Former Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua has predicted that one of the opposition principals will walk away after leaders settle on a single presidential candidate to challenge President William Ruto in the 2027 General Election.

Speaking to Kenyans living in Dallas, Texas, on Saturday evening, September 26, Gachagua said he expected the opposition to eventually settle on one candidate, with another principal choosing to leave the arrangement. Citizen Digital reported that Gachagua also challenged opposition aspirants to publicly commit to supporting whoever emerges as the coalition's presidential candidate.

“I want to prophesy today, not because I am a prophet but based on experience, foresight and understanding the Kenyan political scene, history will repeat itself,” Gachagua said, according to The Star.

The Democracy for the Citizens Party (DCP) leader said the opposition would eventually announce a single presidential candidate, but one of the principals would voluntarily walk away from the coalition.

“One presidential candidate will be announced, one person will go away. That one person will go away on his own,” Gachagua said, according to The Star, while comparing the expected developments with political events before the 2002 General Election.

Gachagua referred to the 2002 election, when opposition leaders united behind former President Mwai Kibaki under the National Rainbow Coalition, while presidential contender Simeon Nyachae pursued his own political path.

The former Deputy President said he expected a similar situation ahead of 2027, arguing that opposition leaders would have to accept whichever formula was eventually agreed upon for selecting their presidential flagbearer.

Gachagua also sought to assure Kenyans that he would remain in the opposition arrangement even if he failed to secure the presidential ticket. Citizen Digital reported that he pledged to support whoever is selected, while challenging other principals to make the same commitment publicly.

“Me, as Rigathi, I want to give you my commitment. If it's not me, I'll support whoever it is unconditionally,” Gachagua said, according to Citizen Digital.

The DCP leader specifically challenged fellow opposition figures including Kalonzo Musyoka, Fred Matiang'i, Martha Karua and Eugene Wamalwa to direct their supporters to support the eventual candidate rather than threatening to back Ruto if their preferred aspirant is not selected.

Gachagua said some of his political colleagues had been “a little bit slippery,” according to Citizen Digital, while arguing that the opposition's eventual presidential candidate should be chosen on the basis of practicality, efficiency and the ability to build a broad coalition.

He further predicted that the eventual opposition candidate could secure more than 75 per cent of the Kenyan vote, although that figure was Gachagua's political projection rather than an established election forecast. People Daily reported that he expressed confidence the opposition candidate would win in the first round if the opposition successfully united behind one candidate.

Gachagua did not name the opposition principal he expects to walk away, leaving the identity of the person at the centre of his prediction unclear.

His remarks came as opposition formations continued making separate moves ahead of the 2027 election. The Star reported on September 27 that the Linda Mwananchi movement had endorsed Nairobi Senator Edwin Sifuna as its presidential candidate and planned to unveil the political party through which he will contest the presidency in early October.

The developments add another layer to negotiations among opposition leaders seeking to build a broader alliance against Ruto. For now, Gachagua's prediction leaves open the question of whether all the major opposition principals will ultimately remain together once a single presidential candidate is chosen.