Rigathi Gachagua is taking his political mobilisation into Nakuru this weekend, with a two-day tour aimed at testing whether his Democracy for Citizens Party can push beyond Mount Kenya and keep pressure on President William Ruto’s camp ahead of the 2027 General Election. The move comes after the former deputy president’s impeachment in October 2024 and after a string of political camps have turned homes, counties and delegations into competing centres of power, each trying to claim the same people as their own.
Who Has the Power
In July, Mr Gachagua announced a 45-day retreat at his home in Wamunyoro village, where he has been receiving delegations from across the region, as well as from Nairobi and the Rift Valley. That has turned Wamunyoro into a centre of power, where major decisions are being made. Deputy President Kithure Kindiki has also used his Irunduni home to receive regional delegations, in an attempt to counter Mr Gachagua and consolidate support in the region. Now a third centre has emerged in Kirinyaga county, where Ndia MP George Kariuki, an ally of President Ruto, has kicked off what he calls "consultative forums" at his home in Gacharu.
Mr Kariuki says he’ll invite residents from the region and other parts of the country for the next 90 days "to chart the way forward for Mt Kenya region," after which he will make the "Gacharu Declaration." That’s the language of consultation, but the machinery underneath is plain enough: political blocs, loyalists, and a scramble to control a voting base that the powerful keep treating like a prize to be divided.
Mr Kariuki told women leaders from Othaya constituency on Monday, "By next year, I will have served the people of Ndia for ten years. Am I not fit for a bigger role? Can’t I play a part in national politics?" He also told them, "You should not elect leaders based on political parties. Assess the aspirant’s capability and his commitment to the people of this region and Kenyans. Don’t be deceived by political pronouncements that will make you elect bad leaders."
Who Gets Pulled Into the Game
Political pundits say Mr Kariuki is being groomed as a preferred point man in Mt Kenya West region and probably a possible Dr Ruto’s running mate in the 2027 election. There is even talk that he is being groomed to take up the running mate position if it is established that he would mobilise more votes from the region than Prof Kindiki. Asked whether he is eyeing a higher elective position, the MP declined to confirm his ambition to be Kenya’s deputy President, saying he would make an announcement after the consultations.
Mr Kariuki has also said, "we need strong leaders," in an apparent reference to Prof Kindiki, who has so far not succeeded in countering Mr Gachagua. On the other side of the mountain, Public Service Cabinet Secretary Mr Geoffrey Ruku is leading a push by a section of leaders in Mt Kenya East to sever links with the west. Mr Ruku confirmed to the Nation that there is "a grand scheme to win about three million votes for Dr Ruto in the Mt Kenya region."
"The Ndia MP and I are working together and we will bring other like-minded leaders on board. We want to tell our people that this is a government we put in power and we cannot leave at this point in time. Of more significance, we have our son Kindiki at the top and we will support him," Mr Ruku said. He added that Mt Kenya East would chart its own political path and claimed the region, including parts of Kirinyaga county, will mobilise more than three million votes in favour of Dr Ruto’s reflection bid.
He also said, "We in the East supported Jomo Kenyatta, Mwai Kibaki and Uhuru Kenyatta during their term as Presidents. But now that our own son Prof Kindiki is second in command and has chances of ascending to presidency in 2032, we have become your enemies. We will never allow ourselves to be herded like goats. We must chart our own political destiny."
What People Are Doing Outside the Palace
The most concrete political movement in the source isn’t happening in a cabinet room. It’s happening in party tours, home meetings and local organising. Mr Gachagua’s camp says the Nakuru tour is meant to strengthen grassroots structures and give residents a chance to interact directly with its leadership. Naivasha MP Jayne Kihara, a founding member of DCP and one of Mr Gachagua’s most vocal allies in the county, said, "This is purely a meet-the-people tour. I do not expect him to do anything different from what he has been doing in other counties. The purpose is to popularise the party and interact with Mwananchi. We are currently holding a planning meeting. Residents are eagerly waiting for hima ndwe just urge them to come out in large numbers."
