There are two sides to the disaster that happened to the United Opposition in the by-elections where Rigathi Gachagua and Kalonzo Musyoka were hysterical about showing President Ruto that his WANTAM moment had come for all Kenyans to see that he has two years left at State House.
These by-elections were really going to be the launching pad for the United Opposition on their way to capture the presidency and take over the government in 2027.
The opposition went to the campaigns very focused on winning and Gachagua was about to be declared the true king of the opposition by first grabbing the Mbeere North parliamentary seat and he camped there for weeks to make sure Mbeere was in his pocket. In every sensible manner, Rigathi Gachagua was really running to be the MP for Mbeere North.
The opposition leaders created all sorts of circus in that place even attacking people wearing yellow jackets at the polling centres because they claimed those were UDA agents.
At the polls, the voters kicked out Gachagua in Mbeere together with his righthand man Justin Muturi who actually comes from that very constituency.
Gachagua is now a completely homeless politician and will be grounded at Wamunyoro expecting opposition politicians to go sing for him there and they better not sing about the results of the by-elections.
Kalonzo Musyoka won one MCA seat in Ukambani and should honestly retire from politics at this point because it is pretty obvious, he has no chance to win the presidential election in 2027 and beat William Ruto. Maybe Kalonzo can try for 2032 with Cleophas Malala as his DP candidate. That would be a championship team right there.
Kalonzo Muysoka is in a nightmare. The man has paid his dues in opposition battles and at this time he was supposed to be the central force in the opposition against the Broad Based government. He alone in the new line up of new opposition leaders had been there before.
Matiang’i as Uhuru’s Security boss was killing Kenyans including kids to silence opposition forces after the rigged 2017 elections where Uhuru’s fake victory was declared illegal at the Supreme Court, first of such ruling in Kenya under the then Chief Justice David Maraga who incidentally is a presidential candidate for the 2027 elections. Kalonzo Musyoka supporters in Nairobi and elsewhere faced the bullets from Matiang’i that time.
Then after the 2022 elections when William Ruto became the president of our republic, Kalonzo was with Raila Odinga in the streets in 2023 fighting against the high cost of living for Kenyans under the Ruto regime. Kalonzo visited people injured and also families of those killed. Who was at the forefront of those street killings and bombings at that time. Yes, it was the then Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua and Kalonzo was fighting for ordinary Kenyans. Gachagua could have strangled him to death if he met him anywhere in Nairobi at that time.
Then William Ruto does the unthinkable. He kicks out Gachagua from office. What does Gachagua do? He runs into the opposition like the long awaited Prince. For poor Kalonzo, all of a sudden, he had to worship at Gachagua’s feet as his new boss. Now the new boss for Kalonzo is dead in the water after the by-elections, what does Kalonzo do next?
Oh boy tough days in the air again?
As we can see the bigger picture of the by-elections is that the results have reduced the big opposition boys to zero. Luckily for the opposition, Fred Matiang’i helped them to secure three MCA seats in Nyamira county and from the voting results he is now the bigger opposition leader compared to the rest of the crowd.
Also, the by-elections provided the real birth certificate for the Broad Based Coalition now in government. Both sides saw very clearly that they need each other in 2027 and those who were sitting on the edges of their seats as they kept preaching that ODM is now dead after Raila Odinga passed on now need a new plan.
Can the United opposition go with Matiang’i and where else would he get votes for the opposition other than Nyamira County.
United opposition has been forced to realize that any political grouping with no agenda to deal with the real issues facing Kenyans in their daily lives and is satisfied with hurling abuses and other personal nonsense is not going anywhere in Kenyan politics.
Also, the by-elections provided the real birth certificate for the Broad Based Coalition now in government. Both sides saw very clearly that they need each other in 2027 and those who were sitting on the edges of their seats as they kept preaching that ODM is now dead after Raila Odinga passed on now need a new plan.
The other side of the by-election results apart from the big political bomb dropped at the heart of the United Opposition by the Kenyan voters is just the sheer humiliation of it all and I will leave others to talk about that as we see below.
Hassan Omar: It’s hard to sell Kalonzo beyond Ukambani
United Democratic Alliance (UDA) Secretary General Hassan Omar has launched a scathing attack on Wiper leader Kalonzo Musyoka, saying it is difficult to sell him beyond the Ukambani region.
