DCP leader Rigathi Gachagua welcomes Kamukunji MP Yusuf Hassan to the party after his defection from Jubilee on August 25, 2026DCP leader Rigathi Gachagua has declared a political takeover of Nairobi, projecting his party as a major force in the capital after winning over a string of sitting MPs and former Jubilee officials.
The DCP wave gained another legislator on Tuesday when Kamukunji MP Yusuf Hassan defected from Jubilee Party and joined Gachagua's outfit.
Welcoming Hassan to what he described as “the party of the moment”, Gachagua said DCP was poised to win a majority of Nairobi's elective seats in the coming general election.
“I want to announce today the DCP takeover of Nairobi. I also want to say that the competition in Nairobi is among DCP, Wiper and Linda Mwananchi. Luckily, we are on the same side. Anything to do with (President William) Ruto and Oburu's (Oginga) ODM in Nairobi is finished,” Gachagua said.
Gachagua said DCP would field candidates in all 17 constituencies, adding that he is confident of winning at least 12 parliamentary seats while mounting a strong challenge for the remaining five.
“We will also have candidates for governor, senator and woman representative,” he said, while leaving the door open for negotiations with like-minded parties.
Of Nairobi's 85 wards, Gachagua said DCP is targeting victory in 62 and would fight for the remaining seats.
He also dismissed both ODM and UDA as “shells”, saying his strategy was to reclaim the support he had previously helped President Ruto secure in the capital.
Nairobi is expected to be one of the key battlegrounds in the 2027 General Election, with its large and ethnically diverse electorate.
The county had 2,415,310 registered voters in the 2022 election, making it one of the largest electoral blocs.
In the presidential contest, ODM’s Raila Odinga won Nairobi with 760,506 votes, or 57.3 per cent, against Ruto's 560,293 votes, or 41.9 per cent.
Gachagua's growing network in Nairobi was on display during Tuesday's event, where he also welcomed Jubilee's county leadership, including county chairman Stanley Kamore and 14 constituency chairpersons.
These included from Embakasi West, Kasarani, Embakasi North, Embakasi East, Roysambu, Kibra, Mathare and Lang'ata.
Former Roysambu MP Waihenya Ndirangu also defected from Jubilee and joined DCP. He is expected to face incumbent MP Kamande Mwafrika for the party's nomination in the constituency.
Gachagua also received several ward-level aspirants from across the city, including those from Njiru, Ruai, Embakasi East, Starehe, Eastleigh and South C.
Hassan said his decision to join DCP reflected what he described as the wishes of Kamukunji residents, whom he said had suffered under the current administration because of heavy taxation and the rising cost of living.
“We have joined DCP and we will walk together until they win in the forthcoming election,” Hassan said.
“We have joined DCP because it is a party that is seeking good for Kenyans. It wants real change. Kenyans have suffered, the cost of living has gone up, getting food is a challenge, the economy has deteriorated, corruption and tribalism are now rampant.”
Kamore, meanwhile, declared that Jubilee had effectively closed shop in Nairobi after the latest defections.
“From today, I want to announce here that we have shut down Jubilee's Nairobi office. We will henceforth undertake other activities to convert more and bring more delegations to DCP,” he said.
However, tensions between DCP and Jubilee appeared to flare during the meeting, with Gachagua taking issue with remarks by Jubilee presidential aspirant Fred Matiang'i over an alleged agreement for DCP to give way to Jubilee in Ol Kalou.
“Those are lies. Leadership is not a cigarette that you can just pass over. You have to engage the people. I want us to compete fairly. I don't want zoning so that we can enhance voter turnout,” Gachagua said.
Gachagua also accused Jubilee of organising violence against DCP, alleging that Nakuru Town West MP Samuel Arama had planned to mobilise goons to attack him during his visit to the area.
“Planning political violence is being foolish and childish. I want to call on Jubilee leaders to condemn that MP. DCP will make sure it sends that MP home early in the morning,” he said.
Hassan's defection adds to a growing list of sitting MPs and former legislators aligning with Gachagua in Nairobi.
They include Starehe MP Amos Mwago, Embakasi North MP James Gakuya, Embakasi Central MP Major Donk Gathiru, Embakasi West MP Mark Mwenje and Roysambu's Kamande Mwafrika.
Other notable politicians and aspirants who have aligned themselves with Gachagua in Nairobi include former nominated senator Millicent Omanga, former Kasarani MP Mercy Gakuya, Makadara MP aspirant Irungu Nyakera and Westlands MP aspirant Nelson Havi.
The growing list of defectors and aspirants has strengthened Gachagua's position in Nairobi politics, although his ability to translate the new alliances into actual votes will face its first major test in the 2027 campaigns.
Gachagua is now setting himself for a battle it out with the already established UDA and ODM, now working under broad-based, for control of the capital.
INSTANT ANALYSIS
DCP leader Rigathi Gachagua has declared a political takeover of Nairobi after winning the support of Kamukunji MP Yusuf Hassan and several Jubilee officials and politicians. Gachagua said DCP will field candidates in all 17 constituencies and target at least 12 parliamentary seats, alongside 62 of Nairobi’s 85 wards. Nairobi, which had 2.4 million registered voters in 2022, backed Raila Odinga with 57.3 per cent of the presidential vote against William Ruto’s 41.9 per cent.
