Ex-DP Gachagua faces headwinds as allies send mixed signals

Former Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua is far from complacent as his close allies send mixed signals about his style and focus, undermining his efforts to forge a united front to send President William Ruto home in 2027.

In recent weeks, the cluster in the impeached DP’s corner has been shifting and uneasy, second-guessing his abrasive, Mt Kenya-centric approach at a time he needs an intact and expanding team for an epic battle with his former boss.

He is not a candidate. The self-styled ‘truthful man’ whose influence brought together regional powerbrokers and emerging leaders is now confronted by the arduous task of keeping the team together as cracks in the camp are becoming impossible to ignore.

Twice last month, two key figures on his team – activist George Morara and Githunguri MP Gathoni Wamuchomba – have publicly expressed their reservations on the ex-DP’s approach to politics.

Gatanga MP Edward Muriu, who is Gachagua’s confidant, dismissed talk of internal strife, saying it is natural and democratic for people to express themselves and even disagree.

“Democracy is fluid, the more people talk the better for the country. Nobody is perfect, we build each other,” Muriu told the Star on the phone.

“Wamuchomba has said her part and we have heard her, to me it is making the new movement stronger.”

The first to go public was Gen Z activist Kebaso, who left no doubt that his little-known Inject Party was exiting Gachagua’s camp, accusing the former second in command of “tribal-driven politics”.

In a series of tweets, Kebaso faulted Gachagua’s obsession with Mt Kenya, accusing him of focusing on a single region at the expense of the larger national interest.

“Inject Party has found it very difficult to continue associating itself with leaders who think tribalism, speak tribalism and plan tribalism,” Kebaso said in one of his viral tweets.

“Our party is not founded on tribal hate as the basis of political change, it is our desire to work with other political parties, if and only if their values are aligned to ours.

“We have privately and respectfully conveyed our disappointment with one of our partners in the opposition.”

Days later, Githunguri MP Wamuchomba also told the ex-DP to broaden his focus beyond Mt Kenya if he wants to unite the country.

The firebrand lawmaker also urged him to change his political approach and advocate for all Kenyans, not just the Mt Kenya region.

“For the last two years when he was in power, he didn’t carry himself in a pleasant way that would appeal to most members to support him. He was a bit too abrasive. His language was a bit too off-key. His conduct was sometimes off the radar,” she said during an interview on NTV.

“He doesn’t have to necessarily agree with me, but if it’s a fact, it is a fact. Rigathi needs to realise that he has the mountain with him; he does not have to talk and punch again about the mountain.”

The recent turn of events has cast doubt about Gachagua’s once-solid base and his dreams of a united anti-Ruto front in 2027 elections have seemed to slip farther away with every passing moment.

His situation is made worse by Uhuru Kenyatta-led Jubilee Party’s reluctance to support his efforts and instead root for the candidacy of the former powerful Cabinet minister Fred Matiang’i.

The planned weeklong tour by the President in Mt Kenya region is likely to compound Gachagua’s problems, especially if the region welcomes the head of state who won the mountain’s vote.

“He (Ruto) knows Mt Kenya is on fire, yet he is planning a tour there,” political analyst Javas Bigambo told the Star.

“He is trying to go there using a scorched-earth method to show that although politically he is not welcomed, thanks to Rigathi Gachagua, he wants to demonstrate that it is Rigathi Gachagua who is trying to exclude Mt Kenya from the national political collage.

“But he (Ruto) is determined in the spirit of inclusion to have Mt Kenya at the table.”

The ex-DP now faces the daunting task of navigating the growing political storm without losing the support he had fought so hard to build for almost six months since his impeachment. But according to Gachagua confidant Muriu, the much-hyped Ruto visit will amount to nothing if the President does nothing to remove the ‘betrayal’ tag.

“As he (Ruto) comes, he needs to know Mt Kenya has moved on. For them to come back, he (Ruto) needs to do a lot of work to fulfil his election pledges on roads, water, and electricity, which have not taken root,” he told the Star.

The first-term lawmaker, who is also the UDA legal secretary, said he will be on the ground to welcome his party leader, even as he complained of being excluded from the preparation meetings.

“First, I am a founding member of UDA and, therefore, in my capacity as legal secretary of the UDA party and MP for Gatanga, I want to welcome my party leader in the constituency with both arms,” he said.

“My party leader has excluded me from meetings to organise his coming because I am gitungati (term used to refer to Gachagua allies), but he (Ruto) should know I am not his enemy. His enemies are the people who misadvised him to impeach Gachagua, and in the process he lost almost 50 per cent of the people,” Muriu said.

In the face of the disaffection and division, Gachagua has responded by intensifying his charm offensive outside his Mt Kenya bastion, emphasising national unity and the need for an alternative leadership that listens to Kenyans.

Addressing a mammoth rally on Thursday in Kajiado, the former powerful figure in government fought off accusations of tribalism, announcing that his political party, to be launched in May, will be national, with its chairman from Kajiado.

“Now, we are forming our own political party, and this party will be led by the people of Kajiado. In our new party, elections will be held in May, and the national chairman of our new party will come from Kajiado,” Gachagua said.

The party will field candidates for all positions, with the goal of sending President Ruto and his United Democratic Alliance packing.

Ruto is making his first visit to the rebellious Mt Kenya region almost six months after impeachment of his former Deputy President, who styles himself the mountain’s kingpin.

The President is trying to use the tour to demonstrate that he has no problem with the community but only an individual, Gachagua. His allies from the area have camped there to prepare the ground ahead of his arrival.