NAIROBI, Kenya, Aug 1 \u2014 Former Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua has declared he is ready to support a single opposition presidential candidate in the 2027 General Election if rival leaders agree on a formula for selecting one flag bearer to challenge President William Ruto.<\/p>\n
Gachagua, who has also offered himself as a potential opposition candidate, said he would back whoever emerges from consultations among opposition leaders\u2014even if he is not the eventual nominee.<\/p>\n
Speaking during a podcast interview with political analyst Prof. Herman Manyora, Gachagua said opposition unity would be critical to mounting a credible challenge against Ruto in 2027.<\/p>\n
\u201cI have committed that I\u2019ll support a single presidential candidate. I have offered myself as that person who should carry the flag,\u201d Gachagua said.<\/p>\n
He, however, said his candidacy would not stand in the way of an agreement that favours another opposition leader.<\/p>\n
\u201cIf it is not me, if we talk among our colleagues and we agree on a formula and for whatever reason it does not favor me, I am willing unconditionally to support whoever\u2014Kalonzo Musyoka, Edwin Sifuna, Eugene Wamalwa, Fred Matiang\u2019i, Martha Karua, whoever we agree on,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
Gachagua said he remained hopeful of securing the opposition ticket but insisted he was prepared to support a different candidate if consensus was reached.<\/p>\n
\u201cI am hopeful it will be me. In case it is not me, I am open. I am so open that I will support whoever it is,\u201d he added.<\/p>\n
The former Deputy President also pointed to the recent Ol Kalou by-election as an indication of what he described as growing dissatisfaction with the Kenya Kwanza administration in the Mt Kenya region.<\/p>\n
Gachagua argued that the contest should not be viewed simply as a battle between his Democratic Congress Party (DCP) and the ruling United Democratic Alliance (UDA).<\/p>\n
\u201cThis election that happened in Ol Kalou, and the same will happen in 2027, it was not between DCP and UDA. It was not between Samee Kamau Ngotho and Mushina. It was a contest between the dignity of the community versus William Ruto,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
He claimed that government resources and campaign efforts did not change voters\u2019 determination to express their dissatisfaction through the ballot.<\/p>\n
\u201cNo amount of money, no amount of roads, no amount of intimidation, no amount of threats could change the resolve of the mountain people because they wanted to send a message to William Ruto that enough is enough,\u201d Gachagua said.<\/p>\n
He further predicted a significantly higher voter turnout in the Mt Kenya region during the 2027 election, alleging that voter suppression affected participation in the Ol Kalou by-election.<\/p>\n
\u201cI want to promise you 2027, 10th of August. The mountain people will wake up at 3. By 5 the queues will be one kilometre long. By 12:00 they will have voted 95 percent voter turnout,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
Gachagua also dismissed speculation that he could reconcile with Ruto and return to the President\u2019s political camp ahead of the 2027 election.<\/p>\n
He said he had no plans to rebuild his political relationship with the President, insisting that their fallout was initiated by Ruto.<\/p>\n
\u201cI didn\u2019t leave William Ruto; he chased me away. It\u2019s not me who abandoned him. He abandoned me. So the issue of me going to him does not even arise,\u201d Gachagua said.<\/p>\n
The former Deputy President said several individuals had approached him over a possible reconciliation but claimed he had rejected the overtures.<\/p>\n
Gachagua served as Ruto\u2019s deputy after the two won the 2022 presidential election before their political relationship deteriorated, culminating in his removal from office in October 2024.<\/p>\n
Gachagua also acknowledged his role in helping Ruto win the 2022 presidential election, saying he now felt an obligation to work with other leaders to provide Kenyans with an alternative government.<\/p>\n
\u201cI have admitted to the people of Kenya that to a great extent I\u2019m responsible for the mess that is in this country because, against the advice of President Uhuru Kenyatta, I supported William Ruto to become president,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
\u201cI equally bear an even greater responsibility to sort out the mess on behalf of Kenya,\u201d he added.<\/p>\n
Gachagua said a government led by the opposition would seek to ease the cost of living by reducing taxes and eliminating what he described as unnecessary levies.<\/p>\n
He specifically pledged to abolish the housing levy, improve public services and restore professionalism within the National Police Service.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat we can do for Kenya is first removing Ruto because he\u2019s Kenya\u2019s problem. Once we deal with the problem, we restore the dignity of the pay slip, we do away with the housing levy, we do away with unnecessary taxation,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
He also promised reforms within the police service to enhance security and professionalism.<\/p>\n
Gachagua\u2019s remarks come as opposition leaders continue consultations on a possible coalition ahead of the 2027 General Election.<\/p>\n
The question of whether the opposition can agree on a single presidential candidate remains one of the central issues in the emerging political realignment.<\/p>\n
Gachagua\u2019s willingness to back another candidate could provide room for negotiations among leaders seeking to consolidate the anti-Ruto vote.<\/p>\n
However, with several senior politicians positioning themselves for the 2027 race, reaching consensus on a flag bearer is likely to remain a major political test for the opposition.<\/p>\n
For Gachagua, the message is clear: he wants the opposition to unite behind one candidate\u2014and while he hopes to be that candidate, he says he is prepared to support whoever emerges from the negotiations.<\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
NAIROBI, Kenya, Aug 1 \u2014 Former Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua has declared he is ready to support a single opposition presidential candidate in the 2027 General Election if rival leaders agree on a formula for selecting one flag bearer to challenge President William Ruto. Gachagua, who has also offered himself as a potential opposition candidate, […]<\/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-148612","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\/148612","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=148612"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/chezaspin.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/148612\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/chezaspin.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=148612"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/chezaspin.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=148612"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/chezaspin.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=148612"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}