Wiper Patriotic Front Party leader Kalonzo Musyoka, Kilome MP Theddeous Nzambia and Makueni Speaker Douglas Mbilu Speaking during the burial of the late Mzee Philip Muteti Ndolo at Ulu in Kilome Constituency on October 4, 2025. Photo by Andrew Mbuva. 
By Andrew Mbuva and Ryan Mumo
Wiper Patriotic Front Party leader Kalonzo Musyoka has called on opposition leaders to put aside personal ambitions and make sacrifices necessary to strengthen their unity, insisting that President William Ruto’s administration must be made a one-term government.
Recounting his long political journey with ODM leader Raila Odinga, Kalonzo reminded fellow opposition leaders that he had made personal sacrifices before, including submitting to an interview in 2022 to be considered as Raila’s running mate — something he said he had never been asked to do before.
“I’ve worked with Raila for years. In 2013 and 2017, there was no interview. But in 2022, I accepted to be interviewed for the sake of our country. That was an extreme sacrifice,” he said, urging others to emulate his example for the sake of unity.
Kalonzo who spoke on Saturday during the burial of the late Mzee Philip Muteti Ndolo at Ulu in Kilome Constituency said the Kenya Kwanza government had failed in almost every sector, accusing it of presiding over corruption, economic hardship, and abandonment of key national projects.
“When we say Ruto’s government is incompetent, it’s not a joke,” Kalonzo declared. “Some of us have been in leadership long enough to know when a country is heading in the wrong direction. Education is in a mess, the health system is in crisis, and corruption is rampant.”
The veteran politician warned investors against buying state assets such as the Kenya Pipeline Company, saying the opposition would challenge such privatization plans in court and reverse any deals done illegally.
“Let me warn anyone thinking of buying the Kenya Pipeline—don’t try. We will go to court and stop that deal. And if you go ahead, we will reverse it once we take power,” he said.
Kalonzo, who has served in various administrations from those of Presidents Moi, Kibaki, and Uhuru Kenyatta, said Kenya’s current trajectory mirrored a continent-wide awakening where citizens have increasingly voted out underperforming leaders.
“When we talk about making Ruto a one-term president, it’s not out of hatred. Malawi and Botswana have done it before. Across Africa, citizens are learning to send home leaders who are incapacitated through democratic means,” he added.
He praised the Gen Z movement for standing up against corruption and state capture, saying their defiance represented a new chapter in Africa’s political evolution.
Turning to development, Kalonzo accused the Ruto administration of deliberately neglecting regions perceived to be in opposition, citing the stalled Thwake Dam and the slow progress at Konza Technopolis, both of which he said could have transformed the regional economy.
“A time like this, we should be talking about channeling Thwake Dam water to Konza City to create jobs for our youth,” Kalonzo said. “Instead, projects that were started during President Kibaki’s era have been abandoned as a form of political punishment.”
Kalonzo dismissed President Ruto’s “hustler” narrative as deceptive, quipping that the President had “graduated from selling chicken to selling airports.”
“It’s shocking that someone who used to sell chicken is now selling an entire international airport,” he said. “That’s too extreme. The President must find balance before things fall apart.”
The Wiper leader concluded his remarks by rallying the opposition to maintain focus and unity ahead of 2027, promising to give a “clear direction” during the upcoming Wiper Patriotic Front meeting next Friday.
“Without fear or contradiction, we will do whatever it takes to keep the opposition united. Kenya is bigger than any one of us,” he said to applause from mourners.
