Sifuna defends Wamunyoro meeting as Amisi warns against backing Gachagua for president

Nairobi Senator Edwin Sifuna has defended his political engagement with Democracy for the Citizens Party (DCP) leader Rigathi Gachagua, rejecting suggestions that regional or tribal considerations should dictate whom leaders associate with.

Speaking during the requiem mass of veteran diplomat and former Cabinet Minister Burudi Nabwera in Lang’ata, Nairobi, the senator addressed criticism triggered by the recent high-profile meeting.

“Yesterday, some people saw us somewhere with someone, and they now want to tell us that there is a region in this country where none of us is supposed to associate with,” Sifuna said.

He argued that political cooperation should be guided by a shared national identity rather than regional boundaries.

“We will restore that feeling that was there in the beginning of our country in 1963, that we are all Kenyans and we all belong to this country,” he added.

Sifuna’s remarks follow sharp criticism of the Linda Mwananchi movement's meeting with DCP principals at Gachagua’s residence in Wamunyoro, Nyeri County.

Pushing back against the engagement, Homa Bay Governor Gladys Wanga dismissed claims that a pact between Gachagua and Linda Mwananchi leaders aligns with the late Raila Odinga's political legacy.

Speaking in Kasipul, Homa Bay County, Wanga asserted that the meeting between Gachagua and Sifuna does not intimidate the Orange Democratic Movement (ODM) or the broad-based government, emphasizing that Raila’s politics were rooted in national unity, equality, and equitable development.

Reaffirming ODM’s “Usawa ni Sawa” agenda, Wanga insisted the party remains focused on ensuring all communities benefit from development regardless of political affiliation.

“As a party and the broad-based government, we are not intimidated,” she said.

Wanga criticized politicians who invoke Raila’s name while aligning with figures she described as divisive.

“We have seen those people who were claiming that Baba’s spirit is with them, and we have seen the people who sent them to Wamunyoro and other places. Those people have nothing in common with Raila Odinga,” Wanga said.

Contrasting Raila’s national approach with ethnic mobilisation, Wanga added: “Baba was Kenya’s unifier, while those ones are for dividing Kenya. Baba loved everyone from all corners; those ones hate and advance tribalism. Baba or ODM cannot stay in a place with tribal people who are dividing Kenyans, full of hatred, and only look at one region.”

Meanwhile, Saboti MP Caleb Amisi questioned the mechanics of a prospective political alliance between Sifuna’s camp and Gachagua, particularly regarding presidential candidacy ambitions.

The Party for Growth and Development (PGD) leader, previously aligned with Sifuna’s faction, warned that the leadership hierarchy will make or break the coalition's credibility with voters.

“If he is supporting you, we shall be there no matter what. If you are supporting him, there is a big problem. The narrative will be hard to sell!” Amisi warned.

Amisi’s comments expose an immediate fault line within opposition realignments, where uniting disparate political factions remains fraught over unresolved questions of presidential candidacy.

As realignments accelerate ahead of the 2027 General Election, the Wamunyoro meeting has ignited a fierce national debate over whether emerging cross-regional talks can form a cohesive opposition coalition or deepen ideological rifts among leaders seeking to unseat President William Ruto.