By Valentine Omondi
People’s Party of Kenya (PPK) leader Ndindi Nyoro has challenged former Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua to stop attacking him and redirect his political energy towards President William Ruto, warning that divisions within the opposition could undermine efforts to remove the President from power in the 2027 General Election.
Nyoro accused Gachagua’s Democracy for the Citizens Party (DCP) of using its resources to mobilise politicians to attack him on radio and television programmes instead of focusing on issues affecting Kenyans and holding the government accountable.
Speaking at the PPK headquarters on Thursday, 22 October 2026, while receiving aspirants and delegates from across the country, Nyoro questioned why his political activities had become a major subject of discussion among DCP members.
“How is it that the resources of your party, the people, kuna mpaka duty roster ya watu wanaenda show za radio zote na TV zote from morning to evening, ati tunaongea mambo ya Ndindi Nyoro?” he posed.
Nyoro questioned why party resources were being used to organise people to appear on radio and television programmes throughout the day to discuss him.
He urged Gachagua to address him directly rather than allow his allies to launch attacks against him, maintaining that he had exercised restraint despite the accusations directed at him.
Nyoro also dismissed allegations portraying him as a government mole or political project, insisting that such labels would not force him out of the opposition.
“If you are calling us moles and projects, mtafuteni a better vocabulary hiyo tumezoea. Hakuna mtu atatuondoa hii njia,” he said.
The remarks came amid growing tensions between Nyoro’s political camp and Gachagua’s allies over the direction of the opposition and the struggle for political influence in the Mount Kenya region.
Sh200 Million Allegations Deepen Rift
The disagreement escalated in September after Gachagua accused an unnamed youthful politician from the Mount Kenya region of receiving KSh200 million from President Ruto to establish a political outfit intended to divide the region’s voting bloc.
Although Gachagua did not explicitly name the politician, his remarks were widely interpreted as referring to Nyoro, who had established himself as a vocal critic of the government and taken leadership of PPK.
During his remarks in the United States, Gachagua described the politician’s party as a small wheelbarrow, questioning its ability to influence the region’s political direction.
Nyoro subsequently challenged Gachagua to confront him directly instead of making indirect accusations and allowing his allies to attack him.
The Kiharu MP denied being funded by Ruto to weaken the opposition, rejecting claims that his political activities were part of a government strategy to fragment anti-Ruto support in Mount Kenya.
The allegations have continued to fuel suspicion between the two camps, with Gachagua’s allies questioning Nyoro’s intentions following his entry into opposition politics.
Nyoro has maintained that he is committed to the opposition’s broader objective and has called on leaders to stop personal attacks that could weaken their collective position ahead of the next election.
Nyoro Explains Fallout With Ruto
Nyoro’s political realignment has also attracted questions because of his previous close relationship with Ruto and his influential position within the Kenya Kwanza administration.
During an interview on Citizen TV’s JKLive on 2 September 2026, Nyoro attributed his fallout with the President partly to his refusal to participate in Gachagua’s impeachment in October 2024.
He said he declined to support the process because his conscience would not allow him to participate in removing the then Deputy President from office.
According to Nyoro, the disagreement contributed to his subsequent removal as chairperson of the National Assembly’s Budget and Appropriations Committee before he was later removed from the committee altogether.
The MP said his strained relationship with the President developed over time rather than through a single disagreement.
His departure from Ruto’s political camp and subsequent entry into the opposition have nevertheless continued to attract scrutiny from Gachagua’s allies, who question whether he is genuinely committed to challenging the administration.
Nyoro has repeatedly rejected the government mole allegations, pointing to his public criticism of the administration and his opposition to some government decisions.
Opposition Unity Ahead of 2027
Nyoro has urged opposition leaders to stop fighting one another and instead agree on a common political strategy to challenge Ruto in the 2027 General Election.
He argued that the opposition should concentrate on the economic difficulties facing Kenyans and work towards presenting a united front rather than spend its resources on internal disputes.
“Tushikane mkono tuache hii mambo yote tunaharibia Wakenya wakati,” he said.
The statement, translated as a call for leaders to hold hands and stop wasting Kenyans’ time through their disagreements, underscored his appeal for unity within the opposition.
Nyoro also maintained that he would support whichever candidate Kenyans chose to challenge Ruto, including himself if he emerged as their preferred choice.
The dispute comes as opposition leaders position themselves ahead of the 2027 polls, with competing political formations seeking to consolidate support in key regions.
The growing disagreement between Nyoro and Gachagua’s allies has raised questions about whether opposition leaders can resolve their differences and agree on a common candidate before the election.
Nyoro has insisted that the opposition must focus on its shared objective of removing Ruto from power rather than allow personal attacks to dominate its political agenda.
