Former secretary general of UNCTAD Mukhisa Kituyi has thrown his weight behind Nairobi Senator Edwin Sifuna’s presidential ambitions, saying he has the ability to mount a serious challenge against President William Ruto in the 2027 general election.
Speaking during an interview with Citizen TV, Kituyi said he believes Sifuna could emerge as the opposition candidate capable of defeating Ruto.
Asked whether Sifuna was the man who could take on Ruto in 2027, Kituyi responded: “I think so.”
Kituyi said there were several reasons behind his confidence in Sifuna, pointing to the senator’s growing appeal among younger voters who he argued have largely remained outside Kenya’s traditional ethnic-based political calculations.
According to Kituyi, Sifuna has managed to excite a section of the electorate that other politicians have struggled to reach.
“He has excited a major section of the electorate that nobody had been able to open up,” Kituyi said.
He described the group as predominantly young voters who do not identify with politics based on traditional ethnic blocs.
“The younger voters in a country where they are the overwhelmingly majority, who are not tribal, who you do not count as the two million Luhyas or Kambas or from Mt Kenya,” Kituyi said.
The former minister argued that the emerging constituency represents a new political force that opposition leaders cannot afford to ignore as the country heads towards the 2027 elections.
“They are a non-tribal political constituency that comes to the table and is being unlocked by Sifuna, and they are also unlocking him,” he said.
However, Kituyi acknowledged that it remains unclear whether the support Sifuna is attracting can be transferred to another presidential candidate if the opposition settles on a different flagbearer.
“Is that constituency transferable to any other candidate? I do not know yet,” he said.
“But it is a constituency we cannot wish away.”
Kituyi said his focus was on helping young Kenyans translate their political energy into meaningful participation in the country’s democratic process.
“It is my primary responsibility to help unlock the potential, the promise, and the energies of the young people,” he said. “And I am walking the talk.”
Kituyi’s endorsement comes amid growing debate within the opposition over who should face Ruto in 2027, with Sifuna increasingly positioning himself as a potential presidential candidate under the Linda Mwananchi movement.
The senator has openly declared his interest in the presidency and has been stepping up mobilisation efforts across the country as opposition leaders weigh possible alliances and a joint ticket.
DCP leader Rigathi Gachagua has also indicated that he would be willing to support Sifuna if opposition leaders agree that he is the candidate with the best chance of defeating Ruto.
Speaking during an engagement with Kenyans in Spokane, Washington, on September 6, Gachagua said opposition leaders should be guided by electoral arithmetic rather than individual ambitions.
“If we do our arithmetic and find that Nairobi Senator Edwin Sifuna will send President William Ruto home early, so be it,” Gachagua said.
Gachagua went further, saying he would even consider becoming Sifuna’s running mate if that arrangement gave the opposition the strongest chance of winning.
“And there is no problem, by the way, even I, Riggy G, can deputise Sifuna. There is nothing wrong with that,” he said.
He said the arrangement could work in reverse, with Sifuna deputising him or other opposition figures, including Wiper leader Kalonzo Musyoka.
“Even Sifuna can deputise me. Sifuna can also deputise Kalonzo Musyoka. Kalonzo can also deputise Sifuna,” Gachagua said.
