DCP leader Rigathi Gachagua appears to be executing a calculated strategy to undermine the Edwin Sifuna-led Linda Mwananchi movement, with Mumias East MP Peter Salasya emerging as a key instrument in this political offensive.
On Tuesday, Gachagua hosted Salasya at his Wamunyoro village home in what political observers see as more than a courtesy call.
The meeting comes amid Salasya’s sustained public criticism of the Nairobi Senator’s politics, raising questions about coordination between Gachagua and the Mumias East MP.
Salasya has persistently launched a frontal assault on Sifuna’s presidential ambitions and the Linda Mwananchi movement itself.
The Mumias East MP has not only dismissed Sifuna’s national appeal but also his strength among the Bukusus in Bungoma, claiming the Nairobi Senator would struggle to secure even 300,000 votes nationally should he contest the presidency in 2027, a statement that pours cold water on Sifuna’s political profile.
”From what I know, Sifuna does not have the political influence in Bukusu land that Eugene Wamalwa commands,” the MP says.
More significantly, Salasya has dismissed the Linda Mwananchi outfit altogether, questioning its viability as an independent political force capable of facing President Ruto at the ballot.
He wants the Sifuna group to abandon its autonomous path and instead join the United Opposition, the coalition where Gachagua serves as one of the principal leaders.
The timing and optics of Gachagua’s Tuesday meeting with Salasya are telling.
The Democracy for the Citizens Party (DCP) leader lavished praise on the young legislator, describing him as “a steadfast young legislator with a bright future”.
Gachagua is publicly embracing Salasya while the MP is actively undermining the Linda Mwananchi movement.
The impeached former Deputy President’s apparent strategy is to fragment the opposition by preventing the consolidation of alternative power centers like the Linda Mwananchi.
Gachagua, who is positioning DCP as Mt Kenya’s political vehicle is increasingly uneasy with Linda Mwananchi’s inroads in the region following the outfit’s successful rally in Thika last month.
