Jubilee presidential candidate Fred Matiang’i and Kiharu MP Ndindi Nyoro during a rally in Narok town /HANDOUT
Political observers are questioning whether the two are quietly building a new political centre ahead of next year’s election.
The two have in recent weeks increasingly appeared together, preaching opposition unity and cooperation across party lines.
Their joint appearances in Murang’a and Sunday’s activities in Narok have fuelled speculation about a possible political partnership between Jubilee and PPK. Recent reports have documented their joint engagements and calls for opposition unity.
This is particularly so as DCP leader Rigathi Gachagua on Sunday also said one of the united opposition principals would decamp if he is not named as the presidential flagbearer.
“I want to prophesy today, not because I am a prophet but based on experience, foresight and understanding of Kenyan politics, history will repeat itself. One presidential candidate will be announced, one person will go away. That one person will go away on his own,” he said.
Gachagua compared the situation with 2002, when opposition parties rallied behind Mwai Kibaki under the “Kibaki Tosha” campaign, while Simeon Nyachae launched his presidential bid.
This came days after he omitted other presidential aspirants as he listed his preferred candidates for the opposition.
The growing closeness has also unsettled some members of Matiang’i’s Jubilee camp, who are understood to be questioning the nature and political objective of his emerging alliance with Nyoro.
Former Nyeri Town MP Ngunjiri Wambugu has questioned the new relationship, which he noted is undermining the interests of Jubilee in the Mt Kenya region.
Nyoro’s PPK, like Jubilee, has its base in Mt Kenya.
“Clearly, Matiang’i has yet to learn that he must build his own party before cosying up to leaders of other parties,” Ngunjiri protested.
According to Ngunjiri, Matiang’i appears not to be sure if Jubilee can win Central and therefore needs to partner with another party from the region.
The move, he warned, will hurt Jubilee candidates who will compete with those of Nyoro’s PPK.
“Matiang’i does not believe Jubilee can directly win a seat and must partner with somebody from Mt Kenya. He is doing exactly the same thing with Ndindi Nyoro,” Ngunjiri, who has declared interest in the Jubilee chairmanship, said.
“Unless his intention is to undermine the aspirations of every other political aspirant in Mt Kenya and sacrifice them for his own presidential ambitions, he needs to realise that he will not be the only candidate Jubilee presents to voters in 2027.”
Speaking to the Star, Alfred Makotsi sees the Matiang’i-Nyoro relationship as a likely third force within the opposition that is trying to create its space ahead of the 2027 contest.
“Yes, and it is not entirely surprising. The emerging political bromance between Matiang’i and Nyoro could signal the formation of a new political centre within Kenya’s broader opposition,” Makotsi told the Star.
“Nyoro’s PPK appears not to have found comfortable space within the united opposition, partly because of the unease his party generates in parts of Central Kenya, much like Jubilee did in the recent past. Jubilee now appears increasingly confined to Kisii politics, while PPK is positioning itself to consolidate Central Kenya.”
The Mandela Washington Fellow 2025 further links retired President Uhuru Kenyatta with the emerging partnership, saying it has his blessings.
“Interestingly, Uhuru Kenyatta appears to remain an important architect behind both political formations. This could therefore be the emergence of a distinct faction within the wider opposition,” he stated.
University don Prof Gitile Naituli, however, downplayed the emerging romance, ruling out talk of a new political centre.
He said the new relationship should be seen through the lens of different players mobilising to send President William Ruto home.
“Every Kenyan within the opposition want Ruto to go. They [Matiang’i and Nyoro] will therefore support the joint candidate,” Naituli told the Star.
“They have been friends for a long time and they are free to mobilise.”
The developments come against the backdrop of a fluid opposition landscape, with Gachagua warning that one of the opposition principals could walk away once a single presidential candidate is selected.
Matiang’i, however, has signalled that his commitment to the opposition goes beyond his own presidential ambitions.
Speaking at Dominion Chapel Ministries International in Olerai, Narok county, Matiang’i said opposition leaders should be prepared to support a joint presidential candidate even if they are not the one chosen to lead the coalition.
He said leaders should prioritise unity over individual ambitions, arguing the opposition’s focus should be on addressing what he described as the country’s current challenges.
“Even if we do not get the presidential candidate role, we must remain united to send this administration home,” he said.
Nyoro has meanwhile insisted his PPK vehicle is intended to enlarge the opposition rather than weaken it, as he seeks to build a national political base.
Gatanga MP Edward Muriu, a close ally of Gachagua, on Monday said he had been tasked by Gachagua, Kalonzo, Nairobi Senator Edwin Sifuna and Matiang’i to prepare a coalition formula for the 2027 election.
Muriu said the four leaders had committed themselves to supporting a single presidential candidate and instructed him, in his capacity as a senior counsel in the “Alternative Government”, to prepare a draft coalition working formula for signing by the principals.
He said he would bring together like-minded lawyers from the “Wantam Brigade” to develop the blueprint within days.
Instant analysis
With opposition leaders yet to settle on a flag bearer, the Matiang’i-Nyoro axis is likely to remain a subject of intense scrutiny as the race for political alliances enters a critical phase.
