Kenyan politics is rarely short of unexpected political turns. Leaders who once campaigned together can find themselves on opposite sides of the political divide only a few years later.
Ahead of the 2022 General Election, President William Ruto built a broad political coalition under the Kenya Kwanza Alliance, bringing together politicians from across the country to campaign for his presidential bid.
Some of the leaders who backed him went on to occupy powerful positions in his administration, while others secured elective seats on the ruling United Democratic Alliance (UDA) ticket.
But as the country heads towards the 2027 General Election, several of those once closely associated with Ruto have changed political direction. Some have left UDA, others have joined opposition parties and movements, while others have become vocal critics of the administration.
Here are 10 leaders who supported Ruto in 2022 but are now on the opposite side of the political divide.
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1. Rigathi Gachagua
Gachagua was arguably one of Ruto’s most important allies during the 2022 presidential campaign.
Then the Mathira MP, Gachagua was selected as Ruto’s running mate in May 2022, becoming the Kenya Kwanza presidential candidate’s deputy in the race.
The two campaigned across the country and were elected President and Deputy President respectively in the August 9, 2022 General Election.
Gachagua subsequently became one of the most powerful figures in the new administration. However, his relationship with Ruto deteriorated during their first two years in office.
In October 2024, the National Assembly impeached Gachagua before the Senate upheld five of the 11 charges against him, removing him from office. He became the first Kenyan Deputy President to be removed through impeachment under the 2010 Constitution.
The former Deputy President has since emerged as one of Ruto’s most vocal opponents. He formed the Democracy for Citizens Party (DCP) and is now working with other opposition leaders to challenge Ruto in the 2027 election.
In June 2026, Gachagua said he would mobilise 20 million votes to unseat Ruto, signalling the extent to which the former political partners have moved to opposing sides.
2. Justin Muturi
Former National Assembly Speaker Justin Muturi was another senior politician who joined Ruto’s Kenya Kwanza camp ahead of the 2022 election.
Muturi, who was the leader of the Democratic Party, became one of the coalition’s principals. He had also been considered among the senior politicians who could potentially become Ruto’s running mate before Gachagua was selected.
After Kenya Kwanza won the election, Ruto appointed Muturi Attorney General. He served in that position from October 2022 until July 2024, when he was moved to the Public Service docket.
His relationship with the administration later deteriorated, with Muturi becoming increasingly critical of government actions, including alleged abductions.
Ruto dismissed Muturi from Cabinet in March 2025. Muturi subsequently returned to active party politics and has become part of the opposition effort ahead of the 2027 election.
3. Cleophas Malala
Former Kakamega Senator Cleophas Malala was one of Kenya Kwanza’s key campaigners in Western Kenya during the 2022 election.
Malala was then associated with the Amani National Congress (ANC), which joined the Kenya Kwanza coalition. He became one of the coalition’s prominent voices in Western Kenya and campaigned for Ruto during the election.
He unsuccessfully contested the Kakamega gubernatorial seat in 2022 but remained within Ruto’s political camp after the election.
In 2023, Malala was appointed Secretary-General of UDA, putting him at the centre of the ruling party’s political machinery.
His tenure ended after he was removed from the position amid growing political differences within the ruling camp. Malala subsequently aligned himself with Gachagua and became Deputy Party Leader of the DCP and an outspoken critic of Ruto.
4. Aisha Jumwa
Jumwa was one of Ruto’s most prominent campaigners at the Coast during the 2022 election.
Then the Malindi MP and UDA gubernatorial candidate for Kilifi, Jumwa campaigned alongside Ruto as Kenya Kwanza sought to make inroads in the Coast region. Ruto publicly backed her gubernatorial bid during his campaign tour of Kilifi.
Jumwa lost the Kilifi gubernatorial race to ODM candidate Gideon Mung’aro but received a Cabinet appointment after Ruto assumed office.
She was appointed Cabinet Secretary for Public Service, Gender and Affirmative Action and later served as Cabinet Secretary for Gender, Culture, the Arts and Heritage.
Her Cabinet tenure ended in July 2024 when Ruto dismissed his Cabinet following the Gen Z-led protests.
Jumwa remained associated with UDA after leaving government but eventually fell out with the ruling party. On July 30, 2026, she announced her resignation from UDA, saying she had made the decision after consultations with her supporters.
She has also expressed interest in contesting the Kilifi gubernatorial seat in 2027 and has since held talks with opposition figures, including Siaya Governor James Orengo.
5. Mithika Linturi
Former Agriculture Cabinet Secretary Mithika Linturi was another important Ruto ally in the Mt Kenya region during the 2022 election.
