By Anderson Ojwang
Former Prime Minister Raila Odinga’s brand of politics, and how he has developed the Orange Democratic Movement (ODM) into his own political bloc, has been one of the key inspirations behind the grand ambitions of the impeached Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua.
Indeed, Gachagua is one of Raila’s political students who has adopted and actualised his political philosophy despite the two never having worked together directly.
Gachagua has, on several occasions, expressed admiration for Raila’s political strategy, especially his ability to galvanise a party and build a formidable political machine under one fold.
For Gachagua, his impeachment turned into a blessing in disguise, providing fertile ground to implement his grand vision: becoming King of the Mountain, with a single party as the unequivocal voice of the Mt Kenya region.
Just as Raila established his Opoda home as a political centre where delegations visited regularly, Gachagua has now developed Wamunyoro into a political hub, frequently visited by various delegations.
Unlike Ichaweri the ancestral home of former President Uhuru Kenyatta, which symbolised the Mt Kenya throne for decades Gachagua has crossed River Chania and repositioned Wamunyoro as the new epicentre of power in the region.
With the formation and launch of the Democratic Citizens Party (DCP), Gachagua has been criss-crossing the region, popularising the party while launching scathing attacks on rival political outfits.
“I am happy this is God-sent. I have two years, and I have time to craft a very serious political party. By the way, I do admire Raila Odinga and ODM. We may have had our differences, but credit where it’s due,” he said.
“He has crafted a serious political machine that has stood for over 20 years. The quality of leaders ODM elects is admirable. In fact, I will be going to ODM for benchmarking. I must talk to Raila Odinga. I must ask him, ‘Mzee, how did you craft this machine, and how have you kept it going for 20 years?’”
“I have two years to build a serious political machine, and I will ensure that, in whatever coalition we enter, our interests are well-anchored through a watertight agreement.”
“Politics is local. How do you organise your neighbour’s house when yours is in disorder? First, organise your home your wife and children and ensure they speak the same language. Then you can visit your neighbour.”
“You can’t leave your house, with your wife sleeping in a different room and your children not talking to each other, and go to the neighbour to advise them on family unity.”
“So I needed to put my house in order. That’s what a clever politician does and I’ve done just that.”
“Now that I have united my people and, by the way, the president tried to divide Mt Kenya East and West, but I stopped him I will never allow that to happen again. I have completed 98% of uniting our region to speak in one voice, under one strong political party. Now we are reaching out to other Kenyans,” he concluded.
Gachagua has warned that the DCP will dominate Mt Kenya politics in the 2027 General Election, adding that anyone not aligned with the party risks “political suicide.”
However, former Cabinet Secretary Moses Kuria dismissed the claim on his Facebook page, stating: “Gachagua’s political party will not last; his true colours will show. I’ve disagreed with Uhuru Kenyatta in the past, but he would never place the Mt Kenya community in such a situation.”
Similarly, Jubilee Party Secretary-General Jeremiah Kioni criticised Gachagua’s approach, saying it undermines the spirit of multi-party democracy.
Kioni stated: “Gachagua’s views demonstrate someone who either has not paid attention to this country’s political history, or thinks we were selling njugu karanga while people were being killed fighting for multi-party democracy.”
He asserted that Jubilee, under Uhuru Kenyatta’s leadership, remains a formidable political force and will reassert its strength in the upcoming elections.
“Jubilee is not a pale shadow of its former self. We’ve been out of power for just two years. We let others lead to show they could do better — but they’ve failed. That’s why the country is now up in arms,” he said.
Laikipia East MP Mwangi Kiunjuri also criticised Gachagua for attempting to impose himself as the region’s political kingpin.
“You come and divide us just to become Mt Kenya’s leader. Respect is key — people follow either out of fear or out of respect.”
“You can’t intimidate us. Stop dividing the nation along tribal lines.”
“Now that he has formed his own party, he assumes he’s the wisest and brands all other parties as pro-Ruto including PLP, Jubilee, and PNU. That’s misleading,” Kiunjuri said.
But Embakasi North MP James Gakuya believes the DCP wave will sweep across Mt Kenya in 2027, warning that many sitting legislators may fall victim to the tide.
“When a euphoria comes, you can’t stop it. In Mt Kenya, I don’t see things changing. This wave will push out many. It’s up to you: stay put or cross the border,” he declared.
