Boni Khalwale Issues Stark Warning to Muturi, Munya Over Gachagua Attacks: ‘Don’t Hand Ruto an Easy Victory’
Kakamega Senator Boni Khalwale has cautioned senior leaders within the United Opposition against engaging in public disputes with former Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua, warning that internal wrangles could weaken the opposition’s chances of unseating President William Ruto in the 2027 General Election.
Speaking at his home on Thursday, August 6, during preparations for an upcoming political meeting to be addressed by Nairobi Senator Edwin Sifuna in Kakamega County, Khalwale appealed to leaders allied to the United Opposition to stop trading accusations with Gachagua.
The outspoken senator specifically singled out Democratic Party leader Justin Muturi, Party of National Unity leader Peter Munya, Devolution Empowerment Party leader Lenny Kivuti, Kisii Senator Richard Onyonka and Kitutu Chache South MP Anthony Kibagendi, urging them to end the escalating war of words with the Democracy for the Citizens Party (DCP) leader.
According to Khalwale, continued public disagreements among opposition figures risk creating divisions that could ultimately benefit President Ruto ahead of the next General Election.
“Nataka kuambia Onyonka kutoka kule Kisii, my colleague Kibagendi, Justin Muturi, Peter Munya na Kivuti hiyo vita ya kurusha cheche za matusi kwa Gachagua waache. Tukianza kupigana, Waswahili husema vita vya panzi furaha ya kunguru. Tukiendelea hivyo Ruto anaweza pata nafasi ya kushinda Sifuna,” Khalwale said.
The senator invoked the Swahili proverb “vita vya panzi furaha ya kunguru”—loosely translated as “when grasshoppers fight, crows celebrate”—to argue that infighting within the opposition would only hand political advantage to President Ruto.
Khalwale’s remarks come days after Muturi, Munya and Kivuti jointly dismissed claims attributed to Gachagua suggesting that smaller political parties should dissolve and fold into the DCP. The three leaders rejected the proposal, arguing that it undermined coalition partners and portrayed smaller parties as subordinate rather than equal stakeholders within the opposition alliance.
They accused Gachagua of advancing a divisive political agenda that could fracture opposition unity at a critical time as leaders intensify preparations for the 2027 elections.
Gachagua Defends Multi-Party Strategy
Gachagua has since rejected the criticism, insisting his remarks were misunderstood.
The former deputy president maintained that having several political parties, particularly in the Mt Kenya region, would strengthen rather than weaken the opposition by enabling each party to deploy its own election agents and safeguard votes during the 2027 polls.
He argued that the strategy would improve oversight at polling stations and reduce opportunities for electoral malpractice.
At the same time, Gachagua described Muturi and Munya as “misguided,” saying they had misinterpreted his position regarding the future of opposition parties in the region.
Rather than dissolving parties, he called on Muturi to convene a meeting bringing together all opposition parties in Mt Kenya to establish a common negotiating platform before engaging leaders from other regions.
Proposal for ‘Hyena Coalition’
As part of his proposal, Gachagua suggested that opposition parties in the Mt Kenya region could unite under a coalition he proposed naming the “Hyena Coalition.”
He also urged members and supporters of the DCP to avoid responding to attacks from fellow opposition leaders, warning that retaliatory political exchanges would only deepen divisions and strengthen President Ruto’s re-election prospects.
Gachagua appealed for restraint, saying opposition leaders should focus on building unity rather than engaging in public confrontations that could undermine their collective objective of challenging the Kenya Kwanza administration in 2027.
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