NAIROBI, Kenya- Nyandarua Senator John Methu has urged opposition leaders to strengthen their support bases across the country, saying they can defeat President William Ruto in 2027 if they coordinate their efforts.
Speaking on Sunday, during a Live TV interview on Citizen TV, the Democracy for the Citizens Party (DCP) secretary-general designate said the opposition did not need to campaign from one centre to be united.
“The fact that we are hunting from different directions does not mean that we are not united,” Methu said. “We can’t all hunt from the same direction.”
He argued that each opposition leader should consolidate their regional support before the coalition settles on a presidential candidate.
He described this as the most effective way to deny Ruto a second term.
Methu’s comments come as opposition leaders face the challenge of building a united front ahead of the 2027 election.
Several figures have been mentioned as possible flagbearers, including Wiper leader Kalonzo Musyoka, DCP leader Rigathi Gachagua, Jubilee Party leader Fred Matiang’i, Martha Karua, Eugene Wamalwa and Justin Muturi.
Gachagua has called on the principals to concentrate on grassroots mobilisation as they work towards a joint candidate.
Methu said he trusted Kalonzo, pointing to the Wiper leader’s support for Gachagua during the 2024 impeachment process, when, he said, backing the former deputy president was politically difficult.
He also praised Nairobi Senator Edwin Sifuna for consistently calling for Ruto to leave office, saying Sifuna’s position showed he could not be compromised.
But Methu warned that opposition unity could be vulnerable to political offers and defections.
He said he would not be surprised if some opposition figures were “bought off” and claimed that offers were being made to leaders in the coalition.
The senator also said Gachagua had taken time off after driving the opposition’s mobilisation, and that the leader’s absence was an opportunity for DCP to demonstrate that it was not a one-man show.
Gachagua is on an extended United States tour, and Methu has taken a prominent role in domestic party activities.
He was appointed secretary-general designate in May and led DCP’s campaign in the Ol Kalou by-election.
Methu also renewed his criticism of Ruto’s government, saying Mount Kenya residents who helped elect the President were now among those being “tormented the most.”
He said the opposition was not against development but demanded transparency, arguing that “Kenya is not your private company.”
As an example, he questioned the cost of the Rironi–Mau Summit road. Methu said a French company had been awarded a Sh160 billion tender under former President Uhuru Kenyatta, which Ruto cancelled after taking office, before awarding the project to China Road and Bridge Corporation (CRBC) at KSh207 billion.
Government sources describe the current highway works as a public-private partnership involving CRBC and the National Social Security Fund.
The government has cited a cost of about US$863 million for the project, while recent reports have used different shilling estimates.
Methu said he remained confident Ruto will be removed from office, regardless of the President’s financial resources, if Kenyans had made that choice.
He described Ruto’s record as a “disaster for the nation” and said the opposition would rather elect any other candidate.
