Barasa Predicts Half of Opposition Will Join Ruto by January

Kimilili MP Didmus Barasa said he expects at least half of the leaders currently in the Opposition to join President William Ruto by January next year.

Speaking during an interview on Obinna Show Live, the United Democratic Alliance (UDA) lawmaker argued that Kenya’s political history shows alliances often change as elections near. He dismissed the current opposition unity as temporary.

“You cannot make an assumption of what will happen in the future without looking at what happened in similar circumstances in the past,” Barasa said.

He added that past elections saw senior opposition leaders switch sides close to polling day, pointing to Prime Cabinet Secretary Musalia Mudavadi and National Assembly Speaker Moses Wetang’ula, who he said joined Ruto about two months before the polls.

Barasa said the Kenya Kwanza administration is focused on fulfilling its campaign promises before it turns to political alliance-building for Ruto’s re-election bid. He told listeners that by January, when political realignments typically intensified, many of the leaders opposing Ruto will likely have moved to work with the Head of State.

“I want to submit as follows, currently we are at the tail end of completing implementation of campaign pledges to Kenyans. By next year in January, the political transfer window will be open,” he said.

“I want to tell you that half of those who are opposing Ruto will have been persuaded to come and work with the Head of State.”

Barasa said some Opposition politicians have intensified their criticism of President William Ruto as a tactic to increase their political leverage before any negotiations.

“What they are doing is hitting William Ruto hard now to build a profile to be considered,” he said.

He added that once the government completes its development agenda and turns its attention to the next election, political calculations will take center stage. Barasa said Ruto has been racing to deliver on pledges to Kenyans, but that the conversation will shift from what the president supports to what he needs for re-election as the election period approaches.

“Ruto is racing against time to complete pledges. From January, it will be whom I need to be re-elected, not whom he loves,” he said.

Barasa further claimed that if the ruling coalition decides it needs key opposition figures to win the 2027 elections, it will reach out to them without hesitation. He said Ruto would court influential leaders if they become necessary for victory.

“So if it will come to our attention that we need Kalonzo Musyoka or Fred Matiang’i to win elections, Ruto will look for them,” Barasa said.

The MP also alleged that some opposition leaders focus more on securing positions in government than on staying in opposition. He said some of them are primarily seeking Cabinet appointments.

“And remember some of those in the Opposition are only looking for Cabinet appointments,” he claimed.

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