Former Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua’s bid to crown himself Mt Kenya’s “gatekeeper” is fast turning into a political boomerang—fracturing the opposition and jeopardising its 2027 shot at unseating President William Ruto.
Matiang’i Fallout
The clash sharpened after Gachagua’s US meeting with opposition heavyweight Fred Matiang’i in July. Weeks later, Matiang’i’s planned Mt Kenya tour was shelved—reportedly because Gachagua insisted no one enters “his turf” without his blessing.
Divided House
Analysts warn the standoff is splitting the anti-Ruto bloc just as unity tours in Western Kenya were gathering steam. Heavyweights like Martha Karua and Eugene Wamalwa already snubbed DCP’s shaky launch, signalling mistrust.
Meanwhile, Gachagua’s firebrand lawyer Ndegwa Njiru has escalated tensions with viral attacks branding Matiang’i an “NIS plant” and “Ruto’s puppet”—smears seen as deliberate wedge politics.
The Risk
Opposition insiders whisper that Gachagua’s push is less about strategy than survival, carving a personal empire that could cripple the wider movement.
“He’s building a fiefdom, not a coalition,” one source quipped.
The danger is stark: instead of being a kingmaker, Gachagua risks becoming the mountain’s biggest liability—handing Ruto a divided opposition on a silver platter.
