Former Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua has challenged former Cabinet Secretary Justin Muturi and former Interior Cabinet Secretary Fred Matiang’i to demonstrate their ability to mobilise voters, deepening differences among opposition leaders seeking to unite against President William Ruto.
Gachagua dismissed accusations that he was bullying fellow politicians, insisting that defeating Ruto in the 2027 General Election would require grassroots mobilisation rather than political prominence.
“When I tell some we wake up and work, they say I am bullying them. No!” he said.
He questioned the electoral influence of leaders who, he argued, had failed to demonstrate their ability to win support at the grassroots.
“If you cannot defeat him in your polling station, how can you defeat him in the whole of Kenya?” he posed.
Gachagua accused the two leaders of spending more time criticising his political strategy than building their support bases, insisting that votes could not be won through meetings in hotels, boardrooms and television interviews.
“Get out and look for votes. You cannot lecture us when you are not getting out to look for votes. Kenyans are not stupid; they can see who is working and who is not,” he said.
His remarks followed criticism from Matiang’i and Muturi, who have accused him of arrogance, political bullying and promoting ethnic politics at a time when the opposition is seeking to build a united front against Ruto.
Matiang’i, who leads the Jubilee Party, warned that Gachagua's approach could undermine efforts to unite the opposition.
“That majoritarian arrogance and that particular pride is precisely what is going to split the opposition and make it very difficult for the opposition to come together,” Matiang’i said in an interview with NTV.
Muturi, the Democratic Party leader, has also accused Gachagua of attempting to dominate opposition politics, arguing that no individual or community has a monopoly on the presidency.
But Gachagua defended his position, citing his experience as Ruto's running mate in the 2022 elections, when Kenya Kwanza secured victory.
“As an experienced politician, as somebody who has delivered the presidency before, there is no other formula for sending William Ruto home unless you go out and mobilise numbers,” he said.
He argued that opposition leaders should establish their electoral strength before settling on a presidential candidate.
“Politics is a game of numbers. The science of politics is numbers,” he said, adding that with an estimated 26 million registered voters, the opposition needed at least 13 million plus one vote to win.
The disagreement comes as opposition leaders continue consultations on how to challenge Ruto in the 2027 elections. They have yet to agree on a joint presidential candidate.
Kalonzo Musyoka has cautioned Nairobi Senator Edwin Sifuna against allowing his supporters to declare him the opposition's presidential candidate before consultations are completed. Sifuna's Linda Mwananchi movement has also been pushing for a new direction in opposition politics.
Gachagua has maintained that the opposition should eventually field one candidate against Ruto, despite the differences among its leaders.
“I want to assure the people of Kenya that we have committed ourselves to having one single presidential candidate to face William Ruto and send him home,” he said.
“Whatever differences we may have, they cannot change our commitment to having one presidential candidate.”
