Veteran Kenyan opposition leader Kalonzo Musyoka has claimed he is surging ahead of President William Ruto in unpublished opinion polls, predicting a first-round knockout in the 2027 presidential race that would spare the country a bruising runoff.
Speaking at a lively forum for lawyers from Kenya’s southeastern region in Machakos, the Wiper Patriotic Front chief dismissed talk of a “50% plus one” deadlock.
“As we speak, I am so much ahead of him in the opinion polls, so much ahead,” Mr Musyoka told the crowd… “That is why you have begun hearing of 50+1; we will not reach there.”
The 72-year-old former vice-president, who has long played kingmaker in Kenyan politics, emphasised unity within the nascent United Opposition coalition as the key to ending Ruto’s tenure after one term.
“Our main focus is to ensure that the United Opposition stays united,” he said. “If we succeed in this focus, William Ruto will be a one-term president.”
Mr Musyoka, whose Kamba base is yet to ‘taste the presidency,’ touted growing cross-community backing. He claimed “internal research and intelligence” showed 88% readiness among other groups to support a Kamba-led bid, the highest ever, and singled out the Luo-dominated Nyanza region as a breakthrough.
“I can tell you the Luos are listening to us,” he said of recent outreach visits, including to the funeral of Beryl Odinga, sister of opposition icon Raila Odinga. “If there is a community that believes in justice, it is Luo Nyanza; I even reminded them today.”
In Gusii country, Mr Musyoka hinted at bolstering his ticket with former interior minister Fred Matiang’i, a popular figure from the region.
The boasts come amid opposition disarray after stinging by-election losses last month to Ruto’s United Democratic Alliance and ally Orange Democratic Movement.
Earlier polls painted a bleaker picture for Mr Musyoka’s Wiper party, ranking it fifth with just 4% support. Mr Musyoka previously branded such surveys as Ruto-sponsored fabrications.
Meanwhile, President William Ruto has hailed the unity displayed within his broad-based government, crediting it for the coalition’s resounding victories in the recent by-elections.
The President described the cross-party collaboration as proof that political cohesion remains a winning formula, adding that the same spirit of teamwork will steer the administration all the way to the 2027 general election.
