Jamleck Kamau, Mohamed Ali, Ndegwa Njiru: Kalonzo unveils new Wiper leadership team

Wiper Patriotic Front leader Kalonzo Musyoka has announced a shake-up of the party leadership, appointing former Cabinet Minister Jamleck Irungu Kamau as the new party chairman, Nyali MP Mohamed Ali as Deputy Party Leader designate and lawyer Ndegwa Njiru as the party's first spokesperson.

In a statement issued on Friday, Kalonzo said the appointments were part of a mandate handed to him by delegates during the party's National Delegates Congress (NDC) to expand and renew the party's leadership ahead of the 2027 General Election.

Kamau, a former Nairobi Metropolitan Development Cabinet Minister and two-term Kigumo MP, takes over as party chairman.

Kalonzo described him as a seasoned coalition builder with decades of political experience, saying his leadership would help strengthen the party as it seeks to form what he termed the "United Alternative Government-in-Waiting."

"Kamau has spent thirty years building coalitions, balancing budgets, and holding fractious political houses together under pressure. That is precisely the discipline the Wiper Patriotic Front needs," he said.

Kalonzo praised MP Ali, a former investigative journalist, for his anti-corruption record and public service, saying he brings both integrity and youth appeal to the party leadership.

"Ali brings not only the Coast region, but a younger generation of hard-working Kenyans who want to live in a country that respects and rewards integrity over patronage, into the very heart of this party's leadership," said Kalonzo.

Lawyer Njiru was also appointed as the Wiper Patriotic Front's first spokesperson, with Kalonzo saying the new office had been created "for a new season of struggle."

He described Njiru as a constitutional advocate who has represented ordinary citizens, lawmakers and young protesters in court, adding that he would now serve as the public face of the party.

Kalonzo said the appointments were driven by principle rather than political convenience.

"These are not appointments of convenience but of conviction. A coalition builder, a man of proven integrity, and a defender of the rule of law — each of them a perfect fit for a party whose only agenda is to Komboa Kenya," he said.

He added that the changes were part of broader efforts to strengthen both the Wiper Patriotic Front and the wider opposition coalition ahead of the 2027 elections, saying consultations were ongoing to unite parties opposed to President William Ruto's administration under a single political front.

Beyond the party changes, Kalonzo also criticised the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC) over remarks suggesting elections could not be conducted under the current political environment and condemned what he termed state-sponsored handouts during by-election campaigns.

He maintained that the 2027 General Election would proceed as scheduled, insisting that "the only conversation Kenyans will have that matters is the one they will have on August 10, 2027 — at the ballot."