Narok Senator Ledama Olekina has dismissed Wiper Party leader Kalonzo Musyoka's chances of winning the presidency and urged him to abandon his ambitions and support President William Ruto's re-election bid. Speaking on Sunday, Olekina said he respected the veteran politician but believed he should join the Kenya Kwanza administration and help Ruto complete another five-year term.

"I do have a lot of respect for him. I still believe he can come in and join us, work together, and support Ruto to finish his other five years. I haven't spoken to him, but I will be reaching out to him," Olekina said.

The senator's remarks come as political realignments gather pace ahead of Kenya's General Election in August 2027, with opposition leaders and government allies positioning themselves around competing formations and possible presidential coalitions.

Kalonzo, a former vice-president who leads the Wiper Patriotic Front, has publicly rejected any arrangement with the government. On 1 November he dismissed speculation that he was being courted to join the Ruto administration, declaring that he would rather face the president in the 2027 election than join what he described as a government of predators.

"Do you expect Kalonzo Musyoka to join a government of predators? It is impossible, impossible," he said at the time, adding: "Let us meet at the ballot box." He argued that his political differences with the administration made any arrangement unrealistic, noting that the president himself had identified him as his main political opponent.

Olekina also took aim at former Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua, questioning his suitability to lead the opposition after his impeachment from office. "You cannot be led by someone who has been impeached," he said, describing Gachagua as a political loser and arguing that his impeachment should raise questions about his leadership credentials.

"Gachagua is a loser; he is an impeached DP. Why should I have any thoughts on him? Most of the people who are running around supporting him impeached him," Olekina said. He further accused Gachagua of running a political outfit in which supporters were expected to follow his direction rather than take part in collective leadership.

The Narok senator also criticised the tendency of politicians to mobilise support along ethnic lines, saying tribal affiliations continued to undermine the country's political discourse. He argued that Kenya would make progress in addressing divisive politics if citizens identified themselves first as Kenyans rather than by their ethnic communities.

"We are Kenyans; the day we start seeing each other as Kenyans, not Kikuyu, Maasai, or Luo, is the day we will end dirty politics and dirty policies in this country," he said.

Olekina is one of the Orange Democratic Movement's most vocal figures, and his comments reflect the party's continued participation in the broad-based government arrangement with President Ruto. The cooperation between the ODM and the ruling United Democratic Alliance has remained a subject of debate inside the party, particularly over whether the arrangement should continue beyond the 2027 elections.

Interior Cabinet Secretary Kipchumba Murkomen has also extended an invitation to Kalonzo to join the broad-based government, saying his leadership experience and diplomatic credentials would be accorded respect. Kalonzo has so far refused, insisting the contest should be settled at the ballot box.