Rigathi Gachagua’s Democracy for Citizens Party (DCP) is unraveling, with its Banisa parliamentary hopeful walking away from the ticket – a crushing blow that exposes the outfit’s fragility and deepens its image as a Mt Kenya tribal project.
The Banisa contest, in the Somali-dominated Mandera region, was billed as Gachagua’s big chance to break out of the Kikuyu heartland and plant his flag in northern Kenya. Instead, it has backfired spectacularly. Party insiders admit the candidate abandoned ship after days of pressure, leaving DCP without a credible foothold in the region.
This latest debacle follows the dramatic exit of Duncan Mbui in Mbeere North on September 6, when he ditched DCP to run as an independent, accusing it of “exorbitant cash demands.” On September 10, the party abruptly withdrew from three more by-elections – Mbeere North, Muumbuni and Kabuchai – under the guise of “opposition unity.” Only in Magarini did it field a candidate, but murmurs of infighting and donor fatigue abound.
For Gachagua, DCP was supposed to be the launchpad for a national comeback. Yet its tribal branding has become an albatross. Critics argue his abrasive rhetoric and narrow Mt Kenya appeals make it toxic for leaders elsewhere, stunting expansion efforts.
Analysts warn that without a single by-election scalp, DCP risks political irrelevance by 2027. “It’s on life support,” quipped one veteran MP.
Once a would-be kingmaker, Gachagua is now discovering the limits of parochial politics: beyond the mountain, his pawns are scattering.
