NAIROBI, Kenya Oct 29 – Democracy for the Citizens Party (DCP) leader Rigathi Gachagua has proposed that the united opposition agree on a single presidential candidate at least five months before the General Election slated for August 10, 2027.
Speaking during an interview on KTN, Gachagua warned that an early public announcement could expose the candidate to state intimidation.
He said the opposition leaders were still building consensus on the flagbearer, with discussions ongoing to unite the political formations behind one candidate to challenge President William Ruto.
“In my view, we should quietly agree on the candidate but unveil that candidate at the right time – at the earliest, five months before the election. That is my view, so that we can build the right momentum.”
“In my honest view, we should quietly agree on the candidate and keep the decision private until the right time. From the day we announce that candidate, the election will effectively be won. We will simply be waiting for August 10 to confirm it. That is my view,” he said.
Gachagua described himself as an approachable leader who had been spending considerable time and energy reaching out to colleagues to secure a united opposition front.
“I have told my colleagues that experience is not taught in a classroom or acquired from a book. It comes from being involved. I have been at the centre of every succession since the transition from single-party rule to multiparty democracy in 1992,” the Ex-DP said.
He cited opposition figures, including Wiper leader Kalonzo Musyoka and Nairobi Senator Edwin Sifuna, as examples of leaders he said could face increased scrutiny if they emerged as frontrunners.
“William Ruto is a vicious and brutal president who harasses his opponents. If we unveil a candidate now, you have seen what he has done. Whenever he thinks Kalonzo Musyoka is emerging as the likely candidate, he goes after him hammer and tongs. When he thinks Edwin Sifuna is gaining ground, he also goes after him. He even targets me and tries to interfere with my family,” the former Deputy President stated.
Gachagua accused President Ruto of harassing political opponents and interfering with their families, claims that have not been independently established in the interview remarks.
“If we announced today that a particular person was our candidate, they would send the Kenya Revenue Authority, the Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission and goons after that person. They could even place him or her under house arrest and harass them to the point where they would be unable to campaign,” he stated.
The ex-DP maintained that the opposition needed to sustain public enthusiasm during the final months of the campaign, arguing that the political momentum required to unseat the incumbent could not be maintained for eight months.
“As for the momentum you are asking about, let me tell you what happens four or five months before an election. Even police officers begin refusing to carry out unlawful orders. County Commissioners also stop taking calls from people trying to influence them because they live in this country and are listening to the mood on the ground.
Ordinarily, during the final four or five months, the State can no longer intimidate people in the same way. Even people at the KRA, when instructed to open a file against you, may find ways to circumvent the directive or delay action because they, too, know that change is coming,” the DCP leader explained.
Gachagua cited the 2002 presidential election campaign of former President Mwai Kibaki as an example of how a united opposition can build momentum to defeat an incumbent.
“The choice of a single presidential candidate was so significant that, a few days after Kibaki was involved in a terrible road accident on his way from Machakos and was hospitalised…, the message was that the captain was injured, but the team and the game were still on. Kenyans stood by him. He was even sworn in while in a wheelchair because Kenyans had made up their minds,” the DCP Leader narrated.
