiper party leader Kalonzo Musyoka said while the coalition intends to settle on a single candidate, discussions around a […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":0,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-117517","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized","entry"],"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack-related-posts":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/chezaspin.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/117517","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/chezaspin.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/chezaspin.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/chezaspin.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=117517"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/chezaspin.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/117517\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/chezaspin.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=117517"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/chezaspin.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=117517"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/chezaspin.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=117517"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}