NAIROBI, Kenya- Former Cabinet Secretary Moses Kuria has dismissed Nairobi Senator Edwin Sifuna’s emerging presidential ambitions, claiming that the Linda Mwananchi politician is instead being positioned to become Wiper Leader Kalonzo Musyoka’s running mate in the 2027 General Election.
Kuria made the claim while discussing the emerging opposition alignment, alleging that Gachagua and former President Uhuru Kenyatta had already settled on Kalonzo as their preferred presidential candidate.
“Sifuna is being fattened for slaughter,” Kuria said.
He argued that Sifuna’s current efforts to build a national political profile were unlikely to culminate in a presidential nomination.
“The way to win the presidency is not what Sifuna is doing,” Kuria said.
According to Kuria, Sifuna was being prepared for a different role.
“Sifuna is being prepared to be a running mate to Kalonzo Musyoka,” he claimed.
A different reading of Sifuna’s strategy
Sifuna has increasingly presented himself as a national political figure, with his activities extending beyond Nairobi and his traditional ODM base.
His growing visibility has fuelled speculation about whether he could seek the presidency or another senior position in a future opposition coalition.
Kuria, however, believes the strategy is being misread.
His argument is that the opposition’s eventual presidential ticket will be built around Kalonzo, while younger politicians such as Sifuna will be required to strengthen the ticket rather than compete for its top position.
That would place Sifuna in a potentially influential but subordinate role within the proposed alliance.
Kuria’s claim also reflects the broader challenge facing the opposition: how to accommodate several politicians with presidential ambitions without triggering a split before the election.
Kalonzo’s advantage
The Wiper Leader offers the opposition something that younger aspirants may struggle to immediately match: a long national political career and established networks across Eastern Kenya and beyond.
If the opposition were to settle on Kalonzo, the coalition would then need a running mate capable of expanding its reach into another major voting bloc.
That is where Sifuna could theoretically fit the role Kuria has described.
As a former ODM politician with a strong profile in Nairobi and links to the wider Western and urban opposition electorate, Sifuna could provide a different demographic and geographic appeal to a Kalonzo ticket.
But this remains political speculation rather than an established coalition arrangement.
Gachagua’s role
Kuria’s argument places Gachagua at the centre of the proposed equation.
He claimed the former Deputy President has already decided that Kalonzo should be the opposition’s presidential candidate and that the remaining disagreement concerns who will control the eventual coalition.
“The candidate decided by Uhuru Kenyatta and Rigathi Gachagua is Kalonzo Musyoka,” Kuria said.
The claim comes as Gachagua continues to build his political base through the Democracy for Citizens Party and efforts to consolidate support in Mt Kenya.
His political activities have increasingly focused on positioning the region as a decisive player in the 2027 contest.
Kuria’s interpretation, however, is that Gachagua may ultimately prefer influence over the presidency itself.
“He doesn’t want to be president,” Kuria claimed, while describing him as a politician who understands the value of controlling the coalition around the presidential candidate.
The bigger opposition dilemma
The question raised by Kuria’s remarks is whether the opposition can persuade its leading presidential hopefuls to subordinate their ambitions to a single ticket.
Kalonzo, Gachagua, Sifuna and other political figures occupy different positions within the opposition landscape and command different constituencies.
The challenge will be turning those separate bases into one electoral machine, he said.
Kuria described the opposition as “a house built on sand”, arguing that its unity could prove fragile once the question of presidential leadership becomes unavoidable.
