Sifuna signals grand alliance with Gachagua, Kalonzo to beat Ruto

Embattled ODM secretary general Edwin Sifuna has signalled willingness to join the wider opposition in a bid to derail President William Ruto’s 2027 reelection campaign.

The move has rattled sections of his own party and reignited simmering tensions within ODM.

In a candid interview on NTV on yesterday morning, the Nairobi senator declared that his Linda Mwananchi outfit and the emerging united opposition must close ranks if they are to mount a credible challenge against the incumbent.

“We must approach this election as a unit,” Sifuna said when asked about overtures from opposition figures. “We must be one force against William Ruto. I want to assure those who think that our movement is going to split the vote, that that is not our intention.”

Sifuna framed the 2027 contest not merely as a battle for State House but as a referendum on Ruto’s leadership.

“There is a general acceptance among Kenyans that we need an overwhelming repudiation of William Ruto and everything he stands for. It has to be overwhelming. We must beat William Ruto by at least five million votes,” he said.

His remarks have been interpreted by critics within ODM as confirmation that his faction is drifting away from the party’s traditional posture.

The backlash was swift and sharp.

Homa Bay Town MP Peter Kaluma accused Sifuna of having mentally exited ODM long before the death of party leader Raila Odinga.

“Sifuna left ODM long before Baba died,” Kaluma said, referring to the Nairobi senator’s long-standing opposition to the broad-based government arrangement. “He [Sifuna] is a rank outsider mourning the opportunity for political growth he has lost by leaving ODM for the enemy.”

Key figures orbiting the Sifuna axis include Embakasi East MP Babu Owino and Siaya Governor James Orengo.

Both have maintained a critical stance toward the Kenya Kwanza administration and are seen as sympathetic to calls for a consolidated opposition front.

Notably, when pressed during the interview, Sifuna declined to state whether he intends to vie for the presidency in 2027.

Instead, he emphasised the need for a decisive collective effort.

Using a hunting analogy, Sifuna suggested that opposition unity need not mean uniformity.

“When you go hunting for an animal that is dangerous, you don’t all come from one direction.”

The metaphor hints at a coordinated but multi-pronged strategy — regional and political fronts converging on a single objective: unseating the incumbent.

Observers say this signals an inevitable parting of ways between Sifuna’s team and the faction aligned with ODM leader Oburu Oginga.

It also clarifies the once-murky political alliances surrounding the Linda Mwananchi team.

Several leaders associated with Sifuna are known allies of prominent opposition figures.

Kisii Senator Richard Onyonka and Kitutu Chache South MP Anthony Kibagendi are linked to former Interior Cabinet Secretary Fred Matiang’i.

They have been part of the opposition campaigns in Gusii over the last two days.

Mavoko MP Patrick Makau is an ally of Wiper leader Kalonzo Musyoka, while blogger Pauline Njoroge has long been associated with former President Uhuru Kenyatta.

The team’s branding — predominantly blue rather than ODM’s traditional orange — has further fuelled speculation about its political trajectory, despite members insisting they remain in the party.

The prospect of teaming up with former Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua has unsettled some ODM stalwarts.

Kileleshwa MCA Robert Alai questioned the logic of aligning with leaders who were have all along been adversaries of Raila.

“It is ironic that they are doing this and asking us to work with Rigathi Gachagua, who fought us during the high cost of living protests,” Alai said. “They need to reveal their true intentions. Baba was clear that we don't follow sloganeering leaders.”

Kaluma went further, warning that “Gachagua men hiding among us” would be exposed at the party’s National Delegates Convention slated for March.

Kakamega Governor Ayub Savula said that Sifuna’s team risks irrelevance if it formally joins the United Opposition.

“Realistically, returning to ODM may be their only viable option. If they join the united opposition, they risk playing second fiddle. The leading figures in that camp are established presidential contenders with their own parties,” Savula said.

Despite the criticism, groundwork for broader cooperation appears to be underway.

DAP-K leader Eugene Wamalwa recently indicated openness to engaging Sifuna’s faction.

For the ousted ODM secretary general, the gamble is clear: that only a united, disciplined and numerically overwhelming coalition can defeat an incumbent President wielding the full machinery of the state.

“We are not under any illusion that it is going to be easy [to beat Ruto on the ballot]. This guy has the state… we know we are up against a very wily politician. You have to give him his flowers. He knows his stuff,” Sifuna said.

“All of us must agree on a formula that will take this gentleman home.”

On the government side, there is little public anxiety.

Deputy President Kithure Kindiki, speaking during a tour of Mbeere South, dismissed opposition manoeuvres.

“We are busy working for the people. We cannot be compared with our opponents, who have nothing to do but engage in idle talk,” Kindiki said.

Meanwhile, President Ruto continues to crisscross the country, pushing his economic agenda and consolidating support.

INSTANT ANALYSIS

Sifuna has thrown down the gauntlet. Whether others will rally behind his call for an ‘overwhelming repudiation’, as he calls it, remains to be seen. If he calls for a five-million-vote margin gains traction, the 2027 election could transform into a referendum-style battle pitting the government versus a united front.