DCP leader Rigathi Gachagua welcomes Nyandarua Governor Kiarie Badilisha to teh party on Wednesday at his Wamunyoro residenceNyandarua Governor Moses Kiarie "Badilisha" on Wednesday became the latest senior UDA leader in Mt Kenya region to defect to Rigathi Gachagua's Democracy for Citizens Party.
Ending months of speculation over his political future, Badilisha paid a highly symbolic visit to Gachagua's Wamunyoro residence, where he formally declared he would seek a second term on the DCP ticket.
Accompanied by a delegation of leaders from Nyandarua, the governor said the move was in response to the wishes of county residents.
"I have been sending signals about where my political stand is, but they have not been getting it. So today I decided to come here myself. I am here and I am not turning back because the people of Nyandarua have spoken in a loud voice," Badilisha said.
Fresh from DCP's landslide victory in the Ol Kalou by-election, Badilisha said he was prepared for any political consequences arising from his decision to abandon UDA.
"Anyone who thinks they can come after me must have missed what happened on July 16 during the Ol Kalou by-election. I cannot be where the people are not. Even my other colleagues have told me they will also be coming here," he added.
Gachagua also received 24 MCAs from Laikipia and Nakuru counties.
Among the MCAs who decamped were Laikipia deputy speaker Anthony Wambui and Majority leader Stephen Kamau.
Responding to criticism over the timing of his defection, the governor insisted the move had been carefully planned in consultation with Gachagua.
"Those saying I have just come should understand that even in the Mau Mau struggle there was strategy. Some soldiers fought on the front line while others remained behind to ensure the war was eventually won. Now that I know we have won, why should I remain there?" he posed.
Welcoming him into the party, Gachagua dismissed concerns that Badilisha had joined the movement late, invoking the Biblical Parable of the Workers in the Vineyard.
"I welcome you home because this is where you belong. You are in the right place at the right time. Even in the Bible it is written that those who came first and those who came last received the same pay," Gachagua said.
The former Deputy President, however, warned the governor to brace for what he termed political persecution from President William Ruto, saying many leaders who aligned with him had faced intimidation.
"Had he started walking with me two years ago, he would have been arrested and jailed on trumped-up charges. The same applied to the governors of Kiambu and Murang'a. We agreed they should continue working quietly as long as they did not betray or abuse us. The right time would come, and now it has," Gachagua said.
He claimed Governors Kimani Wamatangi (Kiambu) and Irungu Kang'ata (Murang'a) had similarly delayed openly joining his camp to avoid political reprisals.
At the same time, Gachagua declared that the window for politicians seeking to join DCP was fast approaching.
He said leaders wishing to consult him had until the end of August before the party shifted focus to preparations for the 2027 general election.
Gachagua also extended by 10 days his ongoing consultations at Wamunyoro, saying the extension would compensate for time spent on political tours of Meru, Embu, Nyandarua, Nairobi and the Coast region, while accommodating leaders from Northeastern who had also requested meetings.
The move by Badilisha is yet another political blow for Ruto in a region that has increasingly slipped from his grasp.
Political analyst Kidi Mwaga explained the exodus as a reaction to political realities on the ground.
Mwaga said that given that politics is local, Gachagua has managed to mobilise a following in the Mt Kenya region.
"I can compare Gachagua with where Raila was in 1997 with his then small party NDP. But in the 1997 elections, he swept 3/4 of parliamentary and councillor seats in Nyanza and even big wigs such as Dalmas Otieno lost to youthful politicians such as Ochillo Ayacko at age 27," he stated.
"So, you will see more people on his camp. But while that might affect Ruto's election is another question. It might affect but not undermine. Referring to Kibaki, Pentagon turned the whole country against him but he made a deal with Kalonzo for him to vie and have a post-election coalition. So Ruto has the capacity to use his incumbency to his advantage," he said.
Badilisha's defection has also altered the political equation in Nyandarua, throwing a spanner in the works for the contest over the DCP gubernatorial ticket.
Until Wednesday, former CS Sicily Kariuki and former Governor Daniel Waithaka had largely emerged as the frontrunners for the party's ticket.
The governor's entry now sets up what is shaping into one of DCP's most competitive nomination battles in Mt Kenya.
Signs of the rivalry have already begun to emerge.
During the joint funeral service for two victims of violence during the Ol Kalou by-election on July 23, Kariuki condemned what she described as attempts by hired goons to silence gubernatorial hopefuls.
"We cannot allow the use of young people to prevent me and other leaders seeking the governor's seat from speaking because you assume you own Nyandarua. We will face you head on," she said.
Badilisha, who attended the funeral, appeared to respond on Wednesday to critics uncomfortable with his political ambitions.
He said those who had already begun complaining about his influence before he had formally joined DCP should now accept the reality that he was fully in the party.
He said he was prepared to test his popularity through the party's nomination process.
Badilisha's defection comes barely a week after Murang'a Governor Irungu Kang'ata announced he would seek re-election on a DCP ticket, further accelerating the exodus of Mt Kenya leaders from UDA.
The momentum has been fuelled by DCP's emphatic victory in the Ol Kalou by-election, where Sammy Kamau secured 35,440 votes against UDA candidate Muchina Nyaga's 5,450.
The wide margin seems to have emboldened more elected leaders to publicly align with Gachagua ahead of next year's general election.
INSTANT ANALYSIS
Nyandarua Governor Moses Kiarie "Badilisha" has defected from UDA to Rigathi Gachagua's DCP, becoming the latest senior Mt Kenya leader to abandon President William Ruto's party. Declaring he would seek re-election on a DCP ticket, Badilisha said he was responding to the wishes of Nyandarua residents. Gachagua welcomed the move, saying it was not too late to join the party, while warning of possible political persecution. The governor's entry dramatically reshapes the race for the DCP gubernatorial ticket, setting up a high-stakes contest with former CS Sicily Kariuki and former Governor Daniel Waithaka ahead of the 2027 elections.
