Opposition unity faces acid test as Kalonzo is booed at Linda Mwananchi Party unveiling

The push to have one opposition candidate to take on President William Ruto in the 2027 General Election will be a big test after Kalonzo Musyoka had a difficult time at Edwin Sifuna’s party unveiling.

Sifuna officially rebranded The Equitable Party to Linda Mwananchi Party Movement in Nairobi on Friday and during the event, opposition leaders among them Wiper’s Kalonzo, DCP’s Rigathi Gachagua and DAP-Kenya’s Eugene Wamalwa were in attendance.

After unveiling his team, Sifuna invited his opposition colleagues to address the supporters and here is where Kalonzo ran into trouble.

All seemed well as Kolonzo started his address until he attempted what he thought was well-intentioned advice to Sifuna and his supporters.

“My brother Eugene has jumped the gun; he has declared you [Sifuna] a presidential candidate. Let me tell you, legally because you are a lawyer, you have to wait for the 13th of November and I hope you will invite us again,” said Kalonzo.

“This is when we will now talk with you as a fellow presidential candidate. The man you see here is still just a party leader,” he added, telling Sifuna and his supporters that he first needed to be endorsed by the party’s delegates to run for the top seat.

That last line did not go down well with Sifuna’s supporters, who started jeering Kalonzo, and he had trouble addressing them after that.

Chants of “Sifuna, Sifuna” followed, interrupting Kalonzo’s speech. The boos continued, forcing the Wiper leaders to ask; “Do you want me to speak or should I stop?”

At this moment, Sifuna had to come in to calm his supporters, reminding them the importance of respecting the other leaders.

“I have told you that one day we will be at Wiper and this is not the way to treat our guests. Just let us listen to them. We have been honoured by their presence, let him finish,” Sifuna begged his supporters.

Kalonzo would then continue his speech, starting by clarifying the remark that got him into trouble.

“You know, in October last year, I was given the mandate to be the Wiper presidential candidate. So be patient, I want you to follow the proper procedure, nothing else,” he added.

“He could very much end up being the sixth President but you have to make it. And by the way, if that happens and this country is saved from misrule and abduction of our young people, I would be the happiest senior citizen of this country.

“But you must demonstrate maturity. You must allow proper consultation, resilience and what has brought me to where we are today.”

Kalonzo then warned of a possible fallout if supporters of the various opposition candidates do not accommodate the others.

“The task ahead of us is so critical and if we start the kind of behaviour I have seen here, it will not work,” Kalonzo stated, a comment that elicited more boos.

He, however, went ahead to declare that he would support Sifuna if the Linda Mwananchi presidential hopeful was endorsed as the opposition flagbearer.

“Like Edwin Sifuna has said, if I am not the candidate, my only ambition is to make sure the misrule of the so-called broad-based administration goes home. I will stand not only with him because it must be a team, he will require 50 per cent plus one vote so we must really do it differently,” he further said.

“My brother Sifuna, I will stand with you if I am not the candidate so let us all be realistic and do away with unnecessary sycophancy.”