By Anderson Ojwang
Mt Kenya is opening up to an interesting political dispensation of either “our way or the highway.” The rule emerging in Mt Kenya: if you can’t beat them, join them.
That is the emerging political situation – the political parties and politicians are finding themselves at the hands of the Democracy for the Citizens Party and its leadership, former Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua.
At the moment, Mt Kenya has been poisoned by Gachagua and DCP, who have taken total control of the region.
Emboldened by the Ol Kalou by-election victory with 86 percent voters’ approval of DCP and the candidate Waweru Ngotho, Gachagua is now a man on a mission.
Mt Kenya is now on a free slide to the DCP party, and delegations of defectors are streaming to Wamunyoro village in Nyeri to pledge loyalty to Gachagua.
Gachagua has declared total war on the allies of President William Ruto and warned the electorate that United Democratic Alliance (UDA) candidates should only garner marginal votes and must be voted out.
Last weekend, Gachagua told what he termed as fringe parties in Mt Kenya to fold up and join the DCP party, saying they had failed to merit their existence in the emerging political space.
And yesterday, the affected party leaders came out guns blazing over Gachagua’s statement, terming it as insensitive and bullying.
Survival mode
Former Speaker JB Muturi of DP, former Cabinet Minister Peter Munya of PNU, and Levy Kivuti of Mbus, after Monday’s admission into the Azimio La Umoja coalition, which gave them a new lease of life, now find themselves fighting for survival.
In a signed statement, the three party leaders said they were concerned over Gachagua’s statement that they should fold and join the bus.
“We, the undersigned Party Leaders and Senior Officials of duly registered political parties, have noted with concern the remarks attributed to the de facto DCP leader, Hon. Rigathi Gachagua, at a church event in Meru on Sunday 26th July 2026, calling upon the Democratic Party (DP), PNU, Umoja na Maendeleo Party and BUS Party to dissolve and join DCP,” read the statement.
They said the unilateral pronouncements by one political leader purporting to direct, dissolve, merge, or determine the future of another political party are not only legally untenable but are also deeply offensive to the thousands of members, delegates, and officials who have invested their trust, time, and resources in building those parties.
“Such decisions can only be made by the lawful organs of each respective party in accordance with its constitution and the Political Parties Act,” they wrote.
But DCP Organising Secretary Mithika Linturi told off the three party leaders, telling them to market their parties instead of relying on boardroom deals to survive.
“In a democracy, political banter is inevitable. However, when an election result hurts you, do not deflect or become overly emotional. Instead, engage in some soul-searching. Hii siasa haitaki makasiriko,” he said.
No boardroom deals
Muturi said Gachagua has neither the legal nor the moral authority to prescribe the existence or future of other political parties.
“While we remain firmly committed to the broader objective of providing Kenya with alternative leadership and ending the failures of the Ruto administration, such unity must be anchored on mutual respect, consultation and voluntary cooperation – not coercion, political ultimatums or demands for surrender,” the statement read.
But Linturi told the three party leaders to market their parties instead of waiting on the wing to benefit from boardroom negotiations.
“Every political party in Kenya is free to market itself in whatever way it deems fit, provided it operates within the law. Take, for instance, PNU, DP, and the infamous tyre-less MBASS Party. Please market your parties. Leave the boardrooms. Nobody has invited you to DCP. You are also free to persuade us to join your parties,” he said.
Show us your performance
Linturi said DCP has, after its formation, aggressively expanded and performed well in the by-elections, while the other three parties have dismally performed.
“For instance, in Emurua Dikirr, the PNU candidate garnered 80 votes, while the DCP Party candidate received 10,760 votes. In Ol Kalou, the PNU candidate garnered 28 votes against DCP’s 35,440 votes. More recently, in the Evurore and Muminji ward by-elections, MBASS and DP lost miserably on their home turf. So, how did the DCP Party become part and parcel of those losses, and why are you so annoyed, my brothers? Do not find fault with DCP’s popularity. Instead, try persuasion rather than intimidation. Maamuzi ni ya wananchi, ndugu zangu! You have suddenly become too clever,” he said.
But Munya, in a press statement, said nobody had appointed Gachagua as the Mt Kenya leader.
“We also reject any impression that Hon. Gachagua has been appointed or mandated to speak on behalf of all the people or political parties of the Mt. Kenya region. No such meeting has ever been convened, nor has any consensus been reached conferring such authority upon him,” read the statement.
Resign and seek fresh mandate
The three party leaders challenged Gachagua and DCP-allied legislators to resign and seek a fresh mandate instead of deploying intimidation and bullying tactics.
“It is equally contradictory for Gachagua to advocate for the dissolution of established political parties while simultaneously hosting elected UDA leaders and engaging senior government officials, openly inviting them to his residence. Let them resign and seek a fresh mandate,” they wrote.
When you can’t beat them, join them
Murang’a Governor Irungu Kangata was forced to make a political about-turn by Gachagua’s brand of politics after he warned the former member of Linda Mwananchi against going to Ol Kalou to campaign for the DCP candidate.
For Gachagua, Mt Kenya is purely DCP, and no other political party or formation is allowed, and he warned Kangata that he risked the wrath of the electorate.
Kangata had earlier explained that Linda Mwananchi provided him with the political space that he had yearned for.
“I have always been forced to be on the political side, not necessarily because I believe in it, but because I want to win an election. This is the only time I am doing politics when I am very happy because in my group, I see all tribes. We are in one group. I am so happy because we are fighting for a cause and not a tribe,” Kangata recently said.
Recently, Kangata yielded to the pressure and found himself in Wamunyoro pledging loyalty to the new sheriff in the Mountain.
Gachagua wrote: “Welcome home, Governor Irungu Kang’ata, where you belong. At Wamunyoro Residence, I was pleased to receive my younger brother, Governor Irungu Kang’ata, Governor of Murang’a County, as a member of our party, DCP, the party of the moment and the future.”
The control
Gachagua has set a target for the 2027 general election which will give him control whether in government or opposition.
Gachagua set a target for the number of elected leaders the party must attain in the 2027 general elections.
“We must get a minimum of 130 MPs in the National Assembly, 720 MCAs, and 20 governors and senators respectively. In Mt Kenya, there are only two sides: you are either for the community or Kasongo, and you cannot be in the middle,” he said.
Closed door
For Munya, Muturi, and Kivuti, they have to rise to the challenge or perish in the cold as Mt Kenya – with Gachagua and his DCP party waiting to sweep clean the region and usher in a new political dispensation – becomes a one-party region.
