Ex-DP Gachagua’s blunders trigger unease among United Opposition allies

Former Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua’s growing list of political missteps has triggered fresh unease within the United Opposition, with insiders warning that his conduct risks fracturing a coalition barely months old.

While the alliance has been seeking to project unity and present itself as a viable alternative to President William Ruto ahead of the 2027 polls, it has been roiled by internal turmoil.

With the opposition smarting from a major by-elections defeat, Gachagua’s public outbursts, perceived ethnic leaning, and escalating rivalry with former Interior Cabinet Secretary Fred Matiang’i have ignited tensions that now threaten internal cohesion.

For weeks, Gachagua has maintained an aggressive posture—often in his trademark combative tone—against Jubilee leaders and particularly against Matiang’i.

He sees the former CS as being used by former President Uhuru Kenyatta to cut down his influence in Mount Kenya.

The conflict, which is now playing out both in public rallies and across coordinated social media campaigns, has exposed simmering distrust within the coalition and is raising questions about the coalition’s strategic direction.

Gachagua’s most recent controversy revolves around remarks made on Sunday, where he claimed to have secured a deal with Kalonzo Musyoka’s Wiper party guaranteeing his DCP control over almost all political seats in Nairobi.

The claims—described by many coalition partners as reckless and unilateral—instantly sparked political shock waves.

“We have agreed with the Wiper leader … that the governor, senator, women representative, and 16 out of 17 parliamentary seats in Nairobi will be taken by DCP,” Gachagua declared at a church service in PCEA Kariobangi North.

He further claimed that out of Nairobi’s 85 MCA seats, 75 had been reserved for his party.

These declarations were met with swift rebuke from within the coalition.

Machakos Deputy Governor Francis Mwangangi termed the remarks “premature and potentially divisive,” warning that they had the capacity to rupture the delicate political unity forged only months ago.

“That would be the most undemocratic way,” Mwangangi said. “As a political leader, you must think through what you say, where you say it, and to whom. As Wiper NEC, we are not aware of such a deal."

The push back highlighted the growing discomfort over what several insiders describe as Gachagua’s “unilateralism”—a tendency to announce political positions without broader consultation.

The Nairobi controversy is unfolding alongside another source of tension: Gachagua’s sustained attacks on former President Uhuru Kenyatta and Matiang’i.

The row intensified after Matiang’i opted to join Jubilee rather than align with what Gachagua had envisioned as a “homegrown Kisii political formation.”

“I don’t understand this Jubilee,” Gachagua said last week, visibly frustrated after a Jubilee candidate withdrew in the Narok Town ward by-election to support UDA. “Wiper withdrew their candidate to support us … Jubilee, I don’t understand whether they are in government or opposition.”

He added, “Sometimes Ruto even says he is working with Uhuru. There are Jubilee MPs aligned with Ruto. I honestly don’t fully understand whether Jubilee is with us. But I’m not bothered, we will defeat all of them.”

DCP-affiliated bloggers and online surrogates have echoed his sentiments, launching aggressive attacks against Matiang’i and insisting the coalition will never back him for the presidency.

This has further deepened suspicion within Jubilee, whose officials now accuse Gachagua of using the coalition platform to settle personal political scores and assert dominance in Mount Kenya politics.

Gachagua’s conduct after the recent by-elections also raised eyebrows.

He publicly congratulated only candidates from DCP and Wiper, pointedly excluding the three Nyamira ward winners, areas associated with Matiang’i.

The omission, viewed as a deliberate slight, angered several opposition leaders who interpreted it as a sign of political bad faith.

In Mbeere North, where the coalition lost, Gachagua further disowned the DP candidate, saying DCP “had no candidate” and insisting he was merely helping.

“Don’t be bothered by what people say,” he said. “DCP had no candidate in Mbeere … our candidates were in Kariobangi North, Narok Town, and Kisa East.”

To many coalition partners, these comments reflected an emerging pattern: celebrating successes tied to his party while distancing himself from failures that require collective accountability.

The United Opposition coalition is made up of several parties, including Kalonzo Musyoka’s Wiper, Eugene Wamalwa’s DAP-K, Martha Karua’s PLP, Justin Muturi’s DP, and Uhuru Kenyatta’s Jubilee.

As such, unity depends heavily on careful balance and inclusive decision-making.

Senior insiders say Gachagua’s statements on Nairobi zoning and the Matiang’i rivalry have unsettled the other partners, with some warning of a creeping perception that the coalition is being hijacked by ethnic and personal interests.

Jubilee deputy organising secretary Pauline Njoroge cautioned against what she described as “tribal boxing,” warning it could be politically disastrous.

“If we insist on approaching 2027 with a single-tribe mindset simply because we desire a Kikuyu at City Hall, we will be handing Ruto an easy through-pass,” Njoroge said. “Winning Nairobi demands something far bigger, consultation, sober reading of the city, and a coalition built not on tribes but on ideas.”

But not everyone faulted Gachagua. Makueni Senator Dan Maanzo defended the embattled former DP, saying his remarks had been “blown out of context.”

Maanzo said Gachagua’s statement simply underscored that Nairobi is now politically leaning towards the opposition, not that a secret deal existed.

“There is no secret deal between Wiper and DCP,” he insisted. “The United Opposition is bigger than those two and is supported by all regions.”

He added that any deal must involve all parties, describing the controversy as part of the natural bargaining in politics.

Political analysts argue that Gachagua’s conduct is increasingly becoming a liability to the coalition.

University don Prof Gitile Naituli described his remarks as “careless and unnecessary.”

“Gachagua needs to be told to avoid language that annoys Kenyans,” Naituli said. “He is not strategic; he should speak only when necessary.”

Kalonzo himself has publicly distanced Wiper from the alleged Nairobi deal, dismissing the claims as propaganda designed to sow division.

“Stop this propaganda that Wiper has left all the seats in Nairobi for DCP,” he said at a thanksgiving ceremony in Machakos. “They have to try everything to create tension between us.”

Kalonzo reiterated that the opposition remains united and focused on its mission to take power from President Ruto in 2027.

The unrest triggered by Gachagua comes at a critical moment as the United Opposition seeks to consolidate its structures and project unity after a string of by-election losses.

Analysts warn that internal rifts, if not addressed, will make it impossible for a consensus to get a single presidential candidate.

INSTANT ANALYSIS

Apart from Wiper and DCP, the United Opposition team also has Eugene Wamalwa’s DAPK, Martha Karua’s PLP, Justin Muturi’s Democratic Party and Uhuru Kenyatta’s Jubilee, among others.

Political analysts argue that Gachagua’s conduct is increasingly becoming a liability to the coalition.