Speaking at the UDA party headquarters while celebrating the party’s outstanding performance in the recently concluded by-elections on Friday, November 28, 2025, he stated that Kalonzo, who appears to be the face of the United Opposition, could secure only a single seat in the by-elections—the Mumbini Ward seat—despite having presidential ambitions.
“I used to be Wipers’ secretary general. It’s difficult to grow Kalonzo beyond Ukambani; he has gotten only one seat in Mumbini North. He has held his people captive in the quest for his ambition,” Omar said.
United opposition loss
The remarks come after the United Opposition lost in all parliamentary seats, including areas previously considered strongholds such as Mbeere North and Malava, despite performing fairly well in ward-level by-elections.
The DCP party won three ward seats, including Narok Town, Kisia East, and Kariobangi North, while former Interior Cabinet Secretary Fred Matiangi won all Kisii by-elections, surpassing candidates backed by the broad-based government.
Governor Kihika mocks opposition after by-elections shocker
Nakuru Governor Susan Kihika has come out to mock the United Opposition’s poor performance in the recently concluded mini polls.
She told Nakuru residents that this was a clear indication that the opposition lacked a concrete agenda, which contributed to their loss. She urged residents not to entertain opposition politicians when they visit the county and encouraged them to continue supporting the broad-based government and President Ruto’s second-term bid.
“Jana million kulikuwa na byelections, million kulikuwa na viti saba za serikali, MPs na senators. Mnajua UDA na broad-based walichukua zote saba, ilikuwa clean sweep. Tusikubali kuentertain wale watu ambao hawana sera. Tukiame kwa Mheshimiwa Ruto kwa sababu tunaona maendeleo.” Kihika
The remarks come after the United Opposition lost in all parliamentary seats, including areas previously considered strongholds such as Mbeere North and Malava, despite performing well in ward-level by-elections.
The United Opposition has blamed its losses on what it described as heavy government machinery and voter bribery, which reportedly secured narrow wins for the ruling coalition.
President William Ruto celebrated the performance of his broad-based team, describing it as a precursor of what to expect in 2027. He said Kenyans reject non-issue-based and tribalistic politics and insisted that such politics would not succeed in the next general elections.
Farouk Kibet urges Panyako to unite with Ndakwa, vows to lobby for him a government role
Malava MP-elect David Ndakwa with Farouk Kibet during an event in Malava
President William Ruto’s aide, Farouk Kibet, has appealed to DAP-K candidate Seth Panyako to put aside campaign differences and work together with Malava MP-elect David Ndakwa for the sake of the constituency’s development.
Kibet, who played a central role in mobilising UDA grassroots networks during the campaigns, thanked God and the residents of Malava for delivering a hard-fought victory.
“Fanyia watu wa Malava kazi, wale walikupigia na wale hawakukupigia (Serve the people of Malava, those who voted for you and those who didn’t),” he told Ndakwa, urging him to serve all residents fairly and without discrimination.
Speaking after Ndakwa was declared the winner of the by-election, Kibet praised voters for turning out in large numbers and choosing a leader he described as focused, humble and ready to work.
Turning to Panyako, Kibet made an open appeal for unity and cooperation.
Now Farouk Kibet is one political roller out there who is beginning to look like he is a very good mobiliser on the ground because he is relentless and he has his ways out there in the battlefield. Personally, I would never tolerate that guy because of what he did after the 2007/8 ICC cases were going on at the Hague and witnesses were being found dead everywhere. That is for me and other human rights activists.
But the big opposition leaders love to refer to Farouk as a Standard Three drop-out and therefore useless. Maybe those leaders need to start rolling their degree certificates to the masses except the people out there are not interested in that.
They are interested in where you are taking them as a leader and Farouk Kibet is in a class of his own in that business at the ground level. Clueless leaders with ten university degrees mean nothing to Kenyan voters because they are more interested in what those leaders will do for the country not what they did in some classroom forty years ago.
If the United Opposition can’t get their act together to make sense to Kenyans, their new name becomes the United Dead Opposition which is just music to the Broad Based Team. It is going to be so hard for the opposition to keep singing their WANTAM fitinas and that is their only message to Kenyans. Now what is next for them!
