NAIROBI, Kenya, Aug 10 – Wiper leader Kalonzo Musyoka has cautioned the United Opposition against relying on opinion polls to determine its 2027 presidential ticket, warning that surveys could be used to manipulate voters and influence the outcome of the opposition’s internal negotiations.

📻 Breaking It Down

Kalonzo said the opposition must approach polling data scientifically and avoid allowing numbers published by pollsters to dictate who should lead the coalition into the 2027 General Election.

“I think we must be very scientific about these opinion polls. I don’t want Kenyans to fall prey to electoral manipulation,” Kalonzo said.

He claimed there could be attempts by individuals within the intelligence community to influence public opinion through polling figures in a manner favourable to President William Ruto, although he did not provide evidence to support the allegation.

📌 What You Need to Know

“Remember, there’s a third player called the intelligence community, which, in order to help William Ruto, may want to put up certain numbers,” he said.

Kalonzo said the opposition would not allow itself to be dictated to by what he described as manipulated opinion polls.

“This time we are not leaving anything to chance,” he said, adding that the opposition would remain united regardless of the numbers being circulated.

His remarks come amid an increasingly competitive contest over the composition of the opposition presidential ticket, with Kalonzo, former Interior Cabinet Secretary Fred Matiang’i, former Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua and Nairobi Senator Edwin Sifuna emerging as key figures in the negotiations.

Recent opinion polls have produced different combinations of the leading opposition figures, underscoring the lack of consensus on who should occupy the presidential and deputy presidential slots.

A TIFA Research survey released in May found that, among supporters of opposition candidates, a Kalonzo Musyoka-Fred Matiang’i pairing was the most preferred combination at 31 per cent, followed by Kalonzo-Sifuna at 28 per cent and Gachagua-Kalonzo at 25 per cent. The survey tested the pairs without specifying which candidate would be president and which would be deputy president.

📰 Source: Capital FM Kenya