Wiper Patriotic Front (WPF) and The Ukombozi Alliance Party Leader Stephen Kalonzo Musyoka on Saturday, November 14 joined opposition leaders in Thegu Ward, Kieni Constituency, Nyeri County, for the burial of Mama Eunice Nyangari Gachagua, elder sister of DCP Leader Rigathi Gachagua.
He was joined by DAP Kenya Leader Hon. Eugene Wamalwa, Linda Mwananchi Movement Leader Sen. Edwin Sifuna, Ukombozi Coalition Chairman Governor James Orengo, Chief Justice Emeritus Hon. David Maraga and other leaders.
The leaders condoled with the Gachagua family. They then used the occasion to reaffirm their commitment to a single opposition presidential candidate in 2027, with several pledging to make whatever personal and political sacrifices that requires.
Kalonzo said he has sacrificed before and is ready to do so again. He recalled backing the late Raila Odinga’s presidential bid for about 15 years in the interest of unity and a common agenda.
He also dismissed claims by people purporting to speak for him that he could join the Ruto administration if he is not picked as the opposition candidate. He said he would never join it, whatever the outcome of the consultations on the candidature.
He recalled standing with Gachagua during his impeachment and said he will keep standing with him and the wider GEMA community.
Nyeri, Kibaki and Kenya at 100
Kalonzo noted that Nyeri is Mzee Kibaki’s home and that he served as Kibaki’s third Vice President. He said Kibaki’s greatest gift to Kenya was the Constitution of 2010 and Vision 2030, both delivered while Kalonzo was his Vice President.
He then framed what he called the Kenya at 100 conversation. Kenya turns 100 in 2063, so children born this year will be 36 at the centenary. The question, he said, is not only who wins in August 2027, but what Kenya is handed to them.
Sudan lifts ban on tea
Sudan banned Kenyan tea in March 2025, after Nairobi hosted a meeting where the RSF and its allies signed a charter for a parallel government in Sudan. Khartoum called it interference in its internal affairs.
For 20 months, Kenya lost a market worth about Sh9 billion a year. Tea worth more than Sh3.1 billion was in transit or awaiting shipment when the ban took effect.
Sudan’s Sovereignty Council approved the lifting on 2 November, the Cabinet followed on 5 November, and Ministerial Order No. 25 was signed on 8 November.
Kalonzo said he went to the Sudan Embassy in Nairobi on 6 August and personally appealed for the ban to be lifted, for the sake of farmers and exporters. He welcomed the decision.
He noted that Ruto thanked Sudan’s Prime Minister after their meeting at the COMESA summit in Harare, but his statement said nothing about why the ban was imposed.
