Unite or perish, Uhuru tells Opposition leaders

The clash between President William Ruto and his former boss, Uhuru Kenyatta, escalated on Saturday when the former Head of State urged the opposition to unite and sent his former deputy home.

The advice, which also served as a warning to the opposition, is that without unity, the State House dream is simply a fairy tale.

In an escalation of the ensuing brawl between the two, Uhuru warned Kenyans and presidential hopefuls against repeating what he described as the mistake of electing President Ruto in the 2022 General Election.

Uhuru said the outcome of the last General Election should serve as a lesson ahead of the 2027 contest.

He was speaking on Saturday in Gichugu, Kirinyaga County, at the burial of Mwalimu Jackson Karua, father of People’s Liberation Party leader Martha Karua.

Mwalimu Jackson Karua, a veteran teacher and father of Martha Karua, was buried at the family home in Kathande, Gichugu, following a funeral service at Mugumo Primary School. He died on September 27, 2026, aged 98.

Uhuru said he had warned voters against electing Ruto, but his advice was ignored.

He argued that the country could have taken a different political and development path had the Azimio la Umoja ticket of Raila Odinga and Martha Karua won the election.

“When I warned you on the road to elect Ruto, you did not listen,” Uhuru said. “If Raila and Karua had formed the government, this country could have developed.”

He added: “A mistake is not a mistake once, but when it is repeated, it is a mistake.”

The funeral ceremony turned into a major political gathering, with opposition leaders renewing calls for a united front ahead of the 2027 General Election.

Uhuru, who has largely stayed away from elective politics since leaving office, said he was not seeking any position and therefore had no reason to be concerned about attacks directed at him.

His statements come amid escalating tensions between him and Ruto as his former deputy has termed him a ‘sponsor’ for supporting opposition leaders who are pushing for his ouster.

On various platforms, Ruto has accused Uhuru of supporting the onslaught against him and the opposition push to discredit his government.

Wiper leader Kalonzo Musyoka told Ruto to leave Uhuru alone, while urging opposition leaders to resolve their differences as they prepare for the next election.

He accused the administration of selling public assets and called on opposition leaders to agree on a common political direction.

“We in the opposition must look each other in the face and tell each other that if any of us becomes a Ruto mole, may he suffer the consequences of the biblical lot,” Kalonzo said.

There has been a renewed effort by opposition leaders to negotiate a common political platform and settle on a single presidential candidate to face Ruto in the 2027 election.

Martha Karua, who hosted the gathering as the family bid farewell to her father, called for dialogue among opposition leaders and urged them to listen to the views of Kenyans before settling on their political direction.

“Let’s listen to each other so that we can have good governance,” Karua said. “We shall sit in a room and discuss, but we shall also consider Kenyans’ views,” she added.

The calls for unity marked a significant political thread running through the funeral, with leaders from different parties publicly pushing for negotiations over a common presidential ticket.

The gathering provided a rare convergence of leaders from different political formations, with several speakers urging the opposition to put aside individual ambitions and agree on a common candidate.

Kirinyaga Woman Representative Jane Njeri challenged opposition principals to begin negotiations and accept whoever emerges as their joint presidential candidate.

She said opposition supporters would back the candidate agreed upon by the leaders, regardless of whether that person was former Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua, Wiper leader Kalonzo Musyoka or another opposition figure.

She also warned opposition leaders against presenting themselves as members of the opposition while simultaneously joining the Kenya Kwanza administration.

“I want to tell the principals that none of you should waste our time claiming that they are in opposition and then they join the Ruto regime. We shall treat that person as a traitor,” she said.

The push for a single candidate was also taken up by Embakasi East MP Babu Owino, who said the opposition needed to learn from the cooperation between Uhuru and Raila.

“We must unite as Martha Karua did together with Uhuru Kenyatta, who supported Raila to be the President,” Owino said. “We must unite if we want to remove Ruto,” he added.

Babu also introduced Nairobi Senator Edwin Sifuna as a possible presidential figure within the opposition, saying Linda Mwananchi had endorsed him and wanted him included in negotiations over the formation of a united political team.

“We have endorsed Edwin Sifuna as our presidential candidate, and we have brought him here to you as leaders of the opposition,” Babu said.

He asked opposition leaders to consider Sifuna when discussing the possibility of a joint presidential ticket.

The senator, who was among leaders attending the funeral, said the political position of the Mt Kenya region would remain significant in the 2027 contest.

Sifuna said the region had supported Raila in the 2022 election and argued that cooperation across regions would be important in the next presidential contest.

“Mt Kenya supported Raila Odinga and gave him more than one million votes, and that support demonstrated the importance of working together across the country,” Sifuna said.

He called for opposition leaders to unite and agree on a common political platform ahead of the next election.

“The opposition must come together and agree on one presidential candidate if we are to offer Kenyans an alternative in 2027,” he said.

Nyandarua Senator John Methu, who is also secretary-general of the Democracy for the Citizens Party (DCP), said his party had given its leader, former Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua, the mandate to engage other opposition leaders on the formation of a united political front.

Former Interior Cabinet Secretary Fred Matiang’i also called for opposition leaders to listen to Kenyans and work towards the unity being demanded by their supporters.

“We want a good relationship with our neighbouring countries. Let’s do what Kenyans want. They want us to unite, and that is what should happen,” Matiang’i said.

Murang’a Governor Irungu Kang’ata said opposition leaders should not lose sight of the country's development agenda even as they campaign against the Ruto administration.

“We in opposition will fight and ensure Ruto goes home in the next one year, but we shall be in office for five years,” Kang’ata said.

He urged leaders to focus on governance and drew attention to the leadership of former President Mwai Kibaki.

“Let’s not forget the focus to take our country forward. Let’s emulate Kibaki’s leadership and vision for this country,” he said.

Kakamega Senator Boni Khalwale, meanwhile, recalled his earlier political differences with Ruto, saying he had once tabled a motion seeking his removal from office when Ruto was Agriculture minister.

“Many years ago, before Uhuru Kenyatta forgave Ruto and made him a deputy, when he was the Minister of Agriculture, I tabled a motion to remove him from office. Only Martha Karua supported me,” Khalwale said.

He called on Kenyans to vote against Ruto in the 2027 election.

The gathering also saw leaders raise concerns about the treatment of media organisations.

Kiharu MP Ndindi Nyoro warned the government against interfering with media houses, referring to an incident involving the Standard Media Group.

“I want to warn Ruto and his regime to stop harassing media houses as he did on Saturday to Standard Media Group,” Nyoro said.

“Next time he does that, we Kenyans shall protect the media,” he added.

Nyoro also called for the opposition to agree on a single presidential candidate if it wanted to mount a united challenge in 2027.

“We have no choice as opposition leaders. We must support one presidential candidate if we want to remove Ruto,” he said.

He also urged Uhuru not to be drawn into exchanges with Ruto.

“I urge Uhuru Kenyatta not to be intimidated by Ruto’s insults,” Nyoro said.

For Uhuru, however, the political lesson remained rooted in the 2022 election.

His warning that Kenyans should not repeat what he termed a mistake places the former President back into the political conversation as parties begin positioning themselves for the next presidential contest.