Unity rhetoric masks deep divisions inside opposition ticket race
Kenyan opposition leaders are struggling to unify behind a single presidential candidate for the upcoming election. Internal divisions, competing egos, and the difficulty of coalition building have created significant hurdles for the opposition alliance.
Why it matters
The fragmentation of the opposition could significantly impact the outcome of the next Kenyan presidential election.
Opposition leaders The opposition’s push to settle on a single candidate is increasingly exposing a big unity headache, with competing ambitions threatening to complicate the pick for a flag bearer.
Even though opposition leaders are unanimous that there should be one candidate, the headache is however agreeing on who that candidate should be and persuading the losing camps to remain loyal.
Jubilee party leader and presidential aspirant Fred Matiang’i laid bare the difficulty of bringing the opposition parties together with just about 303 days to the polls.
Matiang'i described the process as tough, saying it involves "competing ambitions, personalities and egos".
“It’s not an easy thing to do. It is tough," Matiang'i confessed on Monday in Mombasa.
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