Former Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua. Photo/Facebook
By Wanderi Kamau
All eyes will be on former Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua’s Wamunyoro residence in Nyeri County, as he is expected to announce a new political direction to the Mt Kenya region today evening.
Gachagua is expected to be interviewed by all radio stations and televisions broadcasting in Gikuyu, Meru and Embu languages in the populous region about the new direction.
Since mid-December 2024, Gachagua’s residence has been a beehive of activities with delegations from various parts of the country streaming in for “consultations”.
However, most of his guests have been coming from the ten Mt Kenya counties, namely: Nyeri, Nyandarua, Kiambu, Murang’a, Kirinyaga, Meru, Embu, Laikipia, Nakuru and Tharaka Nithi.
Gachagua has been hosting the delegations as an elaborate political strategy to “deny” President William Ruto any support, after their bitter fallout and a dramatic impeachment in October last year.
Since his impeachment, Gachagua has been on an offensive criticising Ruto’s Kenya Kwanza regime as deceptive, corrupt and detached from the people’s needs.
In the much-awaited address, Gachagua is expected to announce a new political party for the region after declaring a political ‘war’ to Ruto’s United Democratic Alliance (UDA) party.
“Once we announce our new vehicle, UDA will be a shell in Mt Kenya,” said Gachagua.
The former DP maintains that he has “fenced” Mt Kenya, thus Ruto and his allies will not find any entrance.
“Ruto has lost the Mountain forever. He will never regain it,” vowed Gachagua on 27th January 2025, during the launching of Eugene Wamalwa’s Democratic Alliance of Kenya (DAP) offices in Nairobi.
However, amid his expected announcement, Ruto’s allies in the region have vowed to employ equal strategies to counter Gachagua’s influence.
Speaking to Newsflash on Saturday, 8th February 2025, Nyeri Town MP Duncan Mathenge said that the region will not allow a disgruntled leader to mislead it.
“As President Ruto’s foot soldiers, we shall not allow our people to be misled into joining the opposition,” said Mathenge.
Cumulatively, the region is estimated to have over 6 million voters according to the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC) figures in 2022.
