Gachagua, Fazul meet as they plan joint rallies targeting workers

DCP party leader Rigathi Gachagua and Fazul Mahamad at Karen on Sunday/Fazul Facebook

Former Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua on Sunday held talks with former Private Security Regulatory Authority Director General Fazul Mahamed at his Karen office in Nairobi.

The two discussed workers’ welfare, taxation and the 2027 General Election, officials said.

According to details of the meeting, the leaders agreed on a nationwide rollout and sensitisation campaign aimed at rallying Kenyan workers and payslip holders around labour and taxation concerns ahead of the 2027 polls.

The discussions focused on the impact of heavy taxation on workers, with the two leaders saying more than 3.5 million Kenyan workers had seen their earnings eroded by increased deductions and the rising cost of living.

They said the issue should become a key agenda item for voters in the next General Election.

The meeting came days after Gachagua and Fazul jointly launched the 2026 Workers Welfare Report and Labour Market Survey Report at Radisson Blu Hotel Nairobi Upper Hill.

The two also pledged to push for better protection of workers in the informal sector, who they said account for more than 86 per cent of Kenya’s labour force according to data from the Kenya National Bureau of Statistics.

They argued that informal workers remain overworked, underpaid and vulnerable to inflation and increased taxation.

During the talks, the leaders reportedly explored ways of advancing policies that would cushion workers from the rising cost of living while improving labour protections across both the formal and informal sectors.

There have been speculations following frequent meetings between the two. Insiders say Fazul has political ambitions in the city. Fazul has denied the claims for now.

At the same time, Gachagua has mourned the death of six Kenyans who were killed in Mandera County by suspected militias from Somalia.  

“Two days ago, we witnessed and received sad news from Northern Kenya, where we lost patriotic Kenyans in an act of aggression and incursion by Jubaland forces who continue to be on Kenyan soil illegally,” he said in a statement.

Gachagua added, “I send my deepest condolences to the families of the six innocent Kenyans who were brutally killed in Arabia Sub-County, Mandera County. I also wish the seven injured a quick and full recovery.”

The former DP said he had warned about the incursion of the Jubaland forces into Kenya, but nothing has been done to stop it.

“Last year, I warned about the serious security threat posed by the presence of illegal foreign Jubaland forces in the territory of the Republic of Kenya when they had occupied almost the entire Mandera town. This tragic incident has sadly confirmed those fears.”

The DCP leader said Kenya cannot trade the territorial integrity of the nation for cheap business and political gains of a few individuals at the helm of the country.

“I strongly condemn this heinous act and demand the immediate removal of all illegal foreign forces from the area. The safety, sovereignty, and dignity of Kenyan citizens must be protected at all cost.”