Kirinyaga Governor Anne Waiguru has cast doubt on Nairobi Senator Edwin Sifuna’s presidential ambitions in the 2027 General Election, arguing that competing interests among opposition leaders could stand in the way of his bid.
Waiguru said she believes Sifuna has the potential to become president but not in the next election, predicting that established opposition leaders Kalonzo Musyoka and Fred Matiang’i would be unwilling to abandon their own ambitions in his favour.
“I don’t think he has reached there yet,” she said during an interview on Citizen TV on Sunday night, citing several factors that could complicate his quest for the opposition ticket.
“Sifuna has said he is determined to go to the ballot, so will Kalonzo and so is Matiang’i,” she said.
Waiguru, who is eyeing the Deputy President slot on the United Democratic Alliance (UDA) ticket, said the chances of the other opposition leaders sacrificing their ambitions to support Sifuna were “almost non-existent”.
“And he’s assuming that they will choose him as the candidate. I don’t see Kalonzo, for example, agreeing to deputise him,” she said, adding that some of Kalonzo’s supporters had indicated they would rather shift to President William Ruto’s camp if the Wiper leader were not the opposition candidate.
“We have had similar sentiments from Kisii that if it’s not Matiang’i, they will go to Ruto. So, Sifuna, I believe, has a future, but I don’t think that future is 2027,” Waiguru said.
Sifuna has declared his intention to contest the presidency in 2027, positioning himself as a potential challenger to Ruto amid efforts by opposition leaders to agree on a single candidate.
The first-term senator has maintained that he will settle for “nothing short of the presidency”, dismissing concerns about his political experience and lack of executive experience.
His presidential bid has emerged from a turbulent split with the Orange Democratic Movement (ODM), where he served as secretary general.
He is now anchoring his ambitions on the Equitable Party (TEP), which he intends to rebrand under the Linda Mwananchi banner.
Sifuna’s growing profile has put him in competition with established opposition figures whose support could prove crucial in building a united challenge against Ruto.
His political messaging has focused on the cost of living, public debt transparency, fiscal accountability, resistance to aggressive taxation, constitutionalism and civil liberties.
The movement has also embraced public crowdfunding, relying on small donations from supporters to finance its activities in stark departure from depending exclusively on wealthy political backers.
Ruto and his allies, however, have accused former President Uhuru Kenyatta of financing the opposition, an accusation he had flatly denied.
Despite Waiguru’s assessment, recent TIFA Research surveys have pointed to Sifuna’s growing appeal in presidential preference rankings.
In a survey released on July 24, Sifuna garnered 15 per cent, placing second to Ruto, who had 24 per cent. He was ahead of Matiang’i, who scored 14 per cent, Kalonzo at 13 per cent and former Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua at seven per cent.
The results marked a rise from a May 2–11 survey, in which Ruto led with 24 per cent, followed by Kalonzo at 19 per cent and Matiang’i at 14 per cent, while Sifuna registered 10 per cent.
The figures suggest that Sifuna’s support has grown, even as Waiguru questions whether that popularity can translate into the backing needed to secure the opposition ticket in 2027.
