Wiper and DCP-allied leader at Wamunyoro on August 18, 2026Former Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua has thrown a new twist in opposition negotiations for a single presidential line-up that may jolt political bigwigs.
Gachagua is pushing for an initial two-party deal between his Democracy for the Citizens Party and Wiper Patriotic Front of Kalonzo Musyoka.
The announcement is likely to send shockwaves in the opposition as the two outfits– seen as giants– could settle on a presidential candidate and invite others to scramble for the rest.
The Wiper-DCP deal could also negotiate power-sharing arrangements, including how to field candidates in key seats, especially in Nairobi
Speaking while hosting a delegation of Wiper leaders at his Wamunyoro home, Gachagua said DCP and Wiper must first unite.
“I want to ask for a partnership between the two parties as we also engage the others. The more the merrier,” he said. “What I am asking is for DCP and Wiper to first unite. Isn’t it, then we talk to the others.”
According to Gachagua, "between Wiper Patriotic Front and DCP, a new government will be formed."
Kitui Senator Enoch Wambua, a close Kalonzo ally, backed the deputy president’sproposal for DCP and Wiper to move ahead even as other parties continue negotiations.
“My take home today is what you [Gachagua] have said. A time has come for DCP and Wiper to put this show on the road and let everyone else come on board,” Wambua said.
“If we wait for each other, those 30 parties to sit down to discuss coalition-making, it may never happen. Let’s start and go. The others will join us on the way.”
The leaders, however, did not hint at any fallout within the larger united opposition ranks.
The new move comes weeks after former Interior Cabinet Secretary Fred Matiang’i and Gachagua allies tore at each other publicly.
A separate war has been between Gachagua on one side against Democratic Partyleader Justin Muturi, his PNU counterpart Peter Munya and Lenny Kivuti.
The new developments come weeks after Kalonzo and Wambua said Gachagua had agreed to back the former vice president for the country’s top job.
The story was exclusively reported by the Star.
While Kalonzo did not deny it, the DCP leader came out guns blazing and denied endorsing Kalonzo.
On Tuesday,Gachagua reiterated that his preferred option was for the opposition to settle on a single presidential candidate and said he would support the eventual choice, whether or not he gets the ticket.
“I have every intention to be part of the winning team,” he said.
He recalled his involvement in previous political transitions, saying he had participated in succession politics since the return to multiparty democracy in 1992.
“I have been part of the succession politics since 1992, as part of the succession from single-party to multiparty system, as well as the (President Daniel) Moi, (Mwai) Kibaki and (Uhuru) Kenyatta successions. In all instances, I am always in the winning team,” he said.
Gachagua pledged to lead the national campaign once the opposition settles on its presidential candidate.
He also called on Wiper to strengthen its support in Ukambani, saying defeating a sitting President would require the opposition to maximise its numbers in its traditional strongholds.
“So I want to plead for a strong partnership between Wiper and DCP and then we engage the others to work together so that we win this election in round one with a margin of six to seven million so that this man [Ruto] does not go to the Supreme Court,” he said.
The DCP described Wiper and DCP as “cousins” and “family” and said an alliance between the two parties could also sweep Nairobi.
He said the two sides had already reached an understanding on some positions at the Coast, including the Mombasa governorship.
“We have already agreed on Mombasa and had settled on Moha [Nyali MP Mohamed Ali] to fly the opposition ticket under Wiper,” Gachagua said.
“So Mohamed Ali, as I told Aisha Jumwa in Kilifi, once you become governor in Mombasa, look after our affairs there. I have a home there. We are getting Mombasa governor and Kilifi governor. In Taita Taveta, we must arrange a winning strategy.”
He added that the parties would negotiate for different positions between Wiper and DCP.
“We want the chairperson of the Council of Governors to come from this team,” he said
The proposed DCP-Wiper deal would bring together two of the opposition's significant regional political bases.
Gachagua is seeking to consolidate support in the Mt Kenya region, while Kalonzo has maintained a strong political base in the Ukambani counties of Kitui, Machakos and Makueni.
In 2022 presidential elections, Mt Kenya accounted for about 5.7 million registered voters, with Ruto winning overwhelmingly across the region with Gachagua as the running mate.
The three traditional Ukambani counties also provided a sizeable opposition vote.
Raila received about 768,000 votes in Kitui, Machakos and Makueni combined, against about 250,000 for Ruto. The three counties had a combined registered voter population of about 1.7 million.
The former DP has repeatedly pointed to these numbers as the basis for a political partnership with Kalonzo.
During an opposition tour of Ukambani in March, Gachagua praised the Kamba vote as reliable and suggested that Kalonzo had the qualities required to lead the country.
He also said the region's votes would be important in determining the outcome of the 2027 election.
In July, Gachagua again challenged the Ukambani region to increase voter registration and turnout, saying Kalonzo would need a stronger vote from his backyard if he was to mount a serious presidential campaign.
He said Ukambani currently had about two million votes and challenged the region to raise this to between 3.5 million and four million voters, while saying Mt Kenya was also seeking to increase its numbers.
Kalonzo and Gachagua have also sent several public signals that they intend to remain on the same side of the opposition contest despite differences over strategy and the selection of the presidential candidate
The push for a DCP-Wiper agreement also comes as the wider opposition continues to grapple with competing presidential ambitions.
Besides Kalonzo, other aspirants include Matiang'i, DAP-K leader Eugene Wamalwa, People’s Liberation Party’s Martha Karua and Nairobi Senator Edwin Sifuna.
Gachagua has said the opposition should not allow negotiations involving dozens of parties to delay the process of building a winning alliance.
The former DP also said the opposition would need to perform strongly beyond its traditional strongholds, pointing to Nairobi and the Coast as key battlegrounds.
In Nairobi, he said a united DP-Wiper campaign could sweep a significant number of elective positions.
At the Coast, he said the emerging agreement would seek to secure the Mombasa and Kilifi governorships while developing a joint strategy for Taita Taveta.
The two parties are betting that combining Gachagua's influence in Mt Kenya with Kalonzo's support in Ukambani will give the opposition a stronger position as it seeks to challenge Ruto in 2027.
