DCP won't replace Banisa candidate as their candidate steps down after meeting Ruto

Former Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua’s Democracy for Citizens Party (DCP) suffered a major blow after its candidate for Banisa constituency withdrew from the November 27th by-election.

Adan Mohamed Kiongozi made the move after meeting President Willaim Ruto in State House will will now throw his weight behind UDA’s Ahmed Maalim Hassan.

DCP Secretary General Hezron Obaga says the party will not field a candidate in place of Kiongozi in the by-election as they are now time barred.

Gachagua’s party was surprised to see its candidate with Ruto as it emerged that he was under intense pressure form can elders to stand down in favour of the ruling party candidate.  

“We just saw him in State House announcing he had stepped down. Unfortunately, we had already submitted a list of our candidates for party primaries to IEBC and it’s too late to replace him,” Obaga said.

The Banisa constituency seat fell vacant following the death of MP Kullow Maalim Hassan through a rod accident along Mombasa Road in Nairobi in March 2023.

The seat has been vacant since then as there was no IEBC in place to conduct the exercise.

Kiongozi met Ruto last week in the company of Mandera Governor Adan Khalif and Hassan. The move came following weeks of speculation that Kiongozi was been lobbied to quit.

The former UDA aspirant has told his supporters that his decision was influenced by elders and Governor Khalif and it was done for the sake of community interests in favour of Hassan also known as Barre who is a brother to the late MP Kullow.

“I have listened to the community which asked me to shelve my ambitions and wait for 2027. The Council of Elders and Governor Khalif and President Ruto convinced me to step down for the UDA candidate,” he said.

During the last polls, Kiangozi who vied under ODM party emerged second with 7,775 votes against Kullow’s 13,656 vote.

The aspirant has told his followers that he never received any monetary inducement as claimed by a section of DCP party members who had alleged that he received Sh10 million to quit.

He insists that President Ruto promised to support him in 2027 and had only requested him to allow the ex-MP’s brother to complete this term.

His revelation adds to the well held notion that in North Eastern region, clan elders hold sway when it comes to elections in what is called ‘negotiated’ democracy where elders from the dominant clans endorse a single candidate in a particular constituency.