Several politicians have formally declared their intention to mount a 2027 presidential bid against President William Ruto as campaigns and political realignments gather momentum ahead of the next General Election.
The early declarations come amid growing pressure within the opposition to unite behind a single candidate to avoid splitting votes against the incumbent.
Opposition leaders have intensified consultations, coalition talks and grassroots mobilisation efforts more than a year before the election.
2027 Presidential Bids
Kalonzo Musyoka
Among those who have formally announced their bids is Kalonzo Musyoka, the leader of the Wiper Party, who has repeatedly stated that he is ready to seek the presidency after years of backing other candidates.
The former Vice President said he shelved his presidential ambitions for nearly 15 years while supporting other candidates and now believes the time has come to make his own bid for the country’s top seat.
He has repeatedly maintained that he will not step aside for another candidate as he seeks to succeed Ruto.
Musyoka contested the 2007 presidential election under the ODM-Kenya party, finishing third behind Mwai Kibaki and Raila Odinga, with approximately 879,900 votes.
He has previously served as Vice President, Foreign Affairs Minister and Member of Parliament, and has been a key figure in opposition politics for more than two decades.
Wiper formally endorsed him as its presidential candidate, and on June 6, 2026, he launched the Komboa Kenya campaign platform, pledging to tackle corruption, economic hardship and what he describes as state capture.
He has also registered the “Kalonzo 2027” trademark as part of his campaign preparations.
As Wiper leader, Musyoka has also used his campaign to call for stronger devolution, greater government accountability, and the protection of constitutional institutions.
Fred Matiang’i
Former Interior Cabinet Secretary Fred Matiang’i has emerged as one of the leading figures expected to challenge President William Ruto in the 2027 General Election.
Matiang’i served in former President Uhuru Kenyatta’s administration, where he held the ICT, Education, and Interior dockets before becoming one of the government’s most powerful Cabinet ministers.
The decision became official on October 30, 2025, when Jubilee’s National Executive Council, chaired by former President Uhuru Kenyatta, approved Matiang’i’s application and endorsed him as the party’s presidential candidate for 2027.
Former President Uhuru Kenyatta handed over Jubilee’s leadership to Matiang’i after a legal dispute over whether a retired president could keep a formal position in a political party.
Martha Karua
Martha Karua, the leader of the People’s Liberation Party (PLP), has declared her intention to contest the August 2027 presidential election and is seeking to become the United Opposition’s joint candidate against President William Ruto.
She has ruled out being anyone’s running mate, saying she would support another candidate if she is not selected to lead the opposition ticket.
Karua served as Justice and Constitutional Affairs Minister under former President Mwai Kibaki from 2005 to 2009.
She was the Member of Parliament for Gichugu from 1992 to 2013 and later became the first woman to run for president in Kenya under the National Rainbow Coalition–Kenya (NARC-Kenya) party in the 2013 General Election.
She finished fifth with 43,881 votes.
In 2022, she joined Raila Odinga’s presidential campaign as his running mate on the Azimio la Umoja-One Kenya ticket, which lost to Ruto’s Kenya Kwanza alliance.
In July 2026, Karua reaffirmed that she would contest on the PLP ticket and would not dissolve her party to join a larger political vehicle.
David Maraga
David Maraga, a former Chief Justice of Kenya, is seeking to challenge President William Ruto in the August 2027 General Election on the United Green Movement (UGM) party ticket.
Also Read: Bishop Margaret Wanjiru Declares Nairobi Governor Bid
The party pre-selected him as its presidential flag bearer in October 2025, subject to approval by its National Delegates Conference.
His campaign centres on the message “Reset, Restore, Rebuild,” focusing on constitutionalism, accountability, and the rule of law.
Maraga served as Chief Justice and President of the Supreme Court from 2016 to 2021.
He came to national prominence in September 2017 when he led the Supreme Court bench that annulled the presidential election won by Uhuru Kenyatta, citing irregularities and illegalities in the electoral process.
