Unseen hand of DP Kindiki in Ol Kalou MP by-election campaign

Deputy President Kithure Kindiki has kept a low public profile in the Ol Kalou parliamentary by-election.

Insiders in the Kenya Kwanza administration, however, say he is the man quietly directing President William Ruto’s push to clinch the seat in a contest that has turned into a political referendum on the President’s standing in Mt Kenya.

The July 16 by-election was triggered by the death of three-term MP David Kiaraho of Jubilee party and has attracted national attention.

It is shaping up as the first major political duel between the ruling UDA and former Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua’s DCP.

It is understood that Kindiki is in daily contact with campaign teams and receives regular briefings from political leaders and government operatives deployed to the constituency.

Sources said the Deputy President has split the campaign machinery into two layers, one comprising elected leaders and party officials and another made up of government figures tasked with selling the administration’s development agenda.

"UDA has won in all the constituencies it fielded candidates and the broad-based government has won overwhelmingly across the country. Unknown to many people, it is Deputy President Kithure Kindiki who has been the unseen steady hand, steering the campaigns and crafting winning strategies for us," Soy MP David Kiplagatt said.

"Many people only talk about what he did in Mbeere North Constituency by-election, where he showed Wamunyoro alot of dust despite the chest thumping he had take to that constituency. We have absolute faith in Prof Kindiki and have no doubt that together with President Ruto, next year they'll will get a second term to manage the affairs of our country," he said.

The approach mirrors the strategy adopted by Kenya Kwanza during the Mbeere North by-election, where Kindiki played a central coordinating role behind the scenes.

For President Ruto’s allies, Ol Kalou is being viewed through the same lens as the 2021 Kiambaa by-election that handed UDA a symbolic victory over the Jubilee administration and injected momentum into Ruto’s successful 2022 presidential bid.

A victory in Ol Kalou would allow UDA to project itself as the dominant political force in Mt Kenya and counter Gachagua’s growing influence in the region.

A loss, nonetheless, is also being taken as the yardstick to measure the President’s support in the restive region.

The government’s campaign has been marked by a heavy presence of senior state officials.

Lands CS Alice Wahome recently presided over the opening of the Nyandarua Lands office in Ol Kalou and the issuance of more than 2,700 title deeds.

She said the project had ended decades of challenges in access to land services.

Lands PS Nixon Korir, who accompanied Wahome, urged residents to back the government, asking whether they wanted to “choose to be in the opposition knowingly”.

Energy PS Alex Wachira, Nyandarua Woman Representative Faith Gitau and several UDA leaders have also held rallies in support of the party’s candidate, Samuel Muchina.

Dennis Itumbi, a key figure in the Ruto’s inner circle, has separately held meetings with senior citizens and grassroots groups.

UDA deputy executive director Higgins Mbugua has also intensified mobilisation efforts across the constituency.

Nominated MP Joseph Wainaina said, “We must win this Ol Kalou seat so that we silence those out to divide us. We need to defeat this man (Gachagua) the way we did in Mbeere North.”

Governor Cecily Mbarire has led women-focused campaigns alongside Nakuru Governor Susan Kihika and a team of legislators and county leaders in an effort to consolidate support for Muchina.

The UDA candidate has also launched the Muchina Football League, bringing together teams from all five wards in a youth mobilisation strategy.

Party officials said the intervention was aimed at nurturing talent and broadening grassroots engagement.

Despite his deep involvement, it remains unclear whether Kindiki will personally hit the campaign trail in the closing days of the race or continue directing operations from a distance.

The stakes are heightened by Gachagua’s decision to retreat to his Nyeri home for 45 days to plan for the 2027 elections, a move that has unsettled some of his allies who see Ol Kalou as an early test of his political strength.

For both camps, the by-election is far more than winning a parliamentary seat.

IEBC scheduled the by-election after Speaker Moses Wetang'ula declared the seat vacant following Kiaraho's death in March.

Nine candidates have been cleared for the race, but the contest has largely narrowed into a battle between UDA's Muchina and DCP's Sammy Ngotho, a former aide of Gachagua and runner-up in the 2022 election.

Political observers say turnout will be crucial because by-elections often attract fewer voters than general elections.

Both camps believe the result will shape perceptions ahead of the 2027 contest and determine whether Mt Kenya remains firmly in Ruto's corner or shifts towards the camp led by his former deputy.

The events and high stakes explains why resources, senior officials and party strategists have poured into a constituency with a parliamentary seat at stake.