Former Defence Cabinet Secretary Eugene Wamalwa has assured Kenyans that the opposition is working behind the scenes to build a strong and united political coalition that will remove President William Ruto from office in the 2027 general elections.
Speaking during an interview at a local TV station on Monday, April 14, 2025, Wamalwa stated that lessons from Kenya’s political past have taught opposition forces the dangers of fragmentation, referencing key historical elections to emphasise how a divided opposition has always paved the way for victory by incumbents.
“I want to tell Kenyans not to lose hope. We are working on a coalition that will send Zakayo home. It’s the way to go, because a divided opposition doesn’t,” Wamalwa remarked, underscoring the importance of unity in defeating what he described as a highly strategic and politically adept incumbent.
He likened President Ruto to former President Daniel arap Moi, describing him as a political tactician and student of Moi’s school of politics, noting that in both the 1992 and 1997 multiparty elections, Moi managed to triumph over a fractured opposition field, securing the presidency with just a plurality of the vote.
“He is a student of Moi. He is a professor of politics. He was able to beat a combined opposition after the multiparty democracy elections in 1992 because Kibaki, Matiba, and Jaramogi were all running separately,” he explained. “In 1997 again, Raila, Wamalwa, and Ngilu were in the race, and Moi still beat them—he got 36 per cent of the votes and defeated a divided opposition.”
Wamalwa pointed out that it was only in 2002, when the opposition finally came together under the National Rainbow Coalition (NARC), that meaningful regime change was achieved, ushering in the presidency of Mwai Kibaki.
“In 2002, we learnt our lesson. The opposition came together, and that’s how we were able to bring regime change,” he stated, implying that a similar strategy is what the country now needs to repeat to end Ruto’s tenure at State House.
The DAP-K party leader went on to assure the public that preparations are already underway to replicate the 2002 scenario, stressing that the coalition being assembled will not only be formidable but also capable of winning in the first round.
“Now in 2027, we have learnt our lessons, and we know he will try to divide us—but we are assembling a team that will send Ruto home, round one, on 10th of August 2027,” he declared confidently.
Talkative opposition
Earlier in March of 2025, Wamalwa came out to justify why the opposition will not stop talking about President William Ruto during their meetings.
Taking to his official X account, Wamalwa argued that one cannot talk about oppression without talking about the oppressor and his oppressive policies.
Wamalwa, in his statement, said that the opposition will not stop talking about President Ruto’s harsh taxes, failed policies, endemic corruption, tribalism, nepotism, and cronyism as he wishes.
“Freedom is not given by the oppressor; it is demanded by the oppressed, as Martin Luther King Jr. once said. You cannot talk about oppression without talking about the oppressor and his oppressive policies, just like you cannot preach the Gospel of Jesus Christ without preaching about the Devil. So we will not stop talking about Zakayo and his harsh taxes, failed policies, endemic corruption, tribalism, nepotism, and cronyism as he wishes,” Wamalwa’s statement read in part.
The former Defence Cabinet Secretary went ahead to list the issues the opposition has been speaking against the Kenya Kwanza regime.
Wamalwa on key issues
Wamalwa listed abductions; the failed Adani Group deals with Jomo Kenyatta International Airport (JKIA) and KETRACO; Social Health Authority (SHA); and the Housing Levy as some of the issues in which they will actively mention President Ruto when addressing.
“You cannot talk about abductions without talking about the Abductor-in-Chief. You cannot talk about corruption without talking about the most corrupt president in the world after Assad of Syria and his cronies Adani of India, Aydin of Turkey, and their JKIA, KETRACO, SHA, and Housing Levy scams,” Wamalwa stated.
“You cannot talk about the mess in the health and education sectors without talking about Ruto’s failed policies. You cannot talk about the Zakayo’s punitive taxes and the pain every Kenyan is enduring with the shrinking payslip without talking about Zakayo himself. You cannot talk about state capture of Parliament, the judiciary, the opposition, and threats to our multiparty democracy and devolution without talking about the captor!”