The decision led to a fresh presidential election, making Kenya the first African country in which a court annulled a presidential election and ordered a repeat poll.
He has presented his candidacy as an effort to address governance failures rather than continue a career in elective politics.
Okiya Omtatah
Busia Senator Okiya Omtatah is preparing for a possible presidential bid in the August 2027 General Election, where he intends to challenge President William Ruto.
In November 2024, he established a Presidential Exploratory Committee to assess public support for his candidacy and gather views on the country’s problems.
In October 2026, he reshuffled the committee and extended its mandate to November 2026, when he is expected to formally announce whether he will run.
He has maintained an independent political path rather than join the United Opposition or the Linda Mwananchi Movement.
Omtatah was elected Busia Senator in the 2022 General Election and has become known nationally for filing public-interest cases challenging government decisions and alleged violations of the Constitution.
Boniface Mwangi
Boniface Mwangi, a human rights activist and leader of the Ukweli Party, has declared his intention to challenge President William Ruto in the August 2027 General Election.
He officially launched his presidential bid on August 27, 2025, at Ufungamano House in Nairobi, pledging to fight corruption, reduce the cost of living and improve public services.
He is campaigning under the slogan Mwanzo Mpya (A New Beginning), calling for what he describes as Kenya’s “third liberation” from corruption, poverty and poor governance.
Before entering the presidential race, Mwangi built a national profile through activism, photography and campaigns against corruption and human rights violations.
His activism intensified after he documented the 2007–2008 post-election violence.
Eugene Wamalwa
Eugene Wamalwa, the leader of the Democratic Action Party of Kenya (DAP-K), has declared his intention to contest the August 2027 presidential election and is among opposition leaders seeking to challenge President William Ruto.
In June 2026, Wamalwa said his party had cleared him to run, but he also pledged to support a single opposition candidate if the coalition agreed on one.
Wamalwa previously contested the presidency in the 2013 General Election under the New Ford Kenya party but withdrew from the race and backed Musalia Mudavadi.
He later served as Cabinet Secretary for Devolution and Planning under President Uhuru Kenyatta before moving to the Defence docket, which he held from 2021 to 2022.
Eliud Owalo
Eliud Owalo, the leader of the People’s Prosperity Party (PPP), has declared his intention to challenge President William Ruto in the August 2027 General Election.
He resigned as Deputy Chief of Staff in charge of Delivery and Government Efficiency at State House on January 11, 2026, saying he wanted to pursue the presidency.
In July 2026, he launched the PPP as his political vehicle and said he would not step aside for another candidate.
Owalo previously served as Cabinet Secretary for Information, Communications and the Digital Economy before President Ruto appointed him Deputy Chief of Staff.
He also served as a campaign strategist for Raila Odinga during the 2013 presidential election before joining Musalia Mudavadi’s Amani National Congress and later supporting Ruto’s 2022 presidential campaign.
He has proposed reducing income tax from 35 per cent to 20 per cent, cutting Value Added Tax from 16 per cent to 10 per cent, lowering corporate tax and abolishing digital taxes.
Jimi Wanjigi
Jimi Wanjigi, the leader of the Safina Party, is seeking to challenge President William Ruto in the August 2027 General Election.
He has declared he will pursue the presidency on his party’s ticket rather than rely on a united opposition coalition, arguing that political negotiations should focus on policies for Kenyans rather than sharing positions.
Wanjigi took over the leadership of Safina from lawyer Paul Muite in September 2025, positioning the party as his political vehicle for the 2027 race.
He previously played a role in the political networks behind the Jubilee coalition that brought Uhuru Kenyatta and William Ruto to power in 2013.
Rigathi Gachagua, the leader of the Democracy for the Citizens Party (DCP), has positioned himself as a potential presidential candidate in the August 2027 General Election, seeking to challenge President William Ruto after their political fallout.
In August 2026, Gachagua declared himself the preferred presidential candidate of the United Alternative Government, an opposition grouping, but said he would step aside if other leaders agreed that someone else should lead the ticket.
