By Anderson Ojwang
Kiharu MP Ndindi Nyoro on Monday embarked on a journey to revive the stalled People’s Party of Kenya (PPK) and to reposition it in Mt Kenya.
Ndindi, a once close confidant of President William Ruto and an emerging leader in Mt Kenya, ditched United Democratic Alliance (UDA) for one of the country’s oldest political parties, founded in 1996.
PPK was founded during the early rise of the country’s multi-party political era. Unlike many Kenyan parties built around a single powerful personality, the PPK was established as an institutional grassroots vehicle.
Achievement
In the 2007 General Election, PPK achieved its first major national breakthrough after it nominated seven candidates for the National Assembly. Although it only captured just 0.15% of the national vote, it won its first parliamentary seat in Lari Constituency via David Njuguna Kiburi Mwaura, who served as party leader.
In the 2013 elections, it expanded its reach by fielding 12 parliamentary candidates, increasing its vote share to 0.4%. It failed to secure a national seat but won local council seats in Meru, Kitui, and Makueni counties.
Over its three-decade existence, the party went through several leadership changes. For a significant period, Jacob Wangai Gitau served as party leader. Prior to recent shifts, its management was overseen by Chairperson Mark Odhiambo and Secretary-General John Kihiu Chere.
The arrival of Ndindi as the party leader has stirred activities in the party and already assured it of a possible Kiharu parliamentary seat.
Partnership
But while Ndindi was declaring and taking over the leadership of the stalled vehicle, in Wamunyoro, Democracy for Citizens Party (DCP) leader Rigathi Gachagua was hosting a delegation from Wiper Party in a possible partnership arrangement.
Gachagua said the party leader Kalonzo told me that the Wiper delegation would come to visit, and expressed happiness over a possible partnership.
“My dream has come true with the coming of Mt Kenya South to add to Mt Kenya East and West, now we have a huge mountain. A solid political machine. And will shake and define the politics of the country,” he said.
He said the partnership would be the foundation in the formation of the next government.
“The partnership would be at the centre in the formation of the next administration in the country. I am pleased that when President William Ruto was trying to divide the mountain, myself and Kalonzo came together,” he said.
Gachagua said attempts to divide Mt Kenya East and West will fail dismally.
“I want to tell those trying to divide Mt Kenya East, even if they have succeeded, but they have still failed because Mt Kenya South have come on board. We now have Mt East, West and South coming together and the mountain will be united. For the first time the great family in the mountain is talking together,” he said.
Ndindi dumps Ruto for opposition
“As of today, I, Ndindi Nyoro, and my supporters have joined a party called the People’s Party of Kenya. The membership of the People’s Party of Kenya has asked us to move forward with this agenda, and I have accepted that call,” he said.
He announced plans for nationwide tours, grassroots mobilisation, and recruitment and training of candidates for elective positions, while inviting other opposition presidential aspirants to work with the party.
“In all the People’s Party tours, all opposition aspirants are invited,” he said, in what appeared to be an attempt to position the outfit as a broader political platform.
Talk with Gachagua
Nyoro said he had held consultations with a wide range of opposition leaders, including Gachagua (DCP), former Interior Cabinet Secretary Fred Matiang’i (Jubilee), Martha Karua (PLP), Siaya Governor James Orengo, Kalonzo Musyoka (WPF) and Peter Munya (PNU).
“I have taken time to consult almost all the opposition leaders,” Nyoro said, listing the leaders he had engaged as he weighs the political path ahead.
Nyoro also sought to cast his political project as a national undertaking, appealing to communities across traditional political strongholds to unite behind a common agenda.
“I am for one united Kenya. We cannot leave any Kenyan behind,” he said.
Nyoro, the man who disappeared during the Finance Bill voting
The dark shadow of Nyoro disappearing and skipping the Finance Bill voting looms large in his political career and casts doubt on his move.
During the Finance Bill vote, 187 members of parliament skipped, with only 40 MPs who voted against the bill.
Gachagua posted on his social media platforms, directing MPs from Mt Kenya allied to his DCP party to vote against the Finance Bill 2026 and stay in the House to force a Division.
“The people of Kenya must know who was for or against them. Those members who keep away from the vote and sit on the fence must be deemed to be against the people of Kenya,” he said.
He said there was no neutral position when the welfare of the people of Kenya was at stake, and the MPs were either for the people of Kenya or against them.
Caught flat-footed
Nyoro wrote on his social media platforms, firstly seeking peace and requesting room to be understood.
“Wadosi Wakenya Wote, I come in peace and humility. The vote for the Finance Bill happened yesterday; disappointingly, I was not in Parliament. I travelled out of the country on Wednesday evening for engagements that could not have been postponed. But no explanation should absolve the blame,” he wrote.
He said the feedback would be a milestone in helping serve the country and that nobody was perfect.
“As human as we are, we are far from being perfect and we will always seek to learn from the feedback we receive. As for the feedback we have received from all Kenyans, we take it with humility. All the feedback will go a long way in making us better as we discharge our duties in Parliament and outside in service to the great people of Kenya,” he wrote.
Cocktail
Nyoro on Tuesday was engaged in a cocktail of activities, receiving defectors, and will then embark on a countrywide tour.
Will the stalled vehicle’s engine flicker to life?
