Opposition leaders must give Kenyans a clear plan for governing if they want to win support in the 2027 General Election, Democracy for Citizens Party deputy leader Cleophas Malala has said.
Malala said the opposition should not make the removal of President William Ruto its only campaign message, arguing that voters need to know what a new administration would do differently and how its promises would be delivered.
He said politicians must offer specific commitments, provide hope and explain how their proposed programmes would be financed.
“We need to have an agenda. We need to sell hope. We need to have commitments,” Malala said.
He questioned what opposition candidates would offer beyond asking Kenyans to reject Ruto’s bid for a second term.
“Apart from kujicommit kwa the electorate, what are you going to do differently?” he asked.
Malala said the “Wantam” message, which calls for Ruto to serve only one term, should not be treated as a substitute for a governing programme.
“Because kama unasema tu one term, I don't think I can elect you because umesema ni one term. We must develop an agenda.”
He called on opposition parties to spell out the specific actions they would take if given the mandate to form the next government.
The comments come amid continued efforts by opposition parties and leaders to establish a common political vehicle ahead of the 2027 election.
The emerging opposition coalition has presented the effort to deny Ruto another term as a central objective, with “Wantam” emerging as one of the main slogans used in the political mobilisation.
In July, former Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua said he was willing to abandon his presidential ambitions if opposition leaders reached an agreement that another candidate would have a better chance of defeating Ruto.
Gachagua said he would back the candidate eventually settled on by the opposition if his colleagues persuaded him to step aside.
Malala has meanwhile taken part in discussions on how the opposition coalition should share its leadership positions. He has proposed Nairobi Senator Edwin Sifuna for either the presidency or deputy presidency.
In August, Malala publicly supported Sifuna’s presidential ambitions and said he would stand with him in the presidential race.
He has also previously argued that Western Kenya should get one of the coalition’s two leading positions if the region does not produce the presidential candidate.
In July, Malala said Sifuna should be considered for the deputy presidency.
The opposition has not yet agreed on a presidential candidate and has not announced a formal process or timetable for selecting its flag bearer.
On Monday, Siaya Governor James Orengo said opposition parties needed to move from consultations and start putting together a coalition capable of mounting a united challenge to the Kenya Kwanza administration.
“The time is now and we must get into the business of building this coalition,” Orengo said, while referring to the “One Term, One Team, One Coalition” slogan.
Malala said the coalition-building process should go hand in hand with the development of a practical policy programme.
He warned political parties against presenting manifestos that contain ambitious proposals without showing Kenyans how those plans would be paid for and executed.
“We are also encouraging political parties. This time round, watu wasidanganywe na mambo ya agenda pekee,” Malala said.
He used the government's Bottom-Up Economic Transformation Agenda to illustrate the need to focus not only on policy proposals but also on their delivery.
“When you look at the plan, hiyo ya bottom-up, it is a very good academic paper. But the implementation is where we want to concentrate on,” he said.
Malala said opposition parties should therefore prepare detailed implementation matrices alongside their manifestos.
Such plans, he said, should identify funding sources, set out timelines and explain the practical steps required to turn campaign promises into government programmes.
“Utuambie umesema utajenga barabara kutoka Busia mpaka Singapore. Utuambie budget itatoka wapi?” he said.
“We want to see an implementation matrix. Both academic and leadership. We need to have an agenda.”