I will be Ruto's biggest challenger in 2027 - Kalonzo Musyoka

Kalonzo, who has had an uncertain stance in vying for the nation's top seat for eons, said he will be a formidable force come the next election cycle.

"Kenyans should, by now, be knowing who President Ruto's main challenger in 2027 is. I am the one. Even the president himself announced my bid for the top seat recently," he told The Standard.

"Nothing will stop me, not even Azimio member parties fielding candidates. Even if the presidential race is crowded I will be in there."

The 70-year-old political veteran further noted that his candidacy in 2027 will not be frustrated by Raila Odinga's quest for the seat.

"If Raila decides to vie for the presidency, it will be an exciting race. In 2022 I decided not to vie in favour of Raila but I don't expect any payback from him," said Kalonzo.

This comes as the political scene remains jittery on whether Mr. Odinga will take another stab at the top seat or endorse Kalonzo, as has been speculated by several political quotas.

Mr. Odinga has remained tight-lipped on whether he will be in the presidential race, however expressing confidence that Kalonzo can easily beat Ruto if they meet at the ballot.

"Mr. Odinga however believes that Mr. Musyoka has what it takes to beat Hon. William Ruto in a free and fair presidential contest, contrary to Mr. Ruto's recent claim that he would easily beat the Wiper leader," read a past statement from Odinga's spokesperson Dennis Onyango.

Ruto on the other hand has announced that he will not seek re-election, but instead focus on injecting a permanent transformation in Kenya.

"I am not planning on being re-elected I am planning on how we will transform Kenya. That is my mission. Being elected again is by God's plan and the will of Kenyans. My work is not planning on how I will be re-elected my work is changing Kenya," he said at a past event in November 2023.

"We cannot continue to focus on the next election. We must begin to focus on the next generation."