Linturi, then Meru Senator, contested the Meru gubernatorial seat on a UDA ticket while campaigning for the Kenya Kwanza presidential candidate. Although he lost the gubernatorial race, he received a Cabinet appointment after Ruto won the presidency.
He was appointed Cabinet Secretary for Agriculture and Livestock Development.
Linturi's tenure came under pressure in 2024 when an impeachment motion was filed against him over allegations surrounding the fertiliser programme. A special parliamentary committee recommended that the charges against him were not substantiated.
He was nevertheless among the Cabinet Secretaries dismissed by Ruto in July 2024.
In May 2025, Linturi resigned from UDA, accusing the party of abandoning the principles on which it was founded.
He later joined Gachagua’s DCP and became the party’s National Organising Secretary.
6. Irungu Kang’ata
Murang’a Governor Irungu Kang’ata was one of UDA’s key figures in Mt Kenya ahead of the 2022 election.
He contested the Murang’a gubernatorial seat on a UDA ticket and won, becoming one of the party’s successful candidates in the region.
Kang’ata remained associated with Ruto and the ruling party for much of the first part of the administration.
That relationship has since changed.
In May 2026, Kang’ata announced that he would not seek re-election as governor on a UDA ticket, citing what he described as differences in political strategy, citizen engagement and policy priorities.
He subsequently joined the Linda Mwananchi movement and later announced that he would defend his Murang’a governorship on a DCP ticket in 2027.
7. Mohammed Ali
Nyali MP Mohammed Ali, popularly known as Jicho Pevu, was among the politicians who helped UDA make gains at the Coast during the 2022 election.
Ali contested the Nyali parliamentary seat on a UDA ticket and won, becoming one of the party’s successful candidates in Mombasa as the opposition retained considerable strength in the county.
For several years after the election, he remained within the ruling party, but that changed in 2026.
In February, Ali left UDA and aligned himself with the United Opposition. He was subsequently backed by opposition leaders to contest the Mombasa gubernatorial seat in the 2027 General Election.
In April, Wiper Patriotic Front leader Kalonzo Musyoka announced Ali as the party’s candidate for the Mombasa gubernatorial race.
The move places Ali on the opposite side of the political divide from the administration that sponsored his successful 2022 parliamentary bid.
8. Millicent Omanga
Omanga was one of UDA’s most recognisable campaigners in Nairobi during the 2022 election.
The former nominated senator contested the Nairobi Woman Representative seat on a UDA ticket and mounted a vigorous campaign for the party. She finished second to ODM’s Esther Passaris, who won with 698,929 votes against Omanga’s 586,246.
Omanga remained a prominent supporter of Ruto and UDA after the election, but her political allegiance has since changed.
In March 2026, she formally joined Gachagua’s DCP after leaving UDA. Omanga said her decision was driven by what she described as unfulfilled promises by the ruling party.
She is now seeking the Nairobi Woman Representative seat again in 2027, this time under the DCP banner.
9. John Methu
Nyandarua Senator John Methu entered elective politics as a UDA candidate in 2022 and won, subsequently becoming one of the younger voices associated with the ruling party.
His political position has changed significantly following the fallout between Ruto and Gachagua.
Methu became closely aligned with Gachagua and was appointed Secretary-General designate of the DCP in May 2026. Gachagua also named him the party’s spokesperson and tasked him with leading its campaign for the Ol Kalou parliamentary by-election.
Methu has since become one of DCP’s prominent campaigners and critics of the Ruto administration. During a public event in Nyandarua, he challenged Ruto over development promises he said had not been fulfilled, including roads and the Ol Kalou stadium.
In July, Methu led DCP supporters during the party’s successful Ol Kalou by-election campaign, further cementing his position within Gachagua’s opposition camp.
10. Boni Khalwale
Kakamega Senator Boni Khalwale was another prominent UDA politician who helped Ruto establish a foothold in Western Kenya during the 2022 election.
Khalwale was elected Kakamega Senator on a UDA ticket in 2022 and became one of the ruling party’s senior voices in Western Kenya.
His relationship with UDA and the Ruto administration began to change in 2025. Khalwale openly supported DAP-K candidate Seth Panyako against UDA's David Ndakwa in the Malava parliamentary by-election.
He defended the decision by saying he was protesting what he described as the administration’s failure to support the family of the late Malava MP Malulu Injendi.
UDA subsequently moved against him, and Khalwale lost his position as Senate Majority Whip. Opposition leaders welcomed his shift away from the ruling camp.
By 2026, Khalwale had become openly critical of Ruto’s re-election campaign. In July, he urged Western Kenya leaders to support Nairobi Senator Edwin Sifuna rather than Ruto in the 2027 presidential race.
