Opposition vows to weather the storm, keep winning unity

Wiper Patriotic Front party leader Kalonzo Musyoka yesterday secured his party’s approval to contest the presidency in 2027.

Kalonzo becomes the first member of what has been termed the country’s United Opposition to get their parties’ official endorsement.

Speaking after Kalonzo got the crucial nod from his party, the leaders of the United Opposition pledged to remain united despite infiltration by President William Ruto.

The event was attended by peers who have declared their intention to oust President William Ruto.  

The leaders, who included Kalonzo, former Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua (Democracy for Citizens Party), Martha Karua (People’s Liberation Party), Eugene Wamalwa (Democracy Action Party), Fred Matiang’i (Jubilee party) and Justin Muturi (Democratic Party) said that although maintaining the Opposition unity will be task, they would weather the storm and form the next government.

They had joined the Wiper party during its National Delegates Conference (NDC) at Uhuru Park.

Kalonzo urged his co-principals to meditate the journey they had walked together to coalesce and asked them to maintain the cohesiveness in a bid to oust Dr Ruto in the 2027 general election.

“We have come a long way. We crisscrossed different parts of the country as we waited for Matiang’i to join us. We also waited for Ruto to fire Muturi so that he can join us. we have held many meetings with Wamalwa and Trans Nzoia Governor George Natembeya. Any of us bleeding will make all of us bleed. So we must hold on together,” Kalonzo said.

Gachagua maintained that the Opposition would produce one candidate who would face off with Ruto.

Stand by him

“There are only two horses, which are wantam (One term) versus Ruto period, all the others are donkeys. We must remain vigilant since Ruto is looking for a third force to infiltrate and divide us but anyone who will not be on our camp will lose, our side will produce the sixth President of the Republic of Kenya,” Gachagua said.

While praising Kalonzo for his political experience, Gachagua said the former Vice President will play a crucial role in establishing the next government.

Karua urged the Opposition co-principals to subordinate their individual ambitions in favour of one as disintegrating would give Ruto an undue advantage.

“Should the united Opposition pick Kalonzo, I pledge to stand by him. We have said the nation is bigger than any of us. We must subordinate our ambitions because failing to unite is voting for the oppressor. We will not allow Ruto to graduate as a dictator on Kenya’s soil even if he is in a hurry to become like a certain other one in this region,” she said.

Matiang’i, whose Jubilee party has been accused of veering towards the Opposition’s goal, maintained that despite the teething problems emanating from a difference of opinion, they would not lose sight of the bigger goal of unseating Ruto.

Imperative

“We have agreed we must put ambitions before the interests of this country. My brothers and sisters, building an opposition is a journey. Despite the difference of opinion, we shall agree on one candidate. I believe that when that time comes and a candidate is chosen, we should really be behind that individual,” Matiangi said.

Wamalwa likened the 2027 general election to the 2002, saying it would be history repeating itself. He maintained that the Opposition had a sacred duty to make sacrifices for the sake of liberating the country.

“We have a sacred duty to make any sacrifice. We must make our unity not an option but an imperative. We shall not be divided. Woe unto those waiting, like hyenas, for us to divide. They will be frustrated,” he said.

While accepting his endorsement to carry Wiper’s flag in 2027, Kalonzo accused Ruto’s administration of overtaxing Kenyans without tangible development projects in the country. He described Ruto’s Bottom-Up economics agenda as bottomless corruption and top-down greed.

“It is not an economic plan, it is an economic funeral. This regime has attempted to capture all institutions to do their unconstitutional bidding. They have captured Parliament and that is why today it stands impeached,” he said.

Own show

Kalonzo claimed Kenya Kwanza’s ‘insatiable appetite for loans’ had become ‘an albatross around our necks’ even as he criticized the administration of dismantling the country’s celebrated democracy.

“Worse still is this regime’s three year dismantling of our celebrated diplomacy. They condemn regional insecurity and neglect of the international community, all while they are linked to the escalation of wars in the region: Democratic Republic of Congo and Sudan in particular.

“This regime sells arms and gets illegal gold in return. What we are witnessing is a horror movie directed by a know-it-all director who is the star and the supporting cast of his own show,” Kalonzo said.