Kituyi challenges opposition to define agenda beyond 'one term'

Former UNCTAD Secretary-General Mukhisa Kituyi. [Bernard Orwongo]

Former UNCTAD Secretary-General Mukhisa Kituyi has warned that the opposition risks going into the 2027 General Election without a clear policy agenda, saying its leaders have focused more on defeating President William Ruto than defining what they would do with power.

Speaking on Tuesday, August 25, Kituyi said opposition leaders were uniting to prevent Ruto from securing a second term but had yet to sufficiently articulate the policies and governance priorities that would form an alternative government.

“We know what we're running away from, but we're not sufficiently building what we're running to,” Kituyi said.

His remarks came a day after opposition principals committed themselves to remaining united and supporting a single presidential candidate to challenge Ruto in the 2027 election.

The leaders signed a Personal Unity Pledge and a Coalition Unity Agreement committing them to participate in a process to select their joint flagbearer and support whoever emerges.

Mukhisa Kituyi: The alternative groups must start putting out content in preparation for the next election and the next government.

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However, Kituyi said the opposition's challenge went beyond agreeing on a presidential candidate, arguing that the leaders needed to develop a common platform around governance, constitutionalism, economic policy and the priorities of a new administration.

“The opposition should not only rally around things that make them win. They should also rally around things that commit them to reviving the potential and realizing the dream that Kenya represents,” he said.

Kituyi proposed that the opposition develop a binding covenant with Kenyans setting out its commitments, which could then be used to assess its performance if it forms the next government.

He said such a platform should include commitments to fighting corruption, restoring institutional government, expanding economic opportunities and reducing government borrowing.

Kituyi also urged the opposition to develop policies that support entrepreneurs by reducing domestic borrowing, which he said would make credit more accessible and affordable to businesses.

He challenged the emphasis on infrastructure as the primary measure of development, arguing that roads and other infrastructure should facilitate economic activity rather than substitute for it.

He said the opposition therefore needed to present voters with a broader economic and governance proposition instead of relying primarily on criticism of the Ruto administration.

“Just saying Ruto must go and showing all the evil that Ruto has done can make you win an election,” Kituyi said.

The former Cabinet minister also criticised opposition leaders' tendency to build political strength primarily by mobilising support within their respective regions.

He said regional mobilisation remained important but should not become the foundation of the opposition coalition.

“We cannot say that the opposition is going to be a composite body built on ethnic blocs mobilised by the paramount chiefs of those blocks,” he said.

Instead, he said the coalition's “glue” should be a common national agenda capable of convincing voters that an alternative government could restore hope and improve their lives.

Kituyi's remarks come as opposition leaders intensify efforts to consolidate their forces ahead of the 2027 election. The United Opposition has publicly committed to a single presidential candidate, while competition over who should carry the ticket remains unresolved.

For Kituyi, the bigger test is whether the emerging alliance can agree not only on who should defeat Ruto, but also on what should replace his government.