‘Nothing will stop me’- Kalonzo maintains he will run against Ruto in 2027
Azimio la Umoja - One Kenya coalition co-principal Kalonzo Musyoka maintains he will be on the ballot in the 2027 General Election.
Speaking to a local publication, Kalonzo expressed confidence that he would be the main challenger to President William Ruto in the poll.
"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," Kalonzo stated.
Kalonzo, who celebrated his 70th birthday last month, insisted that not even Azimio leader Raila Odinga's quest for the country's top seat would frustrate his bid.
"Nothing will stop me, not even Azimio member parties fielding candidates. Even if the presidential race is crowded I will be in there," he added.
"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."
Kalonzo's remarks come weeks after he ruled out the possibility of endorsing Raila's bid for a fourth time in 2027.
In an interview with a local TV station last month, the former vice president insisted that sacrificing his ambitions for the presidency in 2027 would mean going home.
"Giving up my ambitions will actually mean I go home. We are at the tail-end of a process which should deliver this country," he said.
Raila, on his part, has remained tight-lipped about his political ambitions, after five unsuccessful stabs at the presidency.
He said last month that his main focus, at the moment, is to push for electoral reforms to make the field level for any candidate seeking to challenge Ruto in 2027.
"We are still concerned with what happened in 2022. Unless we resolve it properly, it will be useless for anybody to run in 2027. Unless we really sort out properly that mess we had, to have a proper electoral commission that can preside over an election and give you real results," Raila said.
In October last year, he accused Ruto of attempting to split the Azimio coalition by setting himself up for a political duel with Kalonzo.
Raila praised Kalonzo as a loyal ally and trusted friend while responding to Ruto's calls to support him(Ruto) in 2027. He insisted that Kalonzo was 10 times better than Ruto.
"We have walked with Kalonzo from the KANU days. We formed LDP together. We joined Narc together and also formed ODM together. We have vied twice with him and we have never lost any election; our victory was stolen," Raila said during Oburu's 80th birthday celebrations in Siaya where Kalonzo was the chief guest.
"This man has a good heart. He has the charisma and he is also a Christian. Kalonzo is somebody you can trust... Kalonzo is ten times better than Ruto, he is an honest man. We will stand with him."
The comments sparked widespread speculations of Raila endorsing Kalonzo for the presidency.
Later, Raila, through his spokesperson Dennis Onyango, clarified the remarks, insisting that his praise of the Wiper boss did not amount to an endorsement.
“Mr Odinga, therefore, clarifies that his praise for Mr Musyoka for standing with him in three successive elections, the wiper leader’s strong Christian values and the support he had built across the country was not an endorsement of Mr Musyoka as the Azimio Presidential candidate in 2027,” Onyango said.
