Nairobi — The WANTAM movement will hold an interactive debate for leading opposition presidential and running-mate contenders on August 23 as it moves to the next stage of its bid to unite the opposition behind a single challenger to President William Ruto in the 2027 General Election.
WANTAM Advisory Committee convenor Francis Masinde on Wednesday said the debate will be co-produced with investigative media organisation Africa Uncensored, marking a departure from traditional political debates that rely primarily on moderators and conventional question-and-answer formats.
Masinde said the organisers are still finalising the production details and will formally invite the leading contenders to participate.
“We are going to move away from the traditional way of doing debates and we are going to make it more interactive,” Masinde said while announcing the conclusion of the first round of the WANTAM digital public participation process.
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He said the August 23 event will bring together the leading presidential and running-mate contenders to engage directly with Kenyans as the movement seeks to build consensus around an opposition ticket.
The debate is expected to become the first major public test of the contenders following the conclusion of the first round of the online vote, which placed Wiper leader Kalonzo Musyoka ahead of Nairobi Senator Edwin Sifuna in the presidential race.
The final results gave Kalonzo 50.2 per cent against Sifuna’s 48.2 per cent, while Sifuna led the running-mate contest with 23.5 per cent.
The WANTAM dashboard currently projects a Kalonzo-Sifuna ticket, although the movement’s process is expected to proceed through further stages before a final opposition ticket is determined.
Masinde said the debate would go beyond individual candidates and focus on building unity within an opposition movement seeking to defeat Ruto in 2027.
“This is not just a debate. It is a strategic gathering to foster unity in the opposition and map out the roadmap to rebuilding a progressive, prosperous Kenya,” he said.
He said the event would give Kenyans an opportunity to hear directly from the leading contenders and determine who can best galvanise the opposition ahead of the 2027 contest.
Masinde said Africa Uncensored with will work alongside the WANTAM Advisory Committee on the event.
The organisers are yet to disclose the format, moderators, venue or specific rules governing participation, saying discussions on the production are ongoing.
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Masinde also used the announcement to frame the WANTAM initiative as a broader public campaign against the Ruto administration, accusing the President of failing to deliver on his campaign promises and criticising his government’s handling of health, education and security.
He dismissed Ruto’s planned national conversation on Vision 2060, arguing that the more urgent national debate should focus on the administration’s record and what he described as alleged abductions and killings under its watch.
Ruto’s administration has previously rejected opposition allegations of state involvement in abductions and extrajudicial killings.
Masinde called on opposition leaders to unite behind a single candidate, arguing that the process should transcend individual political ambitions.
“The fight ahead of us is too important and too complex to be left to the politicians alone,” he said.
WANTAM launched its digital voting initiative as an attempt to give Kenyans a direct role in selecting a single opposition presidential candidate, rather than leaving the choice to negotiations among political leaders.
The movement had earlier said its online voting platform had faced thousands of attempted cyberattacks before and during the voting process, while organisers extended the first-round voting period following a reported hacking attempt.
The August 23 debate will mark a key transition point, shifting WANTAM’s process from an online popularity contest to a public-facing political test of the contenders before the movement proceeds with the next phase of selecting its preferred 2027 opposition ticket.