Wiper Patriotic Front leader Kalonzo Musyoka has rejected calls from senior government officials to work with President William Ruto ahead of the 2027 General Election, saying he will not join an administration he accuses of failing Kenyans.
Speaking at a church service in Machakos on Sunday, November 1, Kalonzo said many people were suffering under the government and challenged the officials urging him to cross over to explain what he would be joining.
“No, thank you. I cannot join hands with you when you have done so much injustice to millions of Kenyans. Many Kenyans are suffering under this administration; what am I joining you to do? Thank you, but no!” he said.
The former Vice President said he intends to contest for the presidency and wants to face Ruto at the ballot.
“Let’s meet at the ballot. That is the aim. I cannot join hands with you. First do right with Kenyans who are suffering under this administration,” Kalonzo added.
His remarks came a day after Interior Cabinet Secretary Kipchumba Murkomen and other Kenya Kwanza leaders publicly urged him to leave the opposition and work with Ruto.
Murkomen said Kalonzo would be welcome in government and that his political and diplomatic experience would be respected.
Senate Majority Leader Aaron Cheruiyot and President’s aide Farouk Kibet also appealed to the Wiper leader to consider joining the ruling side.
Labour and Social Protection Cabinet Secretary Alfred Mutua also weighed in, saying Kalonzo’s chances of being selected as the opposition’s presidential candidate or running mate were slim.
Mutua said the President was ready to work with Kalonzo and others focused on development.
The appeals followed Kalonzo’s appearance at the launch of Nairobi Senator Edwin Sifuna’s Linda Mwananchi Movement headquarters in Nairobi on Friday.
Kalonzo was heckled after questioning the early endorsement of Sifuna as a possible opposition presidential candidate, arguing that consultations and formal procedures for choosing a joint flagbearer were still underway.
Murkomen condemned the heckling but also used the moment to invite Kalonzo into the broad-based government.
The government outreach has placed the Wiper leader at the centre of competing political calculations as opposition figures position themselves ahead of the 2027 election.
President Ruto has also made public appeals to Kalonzo during his recent tour of Ukambani, where he highlighted development projects and called on the Wiper leader to support his administration.
The region is regarded as a significant electoral base for Kalonzo, adding to the political importance of the overtures.
Kalonzo’s response signals that he intends to remain in the opposition for now, although the opposition’s process for selecting a presidential candidate remains unsettled.
He has previously said he would support another opposition candidate if selected through the agreed process, while maintaining his own ambition to be on the ballot.