She said Mr Gachagua was also expected to officially open a DCP office in Nakuru Town as the party builds its presence across the county. The MP said the previous DCP tour had not covered several areas, including Molo and Njoro, because of time constraints, prompting the party leader to promise to return and complete the mobilisation.
Ms Kihara also called on security agencies to provide adequate protection during the tour, saying DCP supporters had a constitutional right to assemble and market their party. She urged young people not to allow themselves to be used to cause political violence, citing the recent deaths of three youths following unrest in Ol Kalou. "We are telling Kenyans this is a free country. Let Riggy G speak to the people and promote the party without interference. We are just praying nobody will organise goons to disrupt our meetings, but we are asking the police to do their work professionally in maintaining law and order," she said.
That appeal lands in a county where the police still sit at the gate of political life. Nakuru County Commander Samuel Boit said the security agencies were awaiting formal notification from DCP before making arrangements for the planned political activities. "We have not been notified of the rallies; we are still waiting. Once they do that, we will plan on the security issues," he said.
DCP official Dr Peter Mbae said the Nakuru tour is an important step in consolidating the party’s support following its Ol Kalou victory. The party’s candidate, Sammy Douglas Waweru Kamau, garnered 35,440 votes against UDA’s Samuel Muchina, who received 5,450 votes. Mr Gachagua’s camp says that win showed people it is possible to win elections and that every vote counts. It also gave the party fresh confidence as it seeks to expand its structures and recruit political leaders ahead of 2027.
Dr Mbae said the party will use the tour to listen to residents and gather views that could eventually shape its manifesto ahead of the 2027 election. "The Ol Kalou victory showed people that it is possible to win elections and that every vote counts. Nakuru is home to people from every part of the country. The party leader will emphasise that everybody has a desire to live peacefully here," he said.
Nakuru itself is being treated like a battleground, described as "Mt Kenya in the diaspora," sitting at the intersection of the Mount Kenya and Rift Valley voting blocs. Political analyst Joseph Omondi said Mr Gachagua could find a receptive audience among sections of the Mount Kenya community living in Nakuru, given the historical voting patterns of Kikuyu communities in the county. But he warned that the increasing political mobilisation could also deepen ethnic and political divisions if leaders failed to keep their campaigns issue-based.
"In Kenya, elections are never issue-based but about the tribal kingpins, and we are worried about the polarising politics we are currently witnessing. Nakuru is not new to political violence and this is something we should avoid at all costs," he said.
The county has already seen DCP attract a number of elected leaders, including Lare’s Philip Wanjohi Ndiritu, Turi’s John Mwangi Macharia, Maella’s Jane Wanjiru Gituku, Kiamaina’s Paul Kipkorir Tuwei and Elementaita’s George Wang’ang’a Mwaura. Others include Kihingo MCA Simon Kamau Karanja, Shabaab MCA Wathiai, Mai Mahiu’s Eliud Kamau Chege, Elburgon’s Peter Njuguna Mwaura and Subukia’s Isabella Makori, alongside nominated MCAs Ann Njaguara and Bethsheba Kerubo.
For ordinary residents, though, the campaign pitch still has to answer to daily life. Nakuru town boda boda rider Kevin Kimutai said residents would want concrete proposals on the economy, employment, the cost of living and development rather than attacks on political opponents. Mr Peter Kimani said politicians should use the campaign period to address issues affecting ordinary citizens. "Nakuru is a cosmopolitan county and we want leaders who can bring people together. We will listen to him but ultimately we will look at what his politics mean for ordinary residents, not just criticising other leaders," he said.
Mr Gachagua is expected to address thousands of supporters across the county, and the weekend tour will be watched for the size of the crowds and the message he carries into a county that could shape the opposition alliance and the 2027 presidential contest. The people at the bottom keep being asked to choose between rival power brokers. The brokers keep calling it strategy.