NAIROBI, Kenya, Aug 5 — The WANTAM Advisory Committee has scheduled an opposition flag bearer debate for August 23, bringing together the top five candidates emerging from the first round of its ongoing online vote on wantamcandidate.com.
The debate is part of a two-phased process by the lobby to help the Uhuru Kenyatta-backed United Alternative Government opposition alliance identify a unified presidential ticket for the 2027 General Election to face President William Ruto.
The debate will be held immediately after the conclusion of the first-round digital ballot, which the organisers say is designed to allow Kenyans—not political elites—to shape the opposition’s preferred presidential ticket.
With five days of voting remaining, Nairobi Senator Edwin Sifuna continued to lead the presidential race with 51.8 per cent of the vote (648 votes) as of 10.05am on Wednesday, followed by Wiper leader Kalonzo Musyoka on 41 per cent (513 votes).
Former Interior Cabinet Secretary Fred Matiang’i was third with 3.9 per cent, while former Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua and Eugene Wamalwa rounded out the top five.
In the running mate category, Sifuna also held the lead with 37.8 per cent (473 votes), ahead of Matiang’i on 24.1 per cent, Kiharu MP Ndindi Nyoro on 17.9 per cent, Kalonzo Musyoka on 6.6 per cent and Rigathi Gachagua on 2.9 per cent.
The WANTAM movement launched the online exercise as part of an initiative to identify a single opposition candidate to challenge Ruto in the 2027 General Election through a public digital ballot.
Organisers say the platform was opened after successfully withstanding thousands of attempted cyberattacks ahead of the exercise.
WANTAM convenor Francis Masinde has said the initiative seeks to democratise the opposition’s candidate selection process by allowing ordinary Kenyans, rather than politicians alone, to determine the preferred flag bearer.
“The process of selecting the opposition flag bearer is too important to be left to politicians alone,” Masinde said during the platform’s launch in July.
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He added that the movement is independently funded and has engaged opposition leaders to assure them that the exercise is not intended to favour any individual candidate.
According to the Advisory Committee, the August 23 debate will offer the leading contenders an opportunity to present their visions before a subsequent vote determines the opposition’s preferred presidential ticket ahead of the 2027 General Election.
The online vote remains open at wantamcandidate.com, with the results dashboard updating automatically every 30 seconds.
