MP Barasa: Half of Opposition leaders will back Ruto by January

Kimilili MP Didmus Barasa has claimed that at least half of the leaders currently in the Opposition will have joined forces with President William Ruto by January next year.

Speaking during an interview on Obinna Show Live, the United Democratic Alliance (UDA) lawmaker said Kenya's political history shows that alliances often shift as elections draw closer, dismissing the current Opposition unity as temporary.

"You cannot make an assumption of what will happen in future without looking at what happened in similar circumstances in the past," Barasa said.

"If you look at the history of politics in our country, in the last elections, Prime Cabinet Secretary Musalia Mudavadi and National Assembly Speaker Moses Wetang'ula joined President William Ruto two months to the polls."

Barasa said the Kenya Kwanza administration is currently focused on fulfilling its campaign promises before turning its attention to building political alliances for Ruto's re-election bid.

"I want to submit as follows, currently we are at the tail end of completing implementation of campaign pledges to Kenyans. By next year in January, the political transfer window will be open," he said.

"I want to tell you that half of those who are opposing Ruto will have been persuaded to come and work with the Head of State."

According to the MP, some opposition politicians are intensifying their criticism of the President as a strategy to enhance their political value ahead of negotiations.

"What they are doing is hitting William Ruto hard now to build a profile to be considered," he said.

Barasa said once the government shifts from implementing its development agenda to preparing for the next election, political considerations will take centre stage.

"Ruto is racing against time to complete pledges. From January, it will be whom do I need to be re-elected, not whom he loves," he said.

He claimed that if the ruling coalition concluded it needed key opposition figures to secure victory in 2027, it would not hesitate to court them.

"So if it will come to our attention that we need Kalonzo Musyoka or Fred Matiang'i to win elections, Ruto will look for them," Barasa said.

The lawmaker further alleged that some opposition leaders were primarily interested in securing positions in government rather than remaining in opposition.

"And remember some of those in the Opposition are only looking for Cabinet appointments," he claimed.

Barasa predicted that the Opposition coalition would eventually splinter as individual leaders pursue their political interests.

"The Opposition, we will fragment them. Right now, we are taking notes. Next year we will convene a meeting and agree on the leaders we want," he said.

He urged Kenyans not to place too much confidence in the current opposition alliances, saying they were unlikely to remain intact.

"I want to tell Kenyans not to make any investments in the Opposition now. I want to say that some of the people you see in the Opposition now, by next year March, they will be working with William Ruto," he said.

Barasa cited previous political defections to Kenya Kwanza as evidence that major shifts can occur within a short period.

"Who knew Musalia Mudavadi, Moses Wetang'ula, Amason Kingi and Alfred Mutua would join Kenya Kwanza?" he posed.