Nyoro has spent the past week marketing himself as an independent player in the opposition after quitting UDA and taking over the People’s Party of Kenya.
Since the launch, he has opened the party to aspirants seeking various elective positions and embarked on a campaign to build its grassroots structures.
But his push comes as Gachagua’s DCP moves to position itself as the dominant political vehicle in Mt Kenya ahead of the 2027 General Election.
The timing has put Nyoro in an awkward political position.
A day after he launched PPK and began his first major mobilisation in Murang’a, Gachagua moved into the county, opening a DCP office and touring Kangari and Kandara.
Gachagua’s team has made clear that its ambition is to unite the Mountain behind one political vehicle, with DCP at the centre of that strategy.
Nyoro, however, is determined to build his own political identity.
He has sought to avoid an open confrontation with Gachagua, repeatedly referring to the former deputy president as an “elder brother” and urging his supporters to welcome him whenever he visits Murang’a.
When Gachagua announced his visit to the county, Nyoro asked residents to give him a warm reception.
He has also warned politicians seeking to join PPK against attacking Gachagua.
“If you have insulted former Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua, PPK has no room for you. Go and make amends with Gachagua,” Nyoro said.
The conciliatory approach appears aimed at keeping open the possibility of working with Gachagua, while giving PPK room to develop as an independent political force.
Nyoro has said his presidential ambition does not necessarily mean he must become the opposition’s flagbearer.
At his Murang’a rallies, he said the opposition must eventually settle on a single presidential candidate and running mate to face President William Ruto.
“If it is Ndindi Nyoro who will be the opposition flag bearer, be sure I will send Ruto home. And if it is any other of the opposition leaders, I will support him or her,” he said.
But his decision to establish a separate party has raised questions within the wider Mt Kenya political movement.
DCP secretary general-designate John Methu has warned that multiple political vehicles could split the region’s vote and weaken its bargaining power ahead of 2027.
Other Gachagua allies have similarly challenged Nyoro to abandon PPK and join DCP rather than establish another party in a region already seeking to consolidate its political influence.
The pressure comes as Nyoro attempts to shake off his past association with the Ruto administration and establish himself as an independent political figure.
He was one of the most prominent supporters of Ruto and UDA in Mt Kenya during the 2022 election and later became chairman of the powerful National Assembly Budget and Appropriations Committee.
His break with UDA has, therefore, been interpreted as a major political repositioning ahead of 2027.
Several Mt Kenya politicians have since publicly congratulated him on launching PPK, further fuelling speculation about his next political move.
Nyandarua Woman Representative Faith Gitau, an UDA legislator, has been among those to publicly defend him.
“I am supporting Ndindi Nyoro 100 per cent, and nobody should question or touch Ndindi Nyoro,” she said.
But Nyoro is also facing criticism from within Ruto’s camp.
Murang’a Woman Representative Betty Maina has launched a scathing attack on the former UDA ally, accusing him of hypocrisy in his newfound cordiality towards Gachagua.
Maina claimed Nyoro had been critical of Gachagua long before the former Deputy President’s impeachment, and questioned why he did not protest when Gachagua was removed from office if he now regarded him as an “elder brother”.
“When Rigathi was being impeached, Ndindi didn't caution anybody; he just kept quiet because he was okay with any outcome,” she said.
“He didn't even resign in protest when his ‘brother’ was impeached.”
Maina also questioned why Nyoro was building a separate political party instead of joining Gachagua’s DCP if his objective was genuinely to strengthen Mt Kenya’s political bargaining power.
“Ndindi is being a hypocrite. If he is genuine, why not join his so-called ‘big brother’ and help strengthen the party? If President Ruto, Rigathi and himself survived together in UDA then, what's so hard about him joining DCP, where the Murang'a governor and the majority of MPs and MCAs from Murang'a are?” she posed.
The legislator accused Nyoro of using his conciliatory statements towards Gachagua to secure political space to market PPK, while ultimately contributing to the fragmentation of the Mountain vote.
She questioned the need for another political vehicle when other regions were attempting to consolidate behind established parties.
“All the opposition leaders in Eastern are united under one umbrella called Wiper. The Luhyas are trying to build their own. Why come with a mini-umbrella?” Maina said.
Her attack highlights the political dilemma confronting Nyoro.
While he needs to maintain cordial relations with Gachagua and avoid being seen as an obstacle to Mt Kenya unity, he also needs to convince that PPK has a purpose beyond being a vehicle for his own ambitions.
Gachagua has already spent months building DCP structures across the region and presenting himself as the principal political voice of Mt Kenya in the opposition.
Nyoro's emergence, therefore, introduces a second centre of political gravity.
