Nairobi Senator Edwin Sifuna has sharpened his attack on President William Ruto as opposition leaders weigh how to unite behind a candidate capable of challenging him in the 2027 election.
Sifuna, who has emerged as one of the more prominent voices in the opposition, says ordinary Kenyans understand what his political movement is trying to achieve. He has also dismissed questions about his experience, arguing that his growing support matters more than the years he has spent in national politics.
The senator has been touring the country with the Linda Mwananchi movement, seeking to build support beyond his Nairobi base. During a recent tour of Western Kenya, he declared that the opposition had gained ground in several parts of the country and that President Ruto faced a difficult contest in 2027.
Sifuna’s rise has added a new dimension to opposition negotiations. Several established politicians, including Wiper leader Kalonzo Musyoka, are also seeking a role in determining the coalition’s presidential ticket.
Kalonzo has said opposition leaders are organizing themselves rather than relying on retired President Uhuru Kenyatta to lead the effort against President Ruto.
“We are organizing ourselves to face Ruto and nobody will do it for us,” Kalonzo said in Embu earlier this month.
The question now is whether the competing ambitions can be brought under one roof.
Kalonzo has confirmed that Azimio leaders are engaging several opposition figures, including Sifuna, former Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua, former Justice David Maraga and former Cabinet secretary Martha Karua. No final presidential ticket has been announced.
A possible Kalonzo-Sifuna pairing has consequently entered political discussions. Some leaders backing Sifuna believe his appeal among younger voters could complement Kalonzo’s longer experience in national politics. But the idea remains part of wider negotiations, rather than an agreed opposition ticket.
Sifuna’s electoral record is one reason his supporters believe he deserves a place at the center of those talks. In the 2022 election, he won the Nairobi Senate seat with more than 716,000 votes, according to official election results.
That figure has since become part of the argument made by his allies about his political reach. But a Senate election in Nairobi is not directly comparable with a presidential contest, which requires a candidate to build support across the country.
Kalonzo, meanwhile, retains a significant political base and experience. His Wiper party won 26 National Assembly seats in the 2022 election, according to election records.
The opposition’s central challenge is therefore not simply choosing a popular candidate. It is preventing the rival ambitions of its leaders from fragmenting the vote.
That concern has been voiced by politicians on both sides of the emerging alliance. While some opposition figures argue that a single candidate is essential to defeating President Ruto, others continue to position their own leaders for the top seat.
Kalonzo has ruled out a power-sharing arrangement with the president and said the opposition’s next major political engagement with President Ruto will be at the ballot box in 2027.
For Sifuna, the task is now to turn the enthusiasm surrounding his tours into a broader national coalition. For Kalonzo and other opposition leaders, it is to decide whether that momentum can be accommodated without undermining their own ambitions.
With the election still a year away, the opposition has time to settle the question. But its ability to do so without an internal fight may prove just as important as its choice of candidate.
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