One good thing with Kenyan politics today is that everybody says everything and nobody says anything important. That is wonderful. Isn’t it?
President William Ruto is in rallies everyday and launching one road or market after another. Kalonzo Musyoka is in church or attending some funeral basically doing nothing for the Kenyan opposition parties. Rigathi Gachagua is everywhere and nowhere at the same time. That is quite an achievement.
And even our beloved Gen Z alleged leaders have no clue and are just demanding followers and money and screaming at Kenyans. Nobody is planning anything on how to actually beat the William Ruto government in 2027.
There is the ridiculous argument that the Appeal Court ruling means DP Kindiki is in office illegally. The Appeal Court ruling had absolutely nothing to do with DP Kindiki. All the ruling told Kenyans is that it is the job of the Chief Justice Martha Koome to appoint the justices of the court to hear the case of Gachagua claiming that his impeachment was illegal. That case has not even been heard in court so nothing changes even by one inch.
I was a little amused to read stuff from my good friend Miguna Miguna claiming that all the decisions and activities done by DP Kindiki up to now are illegal because of that ruling. Miguna is a lawyer for God’s sake and a very good one, but it is painful to see just how clueless he is about the laws of his country.
Gachagua is now hopeful that his impeachment may be rendered illegal. That is just a dream because the Appeal Court appointed by Chief Justice Martha Koome will go by the law and from all indications the Impeachment will be confirmed as legal.
Former Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua has expressed confidence in securing justice over his removal from office. This after the Court of Appeal quashed a decision by Deputy Chief Justice Philomena Mwilu made on October 18, 2024, to constitute a three-judge bench to hear a petition challenging Gachagua’s removal.
The appellate court further directed that the matter be referred to the Chief Justice, who holds the exclusive mandate to empanel a bench to hear and determine such matters.
Speaking during a church service in Juja, Kiambu County, Gachagua noted that the judiciary will come to his rescue and he will not shelve his ambition of calling out the ruling administration.
“The framers of the 2010 Constitution created four levels of judicial intervention. The Magistrate’s court, the High Court, the Court of Appeal and the Supreme Court so that if you don’t get justice in one of the levels you’ll get in the other,” he said.
“In those courts, we have judges of integrity who will give justice not only to Rigathi Gachagua but to the people of Kenya.”
He further stated that he will soon launch a party that he believes will kick President William Ruto out of office in the 2027 General Election.
The party, he added, will be constituted under the counsel of some of Kenya’s most influential political players—including former cabinet secretaries Fred Matiang’i and political juggernauts Kalonzo Musyoka, Martha Karua and Eugene Wamalwa.
“I want to assure you that the coming elections are set. I am there, Kalonzo, Karua, Matiang’i, Wamalwa, is there and we will sit together and agree on one person,” he said.
“They are praying to God that we disagree but I urge you to pray for our unity do that we liberate this country.”
Other leaders Gachagua has previously hinted he is working with include former Agriculture CS Mithika Linturi, his former Public Service counterpart Justin Muturi and ex-politician Mukhisa Kituyi.
The court’s decision now puts to question the legality of ousting Gachagua or that of appointing Kithure Kindiki as his successor.
Gachagua giving opposition the discipline it desperately needed
“Whoever whispered to President William Ruto the idea of impeaching his deputy must truly love this country—not because the advice was sound, but because in trying to isolate or oust Rigathi Gachagua, they may have unwittingly handed Kenya the opposition leader it sorely needs.
Gachagua’s emerging defiance is doing what few expected: injecting discipline, clarity, and urgency into an opposition that has for too long wallowed in hesitation, betrayal and confusion.
Since the advent of the Jubilee coalition in 2013, Kenya’s opposition has seemed stuck in a loop of missteps. Each electoral cycle brings late declarations, ambiguous coalition deals struck behind closed doors, public posturing, last-minute defections, and ultimately, mass voter disillusionment.
There’s always a sense that the opposition wakes up too late—announcing candidates months before elections, chasing elusive unity only when it’s politically convenient, and treating voters as afterthoughts in a drama largely confined to boardrooms and press conferences.
That’s what makes Gachagua’s current posture so refreshing—and, to some, so threatening. In a now-viral video, the embattled deputy president sheds all pretense. He is decisive. He is blunt. He speaks in clear, unequivocal terms. Either you are with the movement he’s shaping, or you’re not. There’s no double-speak, no attempts at pleasing all sides, no retreating to coded language. That kind of clarity is rare in Kenyan politics. It is even rarer in opposition circles, where mistrust, infiltration, and indecision have long ruled supreme.
Critics claim Gachagua is “too predictable.” But in a political terrain rife with betrayal, that predictability is not a weakness—it’s a superpower. It creates stability. When vision is clear, when direction is known, and when roles are defined, it becomes difficult for state-sponsored spoilers to destabilise a movement. It becomes easier to organise, to plan, and most importantly, to inspire. Predictability, in this context, means dependability. It tells the public and political allies alike: here is a man who means what he says, and says what he means.
No one will confuse Gachagua for a suave orator or master tactician. His style isn’t polished. It doesn’t come with the cosmopolitan charm or legalistic vocabulary we often associate with elite Kenyan politicians. But therein lies his strength. Gachagua’s brand of politics is grounded, raw, and unfiltered. It speaks to ordinary Kenyans in a language they understand—direct, emotional, and unapologetically populist. While many political elites obsess over image, Gachagua has leaned into substance, however imperfect. He is not courting editorial boards; he is rallying the grassroots.
