The political battle between former Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua and Kiharu MP Ndindi Nyoro is escalating as their allies trade accusations over who controls Mt Kenya.
What started as a contest for influence has evolved into a wider fight over political space. Nyoro’s People’s Party of Kenya has emerged as a new vehicle in the region where Gachagua’s Democracy for Citizens Party has been seeking to consolidate the vote against President William Ruto.
The clash has also exposed a deeper dilemma for the opposition: whether Nyoro is genuinely building an independent force or whether he could fragment Mt Kenya and weaken Gachagua’s efforts to rally the region behind a single anti-government front.
The rivalry has intensified in recent weeks. The former DP’s allies repeatedly question Nyoro’s political intentions and accuse him of maintaining links Ruto, even being the President’s ‘project.’
Nyoro has rejected the accusations, saying his decision to leave the ruling UDA and take charge of PPK was driven by his own political ambitions and desire to strengthen the opposition.
Political analyst Kobia Koome told the Star Nyoro’s decision to launch his own political vehicle, the revived PPK, and declare his presidential bid had unsettled Gachagua’s camp that aims to be the dominant anti-Ruto party.
“The move by Nyoro to introduce a party and declared his presidential ambitions seem to have angered Gachagua’s team that has been seeking to consolidate Mt Kenya's anti-Ruto vote behind DCP,” Koome said.
He said the attacks on Nyoro could also make Gachagua appear intolerant of competition within the region.
“Nyoro does not need anyone’s permission to build a political vehicle. Ultimately, it is the voters who will decide whether his project has a future,” he said.
The accusations against the Kiharu MP have largely centered on his previous political relationship with Ruto. His critics question whether his entry into the opposition is genuine or an effort to split the vote.
Former Murang’a gubernatorial candidate Irungu Nyakera is among the loudest accusers, saying Nyoro is working with Ruto to divide vote-rich Mt Kenya and benefit the President.
Speaking during an interview with Radio Maisha, Nyakera said Nyoro was “President Ruto's mole” within the opposition and was deliberately positioning himself to confuse and fracture the region.
“We know Ndindi Nyoro is not in opposition and they are working with Ruto, he is aiming to divide the Mt Kenya region,” Nyakera said.
He also questioned why the Kiharu MP had become the subject of suspicion, while other opposition parties were operating freely.
“We have several political parties in the United Opposition. We have DP led by Muturi, PLP led by Martha Karua and, recently, the Farmers Party led by Kimani Ngunjiri, and no one is accusing him because we know his stand. But why is it that Nyoro is being suspected of working with Ruto?” he asked.
Nyoro broke with Ruto after he refused to support Gachagua’s impeachment. He was removed this year from chairmanship of the National Assembly Budget and Appropriations Committee.
Isaac Wanjekeche, an analyst from Western said the MP is facing continued resistance within the opposition because he entered the Mt Kenya political contest after Gachagua had already established himself as a dominant force there.
He said Nyoro’s attempt to establish a separate political centre had inevitably triggered suspicion among Gachagua’s allies, particularly because the two leaders are seeking influence over the same electorate.
“Nyoro cannot plan to conquer a territory that is already under lock and key. He merely and openly looks to be causing confusion in the mountain, hence, attracting suspicion as a player,” Wanjekeche says.
The increasing accusations have forced Nyoro to repeatedly defend his political position while rejecting any link with the head of state and his allies. The MP used to be Ruto’s tireless and vocal supporter, organising and campaigning for him and backing him after his election.
On September 7, the Kiharu MP issued his strongest warning yet to Gachagua and his allies, challenging the former DP to confront him directly instead of using his supporters to assail him.
Speaking at the People's Party headquarters, Nyoro, without mentioning the DCP leader by name, Nyoro said he had supported him unconditionally to become DP in 2022 and had declined to participate in the 2024 impeachment motion against him.
"There are three leaders from a certain party who think the respect Nyoro gives them every day is fear. I want to send a straight message to them: Next time, do not send people to insult Ndindi Nyoro... We will face each other face to face," he said.
Despite the increasingly bitter exchanges, Nyoro maintains that he is open to working with Gachagua, whom he called a friend, and other opposition leaders.
Speaking during an interview with Citizen TV, he said he did not consider Gachagua a political enemy and indicated that he would even visit him for tea.
