Uhuru to Opposition: Plan yourselves and fulfil Kenyans' expectations

Former President Uhuru Kenyatta has urged opposition leaders to unite and work together, saying Kenyans are waiting for them to overcome their differences and present a common political front ahead of the 2027 General Election.

Uhuru said his interactions with ordinary citizens had convinced him that the public wanted to see opposition leaders working together rather than engaging in divisions and competing political ambitions.

Addressing Wiper Patriotic Front leader Stephen Kalonzo Musyoka, former Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua and other opposition figures during a memorial service for his first cousin, Beatrice Wambui Muturi, on Wednesday, Uhuru said Kenyans had already made up their minds about the country's political direction but were waiting for their leaders to unite.

"My brother Stephen Kalonzo, Riggy G, I have listened to the people. I walk around nikitafuta 'uji', and you know I talk the truth. People have spoken, and they are waiting for you to unite," he said.

The former President cautioned the leaders against allowing individual presidential ambitions to derail efforts to build a common political alternative, saying the country's top seat could only be occupied by one person at a time.

"Hii kitu hukaliwa na mtu mmoja kwa wakati wake, so tafadhali mjipange, and I will talk, si kusema ju nimeretire ninyamaze," Uhuru said.

He dismissed suggestions that his retirement from active politics had made him indifferent to developments in the country, saying he continued to listen to public concerns.

"Retiring does not mean my ears are closed. When I listen to what people are saying, they have decided. Their only problem is the unity of these people," he said.

Uhuru urged the opposition leaders to put aside their differences and respond to Kenyans' expectations by working together for a better country.

"They (Kenyans) only want to see our leaders unite. I only hope they have decided where they are heading. So, with respect, as our leaders, plan yourselves and fulfil what Kenyans want," he said.

He further linked national unity to justice, arguing that lasting peace could not be achieved without addressing injustice.

"I can talk until the cows come home about peace, but there can be no peace without justice," he said, adding that leaders must pursue justice to guarantee peace.

"Work together for a better, prosperous, peaceful Kenya," he told the gathering.

The memorial service brought together several opposition leaders, including Kalonzo, Gachagua and Democratic Action Party-Kenya leader Eugene Wamalwa.

Gachagua also used the occasion to call for unity within the Mt Kenya community ahead of the 2027 elections.