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\n![](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/africa\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/d86d3944-3ab5-42f9-8e91-12781caa4241.jpeg\")
Wiper leader Kalonzo Musyoka and DCP boss Rigathi Gachagua in Kyuluni Village, Kathiani constituency, Machakos county, during the burial of Mzee Jonathan Kiilu Ng\u2019ata on January 10Wiper leader Kalonzo Musyoka and DCP\u2019s Rigathi Gachagua are
\nincreasingly finding themselves at odds over strategy, messaging and the path
\nto the 2027 polls as the opposition struggles to present a united front.<\/p>\n
\n
\nThe latest public disagreement played out on Wednesday, when
\nKalonzo was forced to clarify claims that the opposition is against the Somali
\ncommunity. Gachagua triggered the storm by linking business activities in
\nEastleigh to the Minnesota fraud.<\/p>\n
\n
\nSpeaking at the funeral of Kipipiri MP Wanjiku Muhia\u2019s
\nfather Muhia Njoroge, Kalonzo sought to calm the backlash against the
\nopposition and particularly Gachagua from the leadership of Northeastern.<\/p>\n
\n
\nThe Wiper boss said the opposition stands in solidarity with
\nall communities, adding that Gachagua\u2019s remarks should not be interpreted as a
\nblanket condemnation of the Somalis.<\/p>\n
\n
\n\u201cWe want to assure Somalis and every other Kenyan who is not
\na criminal that we are together; we are working for the real unity of Kenya,\u201d
\nKalonzo said.<\/p>\n
\n
\nSpeaking at the same function, Gachagua denied targeting any
\nspecific individual or community, saying his comments had been deliberately
\nmisrepresented.<\/p>\n
\n
\n\u201cI recently spoke about a mall in Eastleigh that was used to
\nimport rice at the expense of our farmers,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
\n
\n\u201cI have seen people saying that I have attacked the mall. I
\nnever mentioned the mall or the owner or the community he comes from.\u201d<\/p>\n
\n
\nAmong those who criticised Gachagua and by extension his
\npolitical ally Kalonzo was Wajir Governor and Council of Governors chairman
\nAhmed Abdullahi.<\/p>\n
\n
\n\u201cGachagua has taken Somaliphobia to an unacceptable level.
\nThe owner of BBS Mall has been a serious businessman in this country way before
\nPresident William Ruto came to power,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
\n
\n\u201cTo Kalonzo, an otherwise good man, with friends like
\nGachagua, you don\u2019t need enemies. Whenever Rigathi opens his mouth,
\nindependent-minded Kenyans\u2019 support for Ruto surges.\u201d<\/p>\n
\n
\nWhile both leaders sought to de-escalate the backlash, the
\nincident was yet another point of departure between them,
\nparticularly around messaging and strategy.<\/p>\n
\n
\nNotably, the two are widely viewed as the most formidable
\nfigures in the opposition, each commanding a significant regional following in
\nUkambani and the Mt Kenya region.<\/p>\n
\n
\nOnly last weekend, the two clashed over the timing of naming
\nthe opposition\u2019s presidential flag bearer for the 2027 polls.<\/p>\n
\n
\nKalonzo had earlier announced that the opposition had
\nresolved to unveil its candidate by March this year, framing the early decision
\nas key to giving the opposition enough time to organise and mount a credible
\nchallenge against President William Ruto.<\/p>\n
\n
\nHowever, Gachagua publicly poured cold water on the plan,
\nwarning that an early announcement would be premature and potentially expose
\nthe candidate to sustained state pressure.<\/p>\n
\n
\nSpeaking in Kigumo, Murang\u2019a county, Gachagua urged
\npatience, arguing that the opposition would be better served by waiting until
\nlater in the election cycle.<\/p>\n
\n
\n\u201cWe shall have one candidate to face Kasongo [President
\nWilliam Ruto]. I want to ask for patience. Don\u2019t be in a hurry. The election is
\nstill far away,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
\n
\n\u201cIf we announce our presidential candidate right now, he
\nwill be intimidated and harassed by Ruto. We can\u2019t do that. We are not fools.\u201d<\/p>\n
\n
\nHe spoke during the burial of Embakasi North MP James
\nGakuya\u2019s mother Alice Wangari.\u00a0 <\/p>\n
\n
\nKalonzo and Gachagua have also previously clashed over
\nNairobi\u2019s political arrangements ahead of 2027.<\/p>\n
\n
\nIn December, Kalonzo was forced to deny claims that his
\nWiper party had agreed to cede all major elective seats in Nairobi to
\nGachagua\u2019s DCP.<\/p>\n
\n
\n\u201cStop this propaganda that Wiper has left all the seats in
\nNairobi for DCP. They have to try everything to create tensions between us,\u201d
\nKalonzo said at the time, dismissing the reports as unfounded.<\/p>\n
\n
\nThose claims had been triggered by Gachagua\u2019s remarks during
\na church service in Kariobangi North, where he asserted that Wiper would
\nwithdraw most of its candidates in Nairobi in favour of DCP.<\/p>\n
\n
\n\u201cWe have an arrangement with the Wiper party leader. Out of
\n17 constituencies, DCP will take 16. Out of 85 wards, between DCP and Wiper, we
\nwill have 75,\u201d Gachagua said then.<\/p>\n
\n
\nWhile Kalonzo publicly disowned the claims, Gachagua\u2019s
\ncomments were interpreted by some in the opposition as the behind-the-scenes
\nlobbying and negotiations that are still ongoing in the coalition.<\/p>\n
\n
\nHowever, the disagreements risk reinforcing perceptions
\nthat, despite public declarations of unity, strategic differences persist
\nwithin the opposition on how best to counter the Kenya Kwanza administration.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Wiper leader Kalonzo Musyoka and…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":18200,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[31],"tags":[5811,11304,80,11305,2555,11418,98,100,101,99],"class_list":{"0":"post-18199","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-kenya","8":"tag-gachagua","9":"tag-kalonzo","10":"tag-kenya","11":"tag-musyoka","12":"tag-opposition","13":"tag-rigathi","14":"tag-star-news","15":"tag-star-news-kenya","16":"tag-the-star","17":"tag-the-star-newspaper"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/africa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/18199","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/africa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/africa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/africa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/africa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=18199"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/africa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/18199\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/africa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/18200"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/africa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=18199"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/africa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=18199"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/africa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=18199"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}