NAIROBI, Kenya- DCP Leader Rigathi Gachagua says Kenya is approaching a political moment similar to the 2002 General Election, when opposition parties united behind one candidate and ended KANU’s long hold on power.
Speaking to KTN on Wednesday, October 28, the former Deputy President said he believed Kenyans across the country were calling for change and wanted President William Ruto to serve only one term.
He described the mood as a broad national movement that had emerged without opposition leaders having to organise it.
“We are having a 2002 moment in all facets,” Gachagua said, naming regions from the Coast and Nyanza to Western, the Rift Valley, Central, North Eastern and Nairobi.
He argued that the present political climate was different from 2002 because the opposition was challenging a sitting president rather than a candidate backed by an outgoing head of state.
“In 2002, people were united against a project of an outgoing president. Today they are united against a sitting president,” he said.
Gachagua’s description of a national consensus reflects his political assessment.
Opposition parties have yet to announce a joint presidential candidate, and negotiations over how to select one are continuing.
Opposition unity remains unresolved
The DCP leader said opposition politicians would need to settle on a single candidate if they hoped to defeat Ruto in the 2027 election.
He warned that leaders who chose to pursue separate presidential bids could find themselves politically isolated once the opposition agreed on its flagbearer.
Gachagua declined to name the politicians he believed might break ranks, saying Kenyans could judge their actions for themselves.
He has also urged opposition leaders to rein in supporters who attack potential coalition partners, arguing that such disputes could make it harder to build a united campaign.
Recent meetings have underlined the effort to bring opposition leaders together.
On October 26, Wiper Patriotic Front leader Kalonzo Musyoka and Democratic Action Party of Kenya leader Eugene Wamalwa met Gachagua at his Wamunyoro home in Nyeri County.
The leaders said they were committed to working towards one opposition candidate, while discussions over the timing and selection formula remain ongoing.
2002 election offers a historical comparison
In the 2002 election, opposition groups formed the National Rainbow Coalition and backed Mwai Kibaki against KANU’s Uhuru Kenyatta, who had been endorsed by then-President Daniel arap Moi.
Kibaki won the election, ending KANU’s uninterrupted rule since independence.
The result has since served as an example of how opposition unity can change the course of a presidential election.
Gachagua said he believed a similar convergence was taking shape ahead of 2027, although the opposition’s competing ambitions remain a challenge.
The DCP leader has said the opposition should agree on a candidate and reveal the choice at a strategically appropriate time. He has also maintained that the flagbearer should emerge through an agreed process, rather than be imposed by a small group of leaders.
President Ruto, meanwhile, has criticised the opposition for failing to settle on a candidate.
