Former Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua’s meeting with elected MCAs from Nakuru County Assembly has exposed his game plan to consolidate his Mt Kenya heartland.
The Tuesday meeting at his lush Wamunyoro residence has triggered anxiety among politicians from the region as Gachagua’s 2027 plan takes shape.
Gachagua has intensified meetings at his rural home as his former boss William Ruto sustains a charm offensive of the larger Western Kenya region for the fourth day running.
Ruto has
toured Kakamega, Vihiga and Busia counties, mobilising the whole of government
machinery and top government officials to consolidate the region.
In an unprecedented move, Gachagua pulled a surprise in the political landscape, hosting a host of MCAs from the Nakuru Assembly as he expands his foothold.
Most of the MCAs were elected or nominated by the UDA party.
Insiders say Gachagua will in the next one week meet MCAs from across all the 10 Mt Kenya counties before unveiling his political party at the end of the month.
On Sunday
while attending a church service in Nakunyuki, Gachagua said the party will be
made known within 14 days.
The meetings
are part of his broad-based strategy to explain to aspirants his political direction
as the country awaits the unveiling of his party.
On his X page, Gachagua said the MCAs appraised him on the socioeconomic matters of the county but more importantly on what Wanjiku is keen on being given priority.
"The Members of the County Assembly are the elected leaders who spend most of their time with the electorate at their grassroots level; therefore, their voice is a true reflection of what the common Wananchi stands for,'' Gachagua said.
"I will continue engaging leaders from the grassroots to the national level to bring together a comprehensive report on the economic situation of the country and the way forward."
On Wednesday, Naivasha MP Jane Kihara who accompanied the Nakuru MCAs for the meeting with Gachagua said more sessions are lined up in the coming days.
“Every day
is a busy day for him (Gachagua) and this is just but the beginning,’’ Kihara
said.
Without delving
into the details of the meeting, Kihara said part of the talks seeks to appraise
leaders about the unity of the Mt Kenya region.
“The agenda is to unite the region so that as a people we can get back our respect as we move forward,’’ she said.
Gachagua has kept the diary of his meetings secret with his allies only alerting those expected to meet him the night before.
A sitting
MP in Gachagua’s inner circle said that the plan is to avoid any interference from
agents keen to scuttle the former DP’s 2027 strategy.
On his part, Embakasi North MP James Gakuya said there should not be any panic because Gachagua is only consulting with leaders.
“What is going in is just consultation forums to consolidate our people so that we speak in one voice as a region,’’ Gakuya said.
In the coming days, Gachagua will be meeting MCAs from Laikipia, Nyeri, Embu, Kirinyaga, and Kiambu before expanding to the other regions in Mt Kenya East and others.
There are
signals of a mad rush by some politicians from the Mt Kenya region to identify
with Gachagua ahead of the unveiling of his party next month.
