Former UNCTAD Secretary-General Mukhisa Kituyi has urged Opposition leaders to shift away from confrontational politics and focus on building a united front ahead of the 2027 General Election.
Kituyi warned that constant political exchanges with President William Ruto risk deepening ethnic divisions at a time when many Kenyans are looking for solutions to economic and social challenges.
“Let’s not fall into Ruto’s trap by answering ethnic bigotry with ethnic bigotry. We should be a reassuring force,” Kituyi stated.
The opposition figure said leaders seeking to challenge the Kenya Kwanza administration must present themselves as calm, organised and focused on offering alternatives instead of engaging in endless political fights.
According to Kituyi, many Kenyans are becoming frustrated with the current political environment and are looking to the Opposition for hope and direction.
He argued that public confidence would only grow if opposition leaders remained united and avoided internal wrangles.
“There’s growing public pressure that nobody should walk away from the table. There are sufficient mechanisms for keeping everyone at the table,” he said.
“Going forward, the public declaration of commitment to being on one team and everyone saying they should not be the one responsible for the failure to keep the hope that Kenyans have is going to discipline people to purposefully sacrifice their ego and be ready to be part of a leadership,” he added.
Kituyi, who was elected spokesperson and head of the secretariat for the United Opposition coalition in September last year, said unity among opposition leaders would play a key role in convincing Kenyans that they are prepared to govern.
He also challenged opposition leaders to actively involve young people, especially Gen Z, in national conversations and future policy planning, saying the youth cannot continue being excluded from decision-making processes.
In the economy, Kituyi criticised what he described as an overreliance on state-driven development, arguing that the country’s growth should be anchored on empowering businesses and entrepreneurs.
“The essence of economic growth is creating possibilities, access to credit for entrepreneurs to grow wealth, create opportunities, and make them competitive,” he said.
“Instead of seeing business as a driver of economic growth, we’ve seen the government as a driver of growth. The mode is to increase how much you collect from the people then give them development. This thinking is ill-advised,” he added.
He called for policies that make it easier for businesses to grow, saying Kenya’s economy would perform better if the government focused more on creating opportunities and improving competitiveness rather than increasing taxation and public spending.
Kituyi maintained that both the political class and government institutions have a responsibility to lower tensions in the country and restore confidence among citizens struggling with the high cost of living and economic uncertainty.
