Kiharu MP Ndindi Nyoro’s entry into the presidential contest has injected a new dynamic into the race, amid growing concerns that a fractured opposition could split the anti-Ruto vote.
Nyoro’s declaration came just days after Siaya Governor James Orengo also announced his presidential bid, throwing the Linda Mwananchi brigade into fresh uncertainty.
The competing ambitions comes as the opposition grapples with identification of a single presidential flag bearer.
While Nyoro has openly declared his intention to seek the joint opposition presidential ticket, his entry has not been warmly received by DCP leader Rigathi Gachagua and his allies.
Embakasi Central MP Benjamin Gathiru has labelled Nyoro deceitful and dismissed his presidential bid as part of what he described as a wider strategy to divide the Mount Kenya vote.
“People already know that the party belongs to Ruto and that their objective is to divide the Mt Kenya votes. Within the next few months, the truth will come out,” Gathiru said.
The same concerns have been echoed by allies of Wiper leader Kalonzo Musyoka, signaling potential hurdles for Nyoro as he seeks to build alliances within the opposition.
“There are many questions about what is happening between Nyoro and Ruto,” Makueni Senator Dan Maanzo, a key Kalonzo ally, posed. “The issues of Kenya Power shares and shares in other companies need to be explained. There is a past between him and Ruto that is not clear for us.”
With this suspicion hanging over his bid, there are growing fears that Nyoro could go all the way to the ballot.
His candidature could eat into the Mount Kenya vote, potentially giving Ruto an advantage in what is expected to be a closely fought presidential election.
In 2022, Ruto defeated Raila Odinga by just about 200,000 votes, underscoring how even a relatively small shift in the vote could prove decisive in 2027.
Kiharu MP Ndindi Nyoro has thrown himself into the 2027 presidential race, declaring he is ready to face President William Ruto.
His declaration has triggered a fresh battle over who commands the anti-Ruto vote, adding a new twist to opposition’s ticket headache.
Nyoro, who leads the People’s Party of Kenya, says he is best placed to face President Ruto and deliver a victory.
As such, he wants opposition leaders, among them Kalonzo Musyoka and Rigathi Gachagua, to rally behind him as their single candidate.
The former chairman of the powerful National Assembly Budget and Appropriations Committee made the declaration in a television interview.
“I don’t believe there is a person more prepared in Kenya to lead this country than Ndindi Nyoro,” he told Citizen TV. “I can beat Ruto hands down. Tell me how he can beat me.”
The assertion ended months of speculation over his political plans following his fallout with Ruto.
Nyoro said his interest was not simply about replacing Ruto but changing the direction of the country, particularly its economic policies.
He said he was already engaging opposition leaders with the aim of building consensus around a single presidential candidate.
“I am canvassing with opposition leaders to buy into our agenda then go have serious consultations and get one ticket,” he said.
The declaration has, however, immediately raised questions within opposition circles.
Of particular concern is its implications for former Deputy President Gachagua’s attempt to consolidate the Mt Kenya vote.
For months, Gachagua has positioned himself as the leading political force in the region and a central figure in the effort to unseat Ruto.
Nyoro’s decision to launch a presidential bid therefore threatens to complicate that strategy since him and the Kiharu MP comes from the same political base.
Pundits argue that should Nyoro remain in the race, he could potentially divide the region’s vote at a time Gachagua is seeking to marshal it behind a single opposition ticket.
His entry has also revived suspicions among some opposition leaders who view him as another possible 'project'.
Gachagua had described Nyoro's outfit as yet 'another wheelbarrow' allegedly being positioned to fragment the anti-Ruto vote.
The opposition faces a sensitive moment, and is yet to settle on a presidential candidate amid pressure to unite ahead of the election.
Gachagua’s allies have been working to consolidate the Mt Kenya vote while Kalonzo Musyoka’s camp has been positioning the Wiper leader as the best choice.
At the same time, the emerging Linda Mwananchi outfit has been struggling with competing ambitions.
Siaya Governor James Orengo has also insisted that he could be the best candidate to take on Ruto.
Orengo’s position has stirred tension with Nairobi Senator Edwin Sifuna and Embakasi East MP Babu Owino.
The competing bids have raised concerns that the opposition could enter the election divided despite widespread anti-government sentiment.
