Makueni Senator Daniel Maanzo has claimed President William Ruto no longer commands the support needed to secure re-election, arguing that a united opposition would have enough votes to defeat him in the 2027 General Election if its leaders agree on a single presidential candidate.
Speaking on Radio Generation on Monday, Maanzo said ongoing political talks and upcoming by-elections could help opposition parties build a united front ahead of the next General Election. He said leaders from different political parties are expected to meet after the by-election to discuss the way forward and consider proposals on how to work together.
"There are a number of political parties involved in this... after this by-election, these leaders will sit down together, and there have been quite a number of proposals," Maanzo said.
The senator said recent opinion polls show President Ruto's support has dropped below the 50-plus-one threshold that is required to win a presidential election, claiming the opposition has enough combined backing to mount a serious challenge.
"You saw William Ruto at 25. He has fallen from 50 plus one, because one time he commanded a very high percentage," he said, while adding that opposition figures including Kalonzo Musyoka, Edwin Sifuna and others collectively command significant support.
"If you combine the united opposition's vote, it is actually 50 plus one," he added.
Maanzo said opposition leaders could settle on one presidential candidate either through consensus or other internal political arrangements, saying such a move would strengthen their chances in the 2027 race.
"Suppose five of these parties and their leaders do that, the work becomes easy," he said.
He, however, acknowledged that bringing together several senior politicians, many of whom have declared interest in the presidency, would not be easy.
Despite suggestions from some political analysts that the next presidential election could be closely contested, Maanzo said the opposition is targeting a comfortable victory.
"I've also had a theory that this coming election is going to be tough in terms of 50-50... but we are working on 70-30," he said.
Meanwhile, Kileleshwa MCA Robert Alai cautioned against assuming that support enjoyed by different opposition leaders would automatically be combined once they form a coalition.
"The fact that somebody has 15% and unites with another does not mean those numbers are transferable," Alai said.
He argued that Kenyan elections are largely shaped by individual political appeal rather than coalition mathematics.
"Kenyan election is a cult of personalities," he said. "So if they have all these numbers, let them not assume those numbers are transferable."
Alai also accused sections of the opposition of focusing more on opposing President Ruto than presenting policies to voters, warning that such an approach could weaken their political strategy.
According to the recent TIFA survey conducted between May 2 and May 11, 2026, President William Ruto led the presidential preference rankings with 24 per cent support. Kalonzo Musyoka followed with 19 per cent, Fred Matiang'i had 14 per cent, Edwin Sifuna stood at 10 per cent, while Rigathi Gachagua received 9 per cent. The survey also showed that a notable share of respondents remained undecided.