In a political climate fatigued by elite paralysis and endless negotiation, his approach feels like a breath of fresh air. He is signalling early. He is drawing lines now. He is telling potential allies: don’t show up to the table empty-handed or unsure of your loyalties. Most critically, he is telling voters: this time, you will not be left in the dark until the final moments. This is the kind of opposition politics Kenya desperately needs—transparent, timely, and tactical.
The truth is, Kenya’s opposition does not lose elections because it lacks support. It loses because it lacks discipline. It loses because it chronically delays decisions. It loses because it often fails to inspire confidence in its ability to govern. The electorate is not blind. Voters know when politicians are improvising. They know when unity is forced. They know when decisions are made to benefit a few and not the many.
The question is whether the opposition is ready to match the discipline he’s now imposing by example. Let those who have ears hear. The time to plan for 2027 is now—not in 2026, not after party nominations, not after yet another round of elite miscalculations”.
Gitobu Imanyara is one of the best writers in our country so we have a lot of respect for what he says but here he gets things upside down.
Imanyara says Kenyan opposition needs to pick their candidate now and not in 2026. He is right about that because one of the reasons Azimio Kenya lost to William Ruto is because they took so long to come together and most of that was because Kalonzo Musyoka wanted to run as president and only only Azimio at the last minute and by that time some his colleagues like Afred Mutua and Kivutha Kibawana were already gone to the Ruto camp.
So having the opposition team sorted early is good but given that Appeal Court ruling there is going to be no opposition presidential candidate decided until Gachagua goes through all the system up to the Supreme and that cold be in 2027. Gachagua is going to ask other candidates to wait until he knows if he can run for the presidency. Fred Matiang’i was smart not to wait for that but all the others have to wait. How does help the opposition beat William Ruto?
Gachagua promises to give Ruto a run for his money if chosen flagbearer
Former Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua has signalled his readiness to challenge President William Ruto in the 2027 general election if selected as the opposition’s flagbearer.
Speaking after a church service at Full Gospel Church Magomano in Kiambu County on Sunday, May 11, 2025, Gachagua assured congregants that the upcoming election is on track. He added that the opposition team is united and committed to fronting a single presidential candidate.
He emphasised that their coalition will not break apart but will instead come together to agree on one candidate to face off against President Ruto. Gachagua noted that if he is chosen, he will not give Ruto an easy time, adding that he intends to mount a serious political challenge.
“I want to assure you, the people of Juja, hii uchaguzi inakuja iko sawa, tuko hapo; si niko hapo; si Kalonzo ako hapo; si Eugene ako hapo; si Martha Karua ako hapo; si Matiang’i ako hapo; si mimi niko? Si mnanijua? Si hii mtu ananielewa vizuri? Sisi tutaketi, sisi hatuwezi kosana, tutaketi tutowe mtu mmoja. Kama ni mimi nitatolewa, si huyu mtu nitapeleka yeye kama baisikeli ya kuibiwa?” Gachagua said.
Gachagua also pledged full support for whoever is selected, insisting that unity among opposition leaders is their top priority. He said they will all rally behind the chosen flagbearer, whether it is Kalonzo, Wamalwa, Karua, or Matiang’i.
“So ninasema we will agree, kama ni mimi hao wengi wote wataniunga mkono; ikisemekana si mimi ni Kalonzo, sisi wote tutamuunga mkono; ikisemekana ni Wamalwa, sisi wote tutamuunga mkono; ikiwa ni Martha Karua, sisi sote tutamuunga mkono; ikisemekana ni Matiang’i, sisi sote tutamuunga mkono. Bora tutoe one candidate,” he added.
So Gachagua is going to ask the opposition to wait for all the court verdicts in his case. That is impossible for opposition leaders like Kalonzo Muysoka who is desperate to be a presidential candidate. Matiang’i is already going for the presidency. Everything is going to fall apart for the opposition unity and it will be everybody for themselves. In the meantime the opposition is doing nothing to mobilize Kenyans for the next election.
We insist on not only inclusivity but consultation and concurrence, and that the IEBC must be independent. What we have right now in the nominees is a William Ruto IEBC.
One really bad thing in the country is that our opposition has got everything wrong. Look at the recently nominate IEBC team. Kenya has been without an IEBC for more than two years. It is a disaster and now we have a new team nominated to be vetted by parliament and what is the opposition doing? Talking nonsense as usual.
Kalonzo Muysoka and his friends know that they are not going to change the IEBC team sent to parliament. But for them just talk and talk is the only thing they do.
If Kenya had some serious opposition parties in the country the first thing they would be demanding is that as soon as the IEBC is set up, let them have the budget they need to have voter registration all over the country for the next two years.
Every politician talks about the Gen Z activists as the ones who will vote for them but if they have enough common sense they would know that 90% of Gen Z citizens of our country are not registered voters in the country as of now.
Why not fight for every Kenyan to be registered as voters and then ask them to vote for a better Kenya? Our opposition politicians are not doing that because it is not part of their funeral politics.
If Kalonzo wants to sue the government again about the IEBC he can go ahead and there will be no IEBC for the next two years. I am sure that will greatly help the opposition to loose the elections again. Get the voter registration going or nothing will happen to William Ruto. That should not be rocket science except for the Kenyan opposition parties.
