In the quiet village of Wamunyoro, a few kilometres from the busy Karatina town, former Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua’s political activities are taking residents and the country by storm.
Even at the height of the 2022 presidential campaigns, Gachagua’s Wamunyoro residence did not witness the magnitude of focus and national limelight it enjoys today.
Three months after he was hounded out of office, the former DP has converted Wamunyoro into a political nerve centre with a flurry of meetings.
The heightened activities can only rival President William Ruto’s aggressive political meetings at the DP’s Karen residence ahead of the 2022 polls.
Analysts argue that Gachagua’s choice of the residence as the epicentre of his 2027 political meetings could be linked to the need to avoid the prying eyes of state operatives.
“Gachagua will put one of the biggest political fights to teach President Ruto a lesson and it will not be about him winning but about Ruto losing. The kind of leaders trooping to his Wamunyoro home signals a titanic political war in the making,” political analyst Alexander Nyamboga said.
The former DP has previously claimed that state operatives have been trailing him with unmarked vehicles whenever he attends public or church events in Nairobi and its environs.
His latest strategy to set camp in his rural home, which he has admitted is under round-the-clock protection by ex-military personnel, is aimed at beating security officers in their own game.
Embakasi North MP James Gakuya said Gachagua prefers Wamunyoro because he doesn’t want to mix politics with family.
“He will soon unveil a political vehicle and launch a nerve centre whose operations will be in Nairobi, but in the meantime, he prefers Wamunyoro because of its nostalgic value,’’ he said.
“It is also not true that he has been inviting people to his Wamunyoro home, people are looking for him wherever he is.”
Ahead of the 2022 general election, Ruto heightened political engagements with various opinion leaders at the DP’s residence in Karen, earning the home the moniker hustlers’ mansion.
The then DP used the meetings to craft a gigantic political movement that rode to power despite political hurdles mounted by former President Uhuru Kenya who backed Azimio presidential candidate Raila Odinga.
Naivasha MP Jane Kihara said Gachagua is consulting widely not only with leaders from his camp, but also with other like-minded Kenyans who are supporting his cause to redeem the country.
“The nature of meetings happening are geared towards understanding the challenges Kenyans are [facing and] on how best to save this country from the claws of dictatorship,’’ she added.
The former DP has intensified meetings with various political leaders, especially those from his Mt Kenya heartland, as part of his elaborate strategy to consolidate the region.
On January 10, Gachagua brought together more than 20 political heavyweights in his camp, including MPs and senators, during a critical consultation meeting at his Wamunyoro home.
In what was seen as a display of political might, Gachagua hosted the leaders for lunch after extensive consultations.
Signalling plans to expand his networks beyond Mt Kenya, the former DP also hosted a delegation of elders from Kajiado West on January 8.
Gachagua has not declared his 2027 presidential ambitions yet. He is awaiting clearance from the courts after he appealed his impeachment.
The law bars impeached state and public officers from running for any elective or appointive position.
Some of the politicians the former second in command has met include aspirants eyeing various elective seats across Mt Kenya.
Gachagua has pledged to ensure that politicians from the region who were mobilised to impeach him will have a taste of their own medicine at the ballot in 2027.
“The people of Mt Kenya region do not forgive betrayal and those who have gone against their will have a date with destiny in 2027,” he said during a church service in Embakasi, Nairobi, last week.
He has already identified potential aspirants, who include governors and MPs, to unseat politicians allied to President Ruto in 2027.
Gachagua has also paraded senatorial, parliamentary and MCA aspirants across the 10 Mt Kenya counties, including the diaspora and Nakuru county.
Some of his key allies who defied the whipping in Kenya Kwanza and voted against his impeachment last year are said to be eyeing gubernatorial seats.
Vocal Githunguri MP Gathoni Wamuchomba is seeking to unseat Kiambu Governor Kimani Wamatangi while Senator Joe Nyutu is planning to face Murang’a Governor Irungu Kang’ata.
Senator James Murango is seeking to succeed Kirinyaga Governor Anne Waiguru who is retiring in 2027 after completing her two constitutional terms.
Nyeri Governor Mutahi Kahiga, a key ally of Gachagua, is seeking to replace Senator Wahome Wamatinga.
Gachagua’s allies are said to have concluded consultations about their 2027 political vehicle, with plans underway to unveil a new party in the coming weeks.
Gakuya said the party would be unveiled in the “next few months” amid talk that the former DP has acquired an existing political party with roots in Mt Kenya region.
While it is not clear whether Gachagua will run for the presidency or not, there are indications that he will team up with Wiper boss Kalonzo Musyoka in the 2027 general election.
Kalonzo’s allies voted against Gachagua’s impeachment both in the Senate and National Assembly last October.
Some of the regional leaders have also signalled their intentions to work with former DP.
On January 11, Gachagua signalled his intention to expand his political fold beyond the Mt Kenya region after he held a meeting with former Machakos Town MP Victor Munyaka.
In October last year, Munyaka declined his appointment as chairman of the Kenya Animal Genetic Resource Centre.
“It was a pleasure to revisit our common experiences in the
last Parliament and contrast what we see in the calibre of that particular
Parliament, as well as the general political leadership then, as compared to
the current one,” Gachagua posted on X.
