Atwoli Warns Gachagua to Wait for 2027 Over Sifuna Bid Row
September 2026
Central Organisation of Trade Unions (COTU) Secretary-General Francis Atwoli hit back at former Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua on Sunday, September 6, 2026, telling him to wait for the 2027 General Election if he wants to understand what real political experience looks like. Atwoli posted his warning on his X account, escalating a row that began after Gachagua defended Nairobi Senator Edwin Sifuna’s presidential ambitions.
A Row Over Sifuna’s Bid
The disagreement traces back to Atwoli questioning whether Sifuna has built enough of a national political network to run a credible 2027 presidential campaign. Standard Media’s coverage notes that Gachagua’s comments followed criticism from Atwoli on that exact point.
Gachagua pushed back hard on the idea that Sifuna is too young or inexperienced for the top job. Speaking to Kenyans living in Spokane, Washington State, on the same Sunday, Gachagua said age should not disqualify Sifuna from the race. He pointed to global examples to make his case, noting that Sifuna is 44 while Barack Obama was elected United States president at 47.
Gachagua went further, saying he would be willing to serve as Sifuna’s running mate if political numbers eventually showed the senator was the opposition’s strongest bet against President William Ruto. He argued that defeating Ruto should matter more than which individual leads the ticket, and that the strongest vote-getter deserves the presidential slot regardless of personal ambition.
Atwoli’s Sharp Reply
Atwoli did not let the remarks slide. In his X post, he rejected the suggestion that his backing, or lack of it, could decide whether a candidate wins. He called it wrong for anyone to suggest that his endorsement is a precondition for electoral success in Kenya.
The COTU boss then laid out his own political history to make his point about experience. He said he started voting in 1969 for Mzee Jomo Kenyatta and again in 1974, later backing Daniel arap Moi from 1978 as a lifelong member of the Kenya African National Union (KANU). He added that he voted for Raila Odinga in 2007, framing his decades of involvement in Kenyan elections as proof of political seniority that Gachagua, in his view, cannot match.
Atwoli closed his post with a blunt line aimed at Gachagua, who he said should wait for the 2027 election to learn what politics really means. He signed off warning that he and his allies would “teach” Gachagua that lesson, a remark that has since circulated widely on Kenyan social media, per People Daily’s report on the exchange.
Part of a Longer Rivalry
Sunday’s exchange is the latest round in a running feud between the two men, who have traded barbs for months over trade union politics, tribal rhetoric, and the direction of the opposition ahead of 2027. Gachagua leads the Democracy for Citizens Party (DCP) after his 2024 impeachment as deputy president, while Atwoli has led COTU since 2001 and remains closely associated with President Ruto’s government.
The disagreement over Sifuna also sits inside a wider conversation among opposition figures about who should carry the flag against Ruto in 2027, with several leaders publicly weighing alliances and running-mate arrangements. Gachagua’s willingness to consider deputising a younger, less established politician like Sifuna marks a notable shift from earlier assumptions that he himself would seek the presidential slot outright.
Whether Sifuna’s camp responds directly to Atwoli’s latest broadside, or whether other opposition figures weigh in on his readiness for a presidential run, will say a lot about how seriously his bid is being taken within opposition ranks. For now, the argument over who has the political standing to speak for Kenya’s opposition looks set to keep running well before ballots are ever cast.
