Kalonzo Musyoka on Friday unveiled Jamleck Kamau as the new Wiper Party chairman. The former Kigumo MP had been positioning himself for the Murang’a governor contest under the DCP umbrella.
Kamau had earlier on Tuesday dropped his ambition to be Murang’a governor, and instead will support the United Opposition. His departure from DCP also comes amid claims that aspirants within the party had been asked to pay money to secure party tickets ahead of the 2027 elections.
The 2027 ticketing process has raised concerns among aspirants, some saying that internal democracy within the party had been compromised. DCP officials had not issued a detailed public response to the allegations by the time of the announcement.
Kalonzo, while receiving Kamau into Wiper, described the move as a boost to the opposition camp, saying the former Kigumo MP would play a key role in strengthening Wiper’s national structures and expanding its reach into Mt Kenya.
The former MP’s appointment places him at the centre of Wiper’s political operations in the Mt Kenya region, something insiders have warned will likely cause friction between him and Gachagua’s DCP in the region.
His entry also gives Kalonzo a foothold in Mt Kenya politics, and now, onwards, the Wiper leader will not be entirely relying on Rigathi Gachagua to make inroads in the region, but his new chairman, who has a formidable grassroots network in Murang’a.
Former Juja MP George Koimburi also left DCP, citing betrayal by Gachagua. Koimburi claimed he had stood with the former Deputy President during difