Leading opposition politicians including former Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua and Wiper Patriotic Front leader Kalonzo Musyoka say that the perception of bias in favour of the RSF – accused by the United Nations of having committed genocidal acts during its siege of El Fasher – has damaged Kenya's standing in the region (Dispatches 23/2/26 UN says Hemeti's RSF committed genocide in siege of El Fasher)...
Oppositionists led by Wiper Patriotic Party leader Kalonzo Musyoka counter that none of the seats were marginal describing them as ‘a competition between Ruto and Ruto'...
DISPATCHES
Hours later Wiper Patriotic Party leader Kalonzo Musyoka posted on social media that they had ‘expressed strong dissatisfaction with the procurement process of the KIEMS kit and stated clearly that we do not want Smartmatic a company associated with election irregularities in multiple countries anywhere near the systems for the 2027 General Election...
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But the President's hopes of a decisive re-election win – likely to be against Wiper Patriotic Party's Kalonzo Musyoka who has confirmed that he will stand and at least one other senior opposition leader – are predicated on doing a deal with Odinga's Orange Democratic Movement...
Vol 67 No 2 |
- KENYA
- WHO'S WHO
A poll by TIFA Research in December found that a mere 19% of ODM members want Ruto to be their candidate in 2027 and that 34% wanted the party to run its own candidate while 20% would back a member of the now-disbanded Azimio la Umoja alliance – led by Wiper Patriotic Movement leader Kalonzo Musyoka – that supported Raila in 2022...
For the moment the most viable candidates are Wiper Patriotic Front leader Kalonzo Musyoka and Fred Matiang'i leader of what remains of the former president Uhuru Kenyatta's Jubilee party (AC Vol 65 No 17 Kenyatta's favourite minister plans presidential bid)...
Several opposition leaders have been boosted – notably Matiang'i Wiper Patriotic Front's Kalonzo Musyoka and arguably Gachagua – though the results do not point to a united opposition...
Some like Odinga's former running mate Kalonzo Musyoka and Musalia Mudavadi later left to form their own parties when it became clear they could not break Odinga's grip on ODM...
The vacuum also leaves a golden opportunity for the Anyone But Ruto group of leaders – including former Deputy President Kalonzo Musyoka Ruto's former deputy Rigathi Gachagua (impeached last year) and former Interior Cabinet Secretary Fred Matiang'i...
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That will bring together a group of former ministers and leaders among whom former Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua and Wiper party leader Kalonzo Musyoka are the most senior...