“I have fair relationships with all opposition leaders, including Rigathi Gachagua. I have a party to build, which I am doing. Any collaboration with anyone within the opposition is what we are doing. I believe we are not competitors. We are doing the same job.
“When Gachagua comes back, I will go for tea. We are not enemies, we are friends,” Nyoro said.
He has also rejected allegations that PPK is a government-sponsored vehicle designed to weaken Gachagua and divide the Mt Kenya vote.
Nyoro says the party is intended to expand the opposition by providing an alternative platform for politicians who do not want to join existing parties.
“People’s Party is having a lot of acceptance and goodwill across the country. We are receiving aspirants every day here. This means as more join, they are adding to opposition numbers,” Nyoro said.
His words have done little to calm Gachagua and his allies.
During a visit to Murang'a few months ago, Gachagua warned that a political vehicle was being created in the region to benefit the President.
"We are aware of a small wheelbarrow coming in Murang’a in the name of Ruto to confuse the people, we will expose them," he said. A wheelbarrow is the official symbol of UDA.
The “wheelbarrow” has become a recurring feature of attacks by DCP allies against Nyoro’s political vehicle. When Wiper members visited Gachagua at his Wamunyoro residence on August 18 this year,Nyandarua Senator JohnMethu described PPK as a “green wheelbarrow”.
“They even want to steal our DCP colour so they can say it is a green wheelbarrow. Whether it is a green-yellow wheelbarrow or not, a wheelbarrow is just a wheelbarrow. The way we have been dealing with big wheelbarrows is the way we will deal with small wheelbarrows,” Methu said.
Kiambu Senator Karungo wa Thang’wa has also criticised Nyoro’s party, implying the Kiharu MP had been promised the DP’s position by Ruto.
“Someone who launched a party in Mt Kenya has been promised a deputy president slot. If you join the party, you are joining Ruto, the UDA party and any other party being launched won’t be accepted, Ol Kalou taught us something,” Karungo said. DCP won the Ol Kalau by-election in July by a landslide with 35,440 votes against the UDA candidates 5,450 votes.
Kirinyaga Woman Representative Njeri Maina has rejected claims that Gachagua was directly attacking Nyoro, saying the former DP’s wheelbarrow remarks were made before the launch of PPK.
“I have not heard of Gachagua attacking Nyoro and what he said was earlier before Nyoro launched the party, what other people are talking are not speaking on his behalf,” Njeri said.
Karua, who is an opposition principal, also urged the DCP leaders and his allies to give Nyoro time to demonstrate his political intentions instead of shutting him out of the opposition.
Speaking during an interview with Inooro FM, Karua told Gachagua to keep off Nyoro and PPK.
"Recently, Nyoro came to the opposition and he is being attacked,” she said. “Let’s stop this. You also came from the government and we accepted you, so allow Ndindi Nyoro to join us. Don’t close the door that was opened for you to prevent others from joining. If we are suspecting anyone, let us give them time to come and prove themselves."
Nominated Senator Karen Nyamu wrote on social media on August 19 that PPK will offer an alternative to political leaders tired of what she described as normal political rhetoric. The UDA legislator was born in Nyeri but represents Nairobi
“Mt Kenya West elites ni kama wanaweza pumua sasa. This man Ndindi is a graduate of the William Ruto school of politics, issue-based politics that speaks to people’s lives,” Nyamu said.
Party of Democratic Unity national chairman Isaiah Gichu told the Sar that the rivalry between Gachagua and Nyoro could ultimately become less about the two politicians and more about who controls Mt Kenya’s the political direction.
Gichu argued that Gachagua’s camp is reacting so strongly because Nyoro’s emergence threatens to open a new political centre in Mt Kenya and weaken the former DP’s influence.
“What we are witnessing is a struggle for political ownership of Mt Kenya. Gachagua wants to remain the dominant voice, while Nyoro is testing whether there is space for a different political centre.
“The real verdict will not come from the politicians attacking each other, but from voters deciding who deserves their loyalty.” Gichu said.
Former Ichagaki MCA Charles Nga’ng’a has argued that any attempts to shut down Nyoro’s political ambitions could backfire by making Nyoro’s party appear more significant than it currently is.
“The more you attack a political vehicle, the more attention you give it. If Nyoro is genuinely weak, the easiest strategy would be to ignore him and let voters reject him. The sustained attacks risk turning him from a challenger into a political cause,” Nga’ng’a said.
