Any opposition leader seeking the presidency will have to go all out and galvanise their backyards and bring in numbers, if they are to bank on the Mt Kenya vote bloc, former Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua has said.
In a wide-ranging interview with a local Kikuyu station, Inooro TV, Gachagua told his opposition counterparts they won't get his backing on a silver platter and they need to pull up their socks in the battle against President William Ruto.
Admitting that only through a united force can they dislodge Ruto from the presidency, the former DP said joint candidate negotiations will be based on numbers.
“We won’t be looking at one’s looks, how good you speak the English language, how tall or short you are or even body size, whether you have a huge name or a PhD. The discussion will be that if you want to lead Kenya, it means dislodging [President] Ruto and to do that you need votes. You need to convince us you have those votes,” he said, adding that discussions are likely to happen in December 2026.
Before then, the DPC leader said all the presidential hopefuls have to put in the work and demonstrate they have the numbers propelling them to the top position to beat the President in 2027.
Among those in the ‘United Opposition’ who have expressed interest in the presidency are Wiper leader Kalonzo Musyoka, PLP’s Martha Karua and former CS Fred Matiang’i, who is yet to announce his political vehicle.
Gachagua, however, warned that the negotiations will be more than making the declaration.
“If you announce you want to remove Ruto, how are you going to do it? You must demonstrate a winning formula. My plan is to go with a headstart of seven million votes, which I have already mobilised. I’ll then start topping up with votes from the Maa region, the Coast, go round the country, speak to the Gen Zs, the payslip people I speak for and everyone else who believes in Gachagua’s vision. With all that, I am targeting a minimum of 10 million votes.”
He added: “I will present my 10 million votes and request my counterparts to endorse and add me their votes. Kalonzo will also say, ‘No, I am the one who is capable with this number of votes’, the other one will say, ‘I have my 700,000 votes’. We will then negotiate who, if we add into their basket will be enough. Or if I am the one to add, they have to convince me,” he said.
In the 2022 polls, the Mt Kenya region had 4.6 million registered voters across Meru, Tharaka Nithi, Embu, Nyeri, Kirinyaga, Murang’a, Kiambu and Nyandarua counties. Nakuru and Laikipia counties, which also share a huge demographic of the Mt Kenya region, had between them 1.3 million votes.
With the continuous voter registration that is set to resume and the mass voter registration expected towards the election, the numbers are expected to change drastically.
Gachagua also appeared to chide his counterparts in the opposition, questioning their capacity to mobilise by themselves and in his absence, particularly during his six-week visit to the US.
In a veiled reference to recent remarks by Jubilee secretary general Jeremiah Kioni that Gachagua’s run would spoil it for the opposition, the DPC leader said he has rallied the majority of the potential voters by himself.
“Some people have said that my work is to attack and remove Ruto and then hand over the seat to other people. Power isn’t passed over like a cigarette lighter. You have to demonstrate how much effort you put in to remove Ruto. How many voters have you mobilised? How many political meetings have you held and attended? Show us with evidence. Winning the election is about numbers,” he said.
Buoyed with the numbers, Gachagua now sees himself as a kingmaker, even though he is upping his presidential bid.
“I backed Ruto, mobilised four million votes in the region and made him President through a lot of hardships only for him to throw me out and target the community,” he said.
The bid, however, faces legal challenges over his impeachment—which the courts have to overturn for him to occupy state office.
He would also face resistance from other regions, as he comes from one that has produced three Presidents already.
Drawing lessons from his fallout with Ruto, Gachagua said his endorsement of another candidate will be based on a well-structured power sharing and resource allocation arrangement.
“I am not selfish, as I demonstrated with Mbeere North. If Kalonzo convinces me that if I back him he will dislodge Ruto, offer good leadership and look after the interests of Mt Kenya, that’s fine,” he said.
He added that he will be targeting 78 MPs, 14 governors and senators, as well as 416 MCAs.
