Martha Karua Roots for Opposition Unity to Unseat President Ruto in 2027

Kenya, 21 October 2025 - The renewed call for unity among Kenya’s opposition leaders has taken a sharper tone, with People's Liberation Party (PLP) leader Martha Karua issuing a stern warning that without coming together, efforts to dislodge President William Ruto from power will remain “a mirage.”

Her statement, layered with frustration and urgency, captures the internal contradictions of an opposition that recognizes the stakes, but remains fractured by personal ambitions, ideological inconsistencies, and strategic missteps.

Despite periodic declarations of solidarity—from Raila Odinga’s Azimio la Umoja to Kalonzo Musyoka’s Wiper and the then Narc-Kenya (now PLP) contingent—the opposition has struggled to present a coherent, united front capable of credibly challenging Ruto’s administration, especially as the 2027 electoral clock ticks.

"We have no choice, but to unite in the spirit of values that the late Hon Raila Odinga cherished when we formed Azimio la Umoja Coalition," she said in a televised interview on Tuesday morning.

Her remarks suggest that unless leaders abandon siloed political chess games and cultivate a truly national movement, they risk ceding the political space entirely to Kenya Kwanza regime.

The download from Karua's statement is that unity must not be cosmetic or transactional. It must be rooted in shared purpose, inclusive strategies, and mutual accountability.

"The death of Odinga is a big blow to Kenyans and even us in a big way. He was one in a million. We won't match his stakes. It signals a big political tremor in the coming days. One that requires reconciliation and working together for the common good," she said.

But in the event some of the opposition leaders pull parallel and go to state house, they will betray this unity course because they risked being reportedly compromised and dissuaded from this unity front.

"That's the imminent challenge we face ahead," she claimed as she urged Kenyans to make sure they rethink on the choices of the leaders they are out to elect right from the constituency levels to the national government.

Karua went further, shifting the burden again not just to the political class but also to the electorate.

Her appeal to Kenyans to hold leaders to account for the exercise of power and authority vested in them by the people speaks to a deepening concern that the democratic space is shrinking—not just because of state overreach, but due to public disengagement and cynicism.

This appeal resonates strongly in a context where allegations of economic mismanagement, high taxation, and deteriorating public services dominate public discourse.

Karua’s framing underscores that change will not be achieved through elite pacts alone, but through active civic participation.

Her challenge is both to voters and to her fellow opposition leaders: leadership without accountability is hollow, and power without principle is dangerous.

What Stands in the Way?

Despite this moral and strategic clarity, the opposition continues to suffer from a trust deficit.

Past experiences—especially within Azimio—have shown that calls for unity often unravel in the face of political calculations, ethnic considerations, and personality clashes.

Questions linger about who will lead such a coalition, what ideological foundation it will rest on, and how power-sharing will be structured to avoid past pitfalls.

"There are those who are now evoking the name of Raila. But the values he stood for were recorded and remains awake in public domain. We must find a balance in his absence," argued Karua.

Moreover, Ruto’s administration has proven adept at exploiting these divisions, strategically co-opting opposition figures and using state machinery reportedly to undermine political dissent.

In such a high-stakes political environment, unity is not just desirable—it is existential.

But achieving it requires more than press conferences and symbolic appearances; it demands honest introspection, strategic compromise, and long-term vision.

"We must go for value-based leaders with a heart for the people, where the people are centric to their leadership tenets as Odinga would always put the people first, all else second...and push for liberation of this country within the constitutional boundaries," Karua argued.

Karua’s message is a timely reality check for the opposition and the country at large.

Dislodging an incumbent president is always an uphill task, but without unity, clear values, and public engagement, it becomes nearly impossible.

President Ruto on the other side, had been busy muckraking in Kenya, he has been almost in all the 47 counties, promoting and defending his development projects.

He has asked Kenyans to be ready to judge him fairly on what he had done since he came to power and not fall prey to opposition rhetoric.

Key among the projects, he has done trace to affordable housing projects, reforming the agriculture and health care system, improving roads infrastructure, enhancing rural electrification among others.

"I am not going to seek your votes on nothing, but to continue to build a legacy of state funded projects if immense benefits to the public as you have evidently seen, ego and malice trashed,above all else," Ruto has consistently said this exuding confidence to reclaim the Presidential seat.

Currently, he is focused with his team led by Deputy President Kithure Kindiki in galvanizing national support through state driven universal altruism and governmental activism aimed at empowering the grassroots organization through their bottom up economic transformation agenda.

The opposition must now decide whether it will continue shadowboxing with itself—or rise to the moment and present a credible alternative to the status quo.

Whether Kenyans heed Karua’s call—and whether the opposition takes it seriously—could define the nation’s political trajectory in the years to come.