Gachagua’s many political battles that could weigh down the opposition

DCP leader Rigathi Gachagua is increasingly finding himself at the heart of a simmering storm that threatens to fracture the already fragile opposition coalition ahead of the 2027 elections.

Regarded as a unifying voice for the vote-rich Mt Kenya bloc, Gachagua’s growing list of political wars has cast him as a polarising figure, whose fights risk undermining the opposition’s bid to challenge President William Ruto.

His combative political style, both within and without, is raising serious concerns about the opposition’s ability to mount a credible challenge against Ruto.

At the heart of Gachagua’s troubles is an escalating rivalry with retired President Uhuru Kenyatta and emerging Mt Kenya figures such as former CS Moses Kuria and Kiharu MP Ndindi Nyoro.

Political analysts warn that if unchecked, Gachagua’s style could drain the opposition’s momentum at a critical moment—when it needs its membership intact.

“Gachagua has opened multiple political battlefronts that could weaken both himself and the opposition going into 2027,” policy analyst and Mandela Washington Fellow Alfred Makotsi said.

“Collectively, these internal wars may erode his political influence and deny the opposition the regional unity needed to mount a strong challenge in 2027.”

Last week, Gachagua picked fresh battles with the Kenya Moja Movement, accusing its members of covert links to State House.

The move has provoked backlash from youthful opposition MPs who have blasted the former DP, terming his utterances divisive.

“As young leaders, we are extremely disappointed by some of the pronouncements coming from sections of the United Opposition,” Nairobi Senator Edwin Sifuna fired at Gachagua.

“Some of us were singing Ruto Must Go in 2023—when Gachagua was still with Ruto. So, when did he become the sole custodian of the one-term movement? What we need is language that will unite all the forces of good to secure our future, not divisive mole hunting.”

Githunguri MP Gathoni Wamuchomba, a vocal Kenya Moja member, echoed Sifuna’s sentiments, dismissing Gachagua as a latecomer trying to impose authority without legitimacy.

“Those branding others as traitors are insecure. I opposed Ruto even before others could get the courage to stop him. Those branding us today joined Ruto in condemning me for voting ‘No’ for the Finance Bill 2023,” Wamuchomba said in apparent reference to Gachagua.

Despite insisting his feud with Uhuru is not personal, Gachagua’s consistent attacks on the Jubilee Party, now under the opposition banner, tell a different story.

His allies have accused Jubilee of working to divide the Mt Kenya vote—a region Gachagua is aggressively attempting to consolidate.

“I don’t come from the mountain and thus I can speak and, in the evening go back to Kakamega. That party (Jubilee) must be warned not to cause chaos, if they are indeed part of the United Opposition,” DCP deputy party leader Cleophas Malala said last month.

The frequent clashes with Uhuru have alienated Jubilee loyalists within the opposition camp, raising doubts about his commitment to unity.

Jubilee secretary general Jeremiah Kioni and ex-Nyeri Town MP Ngunjiri Wambugu have separately taken on Gachagua over what they allege is bullying of the former ruling party.

The rift has widened further with former Interior CS Fred Matiang’i, whose re-emergence in opposition politics under the former ruling party banner has unsettled Gachagua.

The two have traded veiled barbs over leadership credentials and the control of Mt Kenya, exposing simmering mistrust within the anti-Ruto front.

Closer home, Gachagua’s public spats with the likes of Kuria and Nyoro have deepened the perception of disunity within the Mt Kenya leadership.

Kuria has openly dismissed Gachagua’s claim to regional leadership.

Nyoro, a rising star in the opposition, has positioned himself as the face of a generational shift, quietly building alliances that could overshadow Gachagua’s influence.

Last month, the former DP accused Nyoro of being Ruto’s pawn, used by State House to split the opposition.

“He has told some young leaders to come with a wheelbarrow so that they hide and pretend to be against Ruto when in the real sense they are his projects,” Gachagua said in Kandara, Murang’a county on September 14.

Gachagua’s DCP has also come under fire from Eugene Wamalwa’s DAP-K party for fielding a candidate in the upcoming Malava by-election, disregarding prior agreement that affiliate parties would not compete in each other’s strongholds.

DAP-K is fronting unionist Seth Panyako in the race to replace the late MP Malulu Injendi while Gachagua’s DCP is backing Edgar Busiega.

DAP-K officials threatened to walk out of the United Opposition should DCP fail to withdraw their candidate.

“We are warning that by the end of the day, if you insist on fielding your candidate, we will disengage from any working relationship with you and go it alone,” DAP-K national chairman Patrick Butichi told Gachagua.

According to political analyst Zacharia Baraza, DCP’s move was in bad taste, which he noted will come with consequences—especially on the opposition unity.

“DCP in Kakamega is not doing it in good faith and it is going to have very serious ramifications,” Baraza said.

“As Luhyas, we want to have a united front and work as a team but DCP wants to divide us, the people of Kakamega, so that DCP can appear to be lord in every region.”

But DCP secretary Planning and Economic Affairs Peter Mbae dismissed the internal wars between his party and DAP-K, saying there is nothing wrong with the two outfits fielding different candidates.

“Eugene Wamalwa never alluded to leaving the coalition or threatened the DCP to withdraw their candidate. Who said both DAP-K and DCP candidates can't run in the by-election and one of them wins?” posed Mbae.

Former unionist and nominated MP Wilson Sossion said the breach of the pact on fielding candidates could mark the beginning of the end of the nascent coalition.

“When political groups unite out of mere hatred without a serious agenda, they won't get anywhere—especially if they are already feuding over forthcoming by-elections, like DCP and DAP-K,” Sossion said.

INSTANT ANALYSIS

As the 2027 race inches closer, the question remains whether Gachagua can rise above personal feuds to rally a divided camp, or whether his many battles will become the weight that sinks the opposition’s dream of winning power.