Rigathi Gachagua’s brash political posturing has run into a wall of reality. The former deputy president, who only months ago thundered that his Democracy for Citizens Party (DCP) would be the vehicle to “send Ruto home,” is now backpedalling — surrendering ground in Embu and Malava by-elections and exposing the fragility of his much-hyped outfit.
In a dramatic climbdown, Mr Gachagua announced DCP would not field candidates in the two mini-polls, instead throwing its weight behind DAP-K and Democratic Party hopefuls.
The fallout is immediate and bruising. In Mbeere North, DCP aspirant Dancun Mbui quit in protest, slamming Gachagua for abandoning him in favour of DP’s pick. In Malava, defections and infighting have cast the party as an incoherent tribal enclave, far from the national juggernaut Gachagua promised.
The irony bites harder given his recent theatrics: he cut short a US tour in August, vowing to “mastermind victory” in the by-elections. Instead, DCP limps into irrelevance, riven by mistrust and internal squabbles.
Yet Mr Gachagua still insists DCP will field a presidential candidate in 2027. Critics say such bluster rings hollow when the party cannot even stand firm in by-elections — the basic test of grassroots strength.
For a man who styled himself Mt Kenya’s lion, the optics are damning: big talk, small retreat, and a shrinking party footprint. If DCP cannot survive Malava or Mbeere, Kenyans may wonder — is this a national force or just a regional sideshow led by a faltering kingpin?