Gachagua served as Kenya’s Deputy President from September 2022 until October 2024, when the Senate upheld his impeachment. He had been elected alongside Ruto on the United Democratic Alliance (UDA) ticket in the 2022 General Election.
He subsequently established DCP as his political vehicle for the 2027 election.
Gachagua has been negotiating with opposition leaders, including Wiper leader Kalonzo Musyoka, Jubilee’s Fred Matiang’i, People’s Liberation Party leader Martha Karua, and Democratic Action Party of Kenya leader Eugene Wamalwa, over a joint presidential candidate.
On October 12, 2026, he reiterated that the opposition would settle on one candidate and pledged to support the person selected even if he were not chosen. He said the coalition needed to avoid splitting its support among competing candidates.
Also Read: IEBC Faces Court Challenge Over Changes to Ballot Paper Security Ahead of 2027 Polls
His presidential ambitions are also unfolding alongside a legal dispute over his impeachment.
In June 2026, the High Court declined to overturn the Senate’s impeachment resolution but found that the proceedings violated his right to a fair hearing.
Gachagua said he would appeal the decision.
The case remains relevant to his political future as he prepares for the 2027 election.
Macharia Njeru
Macharia Njeru, the former chairman of the Independent Policing Oversight Authority (IPOA), declared his bid for the August 2027 presidential election on October 5, 2026, joining the candidates seeking to challenge President William Ruto.
He will run on the Mwongozo Mpya Party ticket.
Njeru was the inaugural chairman of IPOA, serving from 2012 to 2018, where he helped establish the authority responsible for civilian oversight of the National Police Service.
He also served as vice-chairperson of the Judicial Service Commission from 2019 to 2024, representing the Law Society of Kenya.
Edwin Sifuna
Edwin Sifuna, the Nairobi Senator and former Secretary-General of the Orange Democratic Movement (ODM), has positioned himself for the August 2027 elections through The Equitable Party (TEP), which he unveiled on October 4, 2026.
The party is intended to be rebranded as the Linda Mwananchi Movement, the political identity he has used in recent mobilisation against President William Ruto’s administration.
Sifuna served as ODM Secretary-General for nearly a decade and became one of the party’s prominent national figures.
Sifuna has blamed Ruto for his removal, saying his disagreements with ODM concern the party’s political direction and its relationship with the government.
He was elected Nairobi Senator in the 2022 General Election.
Sifuna said he was not rushing into a coalition with other opposition leaders, including those in Kalonzo Musyoka’s Ukombozi Alliance.
Ndindi Nyoro
Ndindi Nyoro, the Kiharu Member of Parliament and leader of the People’s Party of Kenya (PPK), has declared his intention to contest the August 2027 presidential election against President William Ruto.
He announced his presidential ambition in August 2026, shortly after leaving Ruto’s United Democratic Alliance (UDA) and joining the opposition.
Nyoro, a former prominent supporter of Ruto’s 2022 presidential campaign, said he broke with the ruling party after months of consultations with political leaders and concerns about the government’s direction.
Nyoro was first elected MP for Kiharu in the 2017 General Election and retained the seat in 2022. He became a prominent figure in Parliament through his work on the National Assembly’s Budget and Appropriations Committee, which he chaired before losing the position in 2025.
Although Nyoro has announced his own presidential bid, he has repeatedly said he is willing to support another opposition candidate if leaders agree on a single person to challenge Ruto.
Reuben Kigame
Reuben Kigame, a gospel musician, disability rights advocate and former presidential aspirant, has renewed his push to be considered in discussions over Kenya’s August 2027 election, despite previously pledging to support former Chief Justice David Maraga.
On October 3, 2026, Kigame reminded opposition leaders gathered at the burial of Martha Karua’s father in Kirinyaga County that he had also sought the presidency in 2022 and should not be excluded from consultations over the next election.
Kigame said he would run on a political party ticket after contesting as an independent in 2022.
Follow our WhatsApp Channel and X Account for real-time news updates.
