Gachagua speaks on working with Raila ahead of 2027 polls

Former Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua says “the door is not closed” on him working with former Prime Minister Raila Odinga to strengthen his and several opposition politicians’ efforts to oust President William Ruto in the 2027 general elections.

Odinga, the de facto opposition leader after unsuccessfully challenging Ruto’s presidential bid in the 2022 polls, later joined hands with the President as he supported his recent failed bid for the African Union Commission (AUC) chairmanship race.

Meanwhile, following his October impeachment from Ruto’s government, Gachagua has been reaching out to political leaders, including those in the opposition, ahead of the 2027 general elections.

In a Wednesday interview with Citizen Digital's sister outlet Musyi FM and other Kamba radio stations, he was asked whether he was open to having Odinga in his new-found alliance.

“I do not understand Raila’s intentions; it is his choice, depending on whether he wants to be with Ruto and water down his political legacy or on the side of liberating this country,” he replied.

“Ruto is not getting a vote from the 9 million Kenyan Gen Zs, so whether Raila is with him or not, we will defeat him. Kenyans have already decided Ruto must go home and want a new government that serves them.”

Gachagua has met Wiper Party leader Kalonzo Musyoka of Wiper, Martha Karua of the People’s Liberation Party (PLP) and the Democratic Action Party of Kenya (DAP-K)’s Eugene Wamalwa, among others.

After Odinga lost the seat to Djibouti candidate Mahmoud Ali Youssouf, the 80-year-old has said he will announce his next political move after a recent closed-door meeting with Ruto at State House Mombasa.

In the Wednesday interview, Gachagua said it is ultimately Odinga’s decision to “define which side of history he wants to be on.”

The former DP said their new outfit’s motive is to unite Kenyans and mobilise them to register as voters and they have not discussed a possible 2027 flagbearer.

“This is a new beginning and we are on the right footing so far. We will work with Kalonzo and while it is early to pick a flagbearer, our motive now is mobilising Kenyans to vote to send this administration home,” Gachagua said.

He recently urged the people of Odinga’s western Nyanza region not to see the people of his central Mount Kenya region as their enemies.

“We are not their enemies at all. We have a problem with President William Ruto, we have no problem with Raila Odinga and ODM,” Gachagua said in a Monday interview with KTN.