Former President Uhuru Kenyatta and opposition leaders during the burial of Martha Karua's father in Kirinyaga on Saturday/ HANDOUTOpposition leaders will seek the advise of former President Uhuru Kenyatta to broker a deal if the principals fail to agree on one candidate to face President William Ruto at the ballot next year.
Democracy for Citizens Party leader Rigathi Gachagua Uhuru's role won't be to lead or fund opposition activities, but to act as an arbiter to resolve disagreements over a joint candidate against Ruto.
He said the former head of state would act as an elder and help the competing camps reach a deal if their ambitions threaten to split the alliance.
“If we have any challenges when we are talking among ourselves, and we need an elder to guide us so that we don’t fight each other so much, we will invite him as our elder to be there for us.”
“That is the only role we can ask Uhuru Kenyatta to play,” he said.
The revelations could cement Ruto’s assertions that his former boss is at the center of the opposition unity against him.
Ruto and his allies have been attacking Uhuru, accusing him of sponsoring the opposition leaders to unite against him.
Gachagua’s revelation, however, places Uhuru in a politically difficult position.
The former President has links to nearly every major player in the emerging opposition alliance — and has already shown a preference for some over others.
Uhuru has previously endorsed former Interior Cabinet Secretary Fred Matiang’i, recently installing him as his successor as Jubilee Party leader.
Matiang’i, regarded as Mr Fix-It during Uhuru’s administration, was among the former President’s most trusted Cabinet secretaries.
Uhuru could therefore face a difficult choice if negotiations favour another candidate.
He also maintains close ties with Wiper leader Kalonzo Musyoka, whom he reportedly persuaded to abandon his presidential ambitions in 2022 and support Raila Odinga’s ticket alongside Martha Karua.
Gachagua presents another dilemma.
The two fell out during the 2022 campaigns after Uhuru backed Raila against Ruto, but have since reconciled, with Gachagua apologising to the former President.
Gachagua has since established himself as a powerful political voice in the Mt Kenya region, inheriting much of the voter base previously controlled by Uhuru.
Ignoring his influence during negotiations could prove politically costly.
Nairobi Senator Edwin Sifuna’s rising profile adds another dimension to the contest, with recent opinion polls placing him among the most preferred opposition figures to challenge Ruto.
During the burial of Karua’s father in Kirinyaga on Saturday, Uhuru urged opposition aspirants to unite behind one candidate.
“Those eying the presidency, including Karua, Gachagua, Kalonzo, Matiang’i, Sifuna, Kenyans are saying you get into a room and fight if you will fight but give us one candidate to take Kasongo home,” Kirinyaga Woman Representative Jane Njeri said.
Uhuru asked the gathering whether it agreed with Njeri’s position, reinforcing calls for a united opposition.
The former President has repeatedly faced attacks from Ruto and his allies, who accuse him of sponsoring efforts to remove the President from office.
“Hata wakinitukana, wananiita sponsor, rebel leader, mlevi, sijui kesho wataniita nini. Mimi nawaangalia, nacheka (Even if they abuse me, calling me sponsor, rebel leader, drunkard. I don't know what they'll call me tomorrow. I just watch them and laugh),” Uhuru said.
Uhuru also revisited the 2022 election, arguing that Mount Kenya voters ignored his advice at their own expense.
“I am happy, even after you people refused to listen to me. That is upon you. When I told you, you were making the wrong decision, you all thought you knew better,” he said.
He added that Kenya would have made greater progress had Raila and Karua united with the backing of his political camp.
Gachagua, meanwhile, insisted that the opposition did not need Uhuru’s financial support, accusing Ruto of attacking a retired President who would not appear on the ballot.
He claimed Ruto was increasingly worried about the opposition’s growing strength, citing Sifuna’s popularity, his own influence in Mt Kenya and discontent in regions that previously supported the President.
INSTANT ANALYSIS
Rigathi Gachagua has revealed Uhuru Kenyatta’s emerging role as a potential arbiter in the opposition’s 2027 unity push. Gachagua’s proposal places Uhuru in a delicate position, given his ties to Matiang’i, Kalonzo, Karua, Gachagua and Sifuna. The central political question is whether he can help broker one candidate without appearing partisan. It also exposes Ruto’s growing concern over opposition consolidation and Uhuru’s continuing influence despite his retirement from active politics.
