Kalonzo rejects Uhuru 'puppet master' claims, says opposition owns 2027 strategy

Wiper leader Kalonzo Musyoka has dismissed reports suggesting retired President Uhuru Kenyatta is spearheading opposition efforts to mount a political challenge against President William Ruto next year.

He said opposition leaders were independently strategising on how to approach the next election and cautioned against portraying Uhuru as the person organising a political campaign against the President.

"So do not paint a picture that Uhuru is organising us to face Ruto. We are organising ourselves to face Ruto and nobody will do it for us," Kalonzo said at the ACK Cathedral in Embu.

The Wiper leader said the meeting convened by Uhuru on Monday in his capacity as Azimio la Umoja One Kenya Coalition Council chair would focus on strengthening the coalition rather than plotting against Ruto.

"The meeting Uhuru chairs on Monday is just about moving Azimio forward and not arranging how to tackle Ruto," he said.

Kalonzo said Uhuru’s role in Azimio should be viewed from his position as council chair and not as the architect of opposition political strategies.

"Uhuru is a retired President, but he is also the council chair of Azimio la Umoja. I am the party leader of Azimio," he said.

"Do not make Ruto panic that Uhuru is plotting against him. He is just there to make sure Azimio as a political organisation moves to the next level and brings everybody on board."

Media reports have linked Uhuru’s planned role in the Azimio meeting to efforts to reorganise the opposition ahead of the elections, with speculation that the coalition was seeking to assemble a stronger political force against Ruto’s administration.

However, Kalonzo maintained that opposition leaders were taking charge of their own political plans.

"Uhuru is not organising us. We are doing it ourselves," he said.

The Azimio Council meeting, which Uhuru is expected to chair, comes amid increased political activity as opposition leaders seek to define their strategy ahead of the election.

Kalonzo has previously ruled out working with Ruto and has called for opposition unity, saying like-minded leaders must work together to offer an alternative political direction.

Azimio la Umoja One Kenya Coalition Party is a political coalition formed ahead of the 2022 general election bringing together several political parties and leaders who sought to compete against the then Deputy President William Ruto’s Kenya Kwanza Alliance.

The coalition was formed around the presidential bid of Raila Odinga, with support from several parties, including ODM, Wiper, Jubilee and other smaller parties.

In the 2022 election, Azimio’s presidential candidate Raila lost to Ruto, who was elected President.