Gachagua allies are particularly jittery about Nyoro’s move.
Embakasi Central MP Benjamin Gathiru, a staunch ally of Gachagua, dismissed Nyoro’s candidacy, claiming it was an attempt to divide Mt Kenya.
“People already know that the party belongs to Ruto and that their objective is to divide the Mt Kenya votes. Within the next few months, the truth will come out,” Gathiru said.
He further alleged that Nyoro had been close to Ruto for years and questioned his political break with the President.
“Nyoro is a deceitful man. He never condemned the attack on Gen Zs. He was the main proponent of the 2024 Finance Bill,” Gathiru said.
He further accused Nyoro of having opposed Gachagua even before the former DP was impeached and of using his position as Budget committee chairman to build influence among MPs.
“He was moving with MPs in choppers every weekend, dishing out goodies. He was using the seat of Budget Committee chairman to rule MPs, and undermine Gachagua,” he said.
The MP also questioned Nyoro’s conduct during Gachagua’s impeachment, arguing that his decision to abstain from voting exposed his political calculations.
“He should have showed direction but decided to abstain. He remained quiet until he was removed from Budget committee,” he said.
Gathiru further claimed Nyoro could eventually join the opposition caucus, only to walk away if he is not given the presidential ticket.
“He is just waiting for admission into the opposition caucus, wait for the team to declare its candidate and bolt out with people if he’s not chosen,” he said.
“Come next year, if he is not named, he’ll walk out in protest and create a perception that the opposition is breaking apart.”
He also challenged Nyoro to explain his past business links with Ruto and suggested he could be part of efforts to create a third force.
“He is no threat. The people understand. Let him come out and explain his business links with Ruto. We believe he is among those working on creating a third force,” Gathiru said.
Makueni Senator Dan Maanzo, an insider in the Kalonzo Musyoka camp, also questioned Nyoro’s break with Ruto and his decision not to work with Gachagua.
“There are many questions of what is happening between Nyoro and Ruto. The issues of Kenya Power shares and shares in other companies need to be explained. There is a past between him and Ruto that is not clear for us,” Maanzo said.
He argued that Nyoro had not sufficiently demonstrated that he had broken with the President.
“We believe he is playing a Kenneth Matiba card. He has not gelled with the opposition, and is a self-declared party leader,” he said.
“He must properly explain his past with Ruto. How comes he doesn’t want to team up with Rigathi? I feel he is being set up for failure.”
Maanzo said the opposition could not afford to field two presidential candidates from the same region.
“We can’t have two candidates from one region so karata yake tunaionea 18,” he said.
He also questioned Orengo’s presidential ambitions, arguing that the competition could weaken rather than strengthen the opposition.
Political communication consultant and analyst Eric Kigara said Nyoro risked following the path taken by former presidential aspirant Peter Kenneth.
He argued that Nyoro had entered a political lane where Gachagua already had a head start.
“Kenneth’s mistake was drifting between coalitions for a decade without ever picking a lane decisively enough to be trusted with real power. Nyoro just picked a lane nobody in Mt Kenya is currently travelling on,” Kigara said.
According to Kigara, Nyoro’s biggest challenge would be whether voters and opposition leaders can trust him enough to hand him the mantle.
“Whether he has the trust is now the only question that matters, and right now, the evidence is not on his side.”
Kiambu Senator Karungo wa Thang’wa, another Gachagua ally, gave a more blunt assessment.
“Ndindi Nyoro is a spy. If you bring him in as a party leader, he will listen to your plans and report back to William Ruto!” he said.
Thang’wa further alleged that Nyoro had been cultivated during Gachagua’s tenure as Deputy President.
“They started grooming Ndindi Nyoro during the early days of Gachagua’s time in office as Deputy President. He will never stand with the people of Kenya because he wants to please someone. We cannot trust him!” he said.
Political commentator Mutahi Ngunyi has previously suggested that the emerging political contest involving younger leaders could have a longer-term objective beyond the 2027 election.
“Come 2032, we will have a Generational Succession. For Nyoro and Sifuna, 2027 is just a dry run trial,” Ngunyi said.
He posed the question: “What is wrong if Ruto created both of them? Clever?”
