The United Opposition’s bid to use by-elections as a springboard for a 2027 showdown against President William Ruto has instead delivered uncomfortable lessons.
Despite spirited campaigns, particularly in the hotly contested Mbeere North, Malava and Magarini constituencies, the movement led by former Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua emerged weakened and forced back to the drawing board.
The opposition camp left the contests with more questions than victories, as President Ruto’s team tightened its grip and exposed the opposition’s philosophical and structural vulnerabilities.
Kalonzo Musyoka (left) and DCP leader Rigathi Gachagua attend the Wiper Patriotic Front National Delegates Convention (NDC) at Uhuru Park in Nairobi on October 10, 2025. Photo credit: Evans Habil | Nation Media Group
The opposition outfit now faces a critical crossroads following by-election results that handed the Ruto broad-based team symbolic wins and revealed uncomfortable truths about the strength, coherence and long-term viability of the anti-Ruto movement.
Buoyed by the by-election results, President Ruto told a Nakuru crowd on Friday that he has yet to unleash his full political machinery.
“This is not politics season. Stop the noise.
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