By Anderson Ojwang
Excitement blew former Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua out of his 45-day conclave even before the white or black smoke was spotted, back to public engagement.
The green smoke from Ol Kalou momentarily swept Gachagua away, abandoning Wamunyoro for public engagement he had shelved for 45 days.
Reeling from a shock High Court verdict on his impeachment, Gachagua elected to retreat to Wamunyoro to recollect and chart a fresh political path.
The deflated Gachagua remained glued to his Wamunyoro village, meeting delegations one after another while closely monitoring the Ol Kalou by-elections.
In a raft of leadership changes in his DCP, where Nyandarua Senator John Methu was made the party’s acting Secretary General, Gachagua left the fate of his party in the hands of his lieutenants from Nyandarua.
Fearing a repeat of the Mbeere North by-election in Ol Kalou, Gachagua took a low profile and avoided the political risk of Mbeere North, where he led the opposition campaign for the DP candidate Newton Kariuki, who garnered 15,308 votes but lost to UDA candidate Leo Wamuthende, who got 15,802 votes. Deputy President Prof Kithure Kindiki, Gachagua’s successor, mastered his downfall in Mt Kenya politics at the by-election.
Last Thursday, the victory of Sammy Douglas Waweru Ngotho against President William Ruto’s UDA candidate Samuel Muchina Nyagah reawakened Gachagua.
From Friday, Gachagua broke his conclave and was in Ol Kalou for thanksgiving, and on Sunday he was in Kirinyaga County.
The conclave
After the High Court shocker, Gachagua declared a 45-day conclave and was not to attend any public function.
“My supporters have instructed me to urgently embark on the implementation of a strategic stand from my Wamunyoro residence for a period of 45 days. I will camp in Wamunyoro village to start exhaustive and extensive consultation with my supporters and opinion leaders,” he said after the court ruling.
Gachagua said he was asked to engage with utmost priority the identification of a single presidential candidate to face President William Ruto.
“They have asked me to move to Wamunyoro to meet stakeholders, opinion leaders, and other people who matter in our political formation to seek their mandate and authority to initiate negotiations with my co-principals with a view to producing a single presidential candidate,” he said.
“Operation Fagia Mt Kenya”
In Kirinyaga on Sunday, Gachagua declared “Operation Fagia Mt Kenya” against President Ruto’s allies.
Gachagua put on notice all allies of President Ruto in the 2027 general elections in Parliament, the Senate, and County Assemblies.
The impeached Deputy President took the battle a notch higher by declaring that President Ruto should not get any presidential vote in the region.
The agenda of the conclave was aimed at coming up with a formula for identifying a single presidential candidate to face President William Ruto in the 2027 elections.
“The over 5,000 votes the UDA candidate got in Ol Kalou was Muchina’s votes because he is a son of Mt Kenya and not because of Ruto. Ruto must not get 1,000 votes in Kirinyaga County in the 2027 presidential elections,” he said.
Banished Kuria
Gachagua also banished former Cabinet Secretary Moses Kuria from the community for allegedly leading Ruto’s agenda in Mt Kenya.
Kuria wrote: “Dear Kenyans. Our King has declared me an outcast from among the Kikuyu community. That means I cannot attend any Church service there. Neither can I go to a wedding nor a funeral. Not a traditional ceremony nor a business meeting within the Kikuyu community. When I come to your community outside Kikuyu land, I beg you accept me. Sina pa kuenda. God will bless you.”
Defections
Gachagua claimed several MPs and government officers in President Ruto’s team have called him to pledge allegiance and wanting to join his camp.
“I have received a telephone call from a Permanent Secretary who wants to be Governor of Nyeri. I told him to visit Wamunyoro during the day. Some of the legislators have also called me that they want to join DCP because the ground is hostile to President Ruto. Let them come to Wamunyoro in the day and defect,” he said.
Stop divisive politics
Deputy President Kithure Kindiki on Sunday told Gachagua to stop divisive politics in Mt Kenya which could alienate the community.
“I don’t want our community to be divided. We are one people. I don’t want to see our community talking different languages. We are one people,” he said.
Kindiki said the age of Mt Kenya unity should not be taken for granted and must be guarded at all cost.
“Long time ago, we were united under one church, ACK, all the way from Kirinyaga to Meru. We were under one diocese, Mt Kenya East, under the leadership of the late Bishop David Gitari. Even in politics, in Mt Kenya we have always been united and we have a long history. So there is nothing that can divide us. Those who think they will divide us should relax,” he said.
Kindiki said as the Deputy President, he will ensure the unity of Mt Kenya and asked Gachagua to stop alienating the community.
“I am the Deputy President, and I will ensure the community walks together. Stop making noise and stop dividing the people. We have not had a presidential election, and that will come next year. I want to assure you that election will be determined by service delivery and not abuses,” he said.
Was Gachagua only waiting for the green smoke from Ol Kalou to crawl out of Wamunyoro to embark on public engagement?
