Kalonzo to tour UK in Diaspora push for 2027 ticket

Wiper Party leader Kalonzo Musyoka. /KALONZO MUSYOKA/X

Wiper Party leader Kalonzo Musyoka is set to embark on a 10-day visit to the United Kingdom starting October 15 in what his party describes as part of continuing efforts to strengthen international partnerships and rally the Kenyan diaspora ahead of the 2027 General Elections.

According to a statement issued by Wiper Patriotic Front (WPF) secretary general Shakila Abdalla, preparations are at an advanced stage for the visit, which will see the former Vice President engage with high-profile institutions, policymakers and members of the Kenyan community in the UK.

“The visit is part of continuing efforts to strengthen international partnerships, promote Kenya’s global profile, and engage citizens abroad on matters of governance, economic empowerment, and national renewal,” Abdalla said.

During the visit, Kalonzo is expected to deliver the keynote address at the London Political Summit and Awards to be held at the UK Parliament, Westminster.

He will also speak at Chatham House – The Royal Institute of International Affairs and hold a consultative meeting with the Commonwealth Secretariat.

In addition, the Wiper leader will deliver a special lecture at Oxford University and later engage Kenyans living in the UK during a town hall meeting themed “The Kenya We Want.”

The tour, coming less than three months after former Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua’s United States visit, underscores a widening outreach drive among opposition principals seeking to consolidate their international networks and diaspora support bases ahead of the next election.

Gachagua, a co-principal in the united opposition coalition that includes Kalonzo, embarked on a two-month US tour in July 2025, with stops in Seattle, Dallas, Boston, and Baltimore, where he met Kenyans living abroad and lobbied for increased diaspora involvement in Kenya’s political and economic affairs.

Gachagua’s tour, which was intended to bolster international partnerships and reconnect with diaspora communities, was cut short in mid-August when he returned to Kenya to help coordinate party campaigns ahead of the November 27 by-elections.

His Democracy for Citizens Party (DCP) has fronted candidates in over 10 elections, although it withdrew out of some, including the Mbeere North parliamentary seat that observers said would have laid the perfect stage for a supremacy contest between Gachagua and President William Ruto. 

With the exit of Fred Matiang'i who has already been unveiled as the Jubilee party presidential flag-bearer, both Kalonzo and Gachagua are widely viewed as front-runners in the opposition coalition’s internal negotiations for a joint presidential ticket to challenge Ruto in the 2027 polls.

Their near-parallel overseas missions appear to be deliberate moves to boost their diplomatic standing and diaspora appeal, while demonstrating capacity for global engagement.

The opposition coalition has increasingly framed the diaspora as a vital constituency—not only as a potential campaign funding source but also as a key influence group for policy advocacy and international credibility.

By alternating between the United States and the United Kingdom, Kalonzo and Gachagua appear to be carving out complementary roles within a unified strategy aimed at presenting a cohesive alternative government in 2027.

Kalonzo’s London mission thus signals both personal and collective intent: to expand diplomatic networks, galvanise diaspora participation and reinforce the opposition’s image as globally engaged and electorally prepared.