Former Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua has told President William Ruto to abandon efforts of wwoing Opposition leaders, insisting that none of the key political figures will join him ahead of the 2027 general election.
Gachagua said Opposition leaders had reached an understanding that they would remain united and rally behind a single presidential candidate to challenge Ruto in the next election.
Speaking during a church service at AIC Bathi in Kimende, Kiambu county, on Sunday, Gachagua said leaders he had met individually had committed to working with him.
"Ruto, let me tell you not to wait for anybody from the Opposition. They are not available. Do not wait for Sifuna, he is not available," the DCP leader said.
He cited Nairobi Senator Edwin Sifuna, Jubilee Party leader Fred Matiang'i, Wiper leader Kalonzo Musyoka and People's Liberation Party leader Martha Karua as among those he claimed had ruled out joining the President.
"Martha Karua has confirmed to us, she can never join Ruto. You already know Martha, do not even wait for her. Don't wait for Matiang'i and me, of course you know my stand," he said.
"And I want to tell you that all those leaders I have met individually have committed to unity. I have asked Nairobi Senator Edwin Sifuna if he could abandon us, he swore never. Jubilee Party leader Fred Matiang'i also ruled it out.”
The former Deputy President said Opposition leaders had agreed that none of them would defect to Ruto's camp once they settled on a joint presidential candidate.
"We have all agreed that after we name one candidate, we have all agreed that none of us will join Ruto," he said.
Gachagua also promised to play a central role in bringing together Opposition leaders and facilitating the identification of a single candidate to face the President.
"I want to assure the people of Kenya that Gachagua will make whatever sacrifices, create time and opportunity, reach out and will play a central role in identification of the joint candidate to face Ruto," he said.
He added that Kenyans would begin seeing progress in Opposition unity negotiations before Christmas, insisting that the coalition would not split under his watch.
"Before Christmas we will start to see how things are shaping. Opposition will not split under my watch. I will be working very hard to unite the Opposition," he said.
He rejected the findings of a recent opinion poll that identified him as the politician most frequently blamed for disagreements within the Opposition, saying he was instead at the forefront of efforts to unite the political camps.
A survey by TIFA Research and Consulting released on November 12 found that 43 per cent of Opposition supporters identified Gachagua as the figure most responsible for divisions among Opposition leaders. President Ruto and the UDA government followed at 15 per cent, while Sifuna was cited by seven per cent.
Gachagua dismissed the findings as misleading, insisting that he had been reaching out to rival camps to build a united front against the President.
"That recent poll that said Gachagua is the divisive leader in Opposition is misleading. I am the one bringing the Opposition together," he said.
He maintained that he would continue engaging different political leaders to ensure they agree on a common presidential candidate, adding that internal disagreements would not derail their plans to challenge Ruto in 2027.
