Democracy for the Citizens Party(DCP) party leader Rigathi Gachagua/HANDOUT
A new survey by Trends and Insights for Africa (Tife) has shown that a significant proportion of Kenyans opposed to President William Ruto's re-election believe former Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua stands the best chance of helping unseat the President by supporting a united opposition candidate rather than contesting the presidency himself.
According to the survey, 33 per cent of respondents who oppose President Ruto's re-election said the most effective strategy would be for Gachagua to be cleared to vie but instead endorse another opposition candidate.
The poll also found that 29 per cent believe Gachagua should support another opposition candidate if he is barred from contesting the 2027 general election due to the outcome of his legal challenge against his impeachment.
Only 14 per cent of respondents said Gachagua should contest the election himself and become the main opposition candidate if allowed to run.
Meanwhile, five per cent of those surveyed believe President William Ruto cannot be defeated under any circumstances, while 19 per cent were undecided on the best strategy for the opposition.
The findings suggest that many opposition supporters favour a united front over multiple candidates, with the survey indicating stronger support for coalition-building than for Gachagua mounting a solo presidential bid.
Tifa noted that opinions remain divided because of uncertainty surrounding the former deputy president's legal battle challenging his impeachment, which could determine whether he is eligible to contest the next presidential election.
The survey was conducted through face-to-face household interviews with a nationally representative sample of 2,048 respondents drawn from nine regions: Central Rift, Coast, Lower Eastern, Mt Kenya, Nairobi, Northern, Nyanza, South Rift and Western.
Interviews were conducted mainly in Kiswahili and English. TIFA said the survey has a margin of error of plus or minus 2.18 percentage points, although the error margin is larger for regional sub-samples.
The findings come as political realignments continue ahead of the 2027 General Election, with opposition leaders exploring possible alliances to challenge President Ruto.
The survey provides an early indication of voter sentiment among those opposed to the President's re-election, highlighting growing preference for a single opposition candidate backed by key political figures rather than a fragmented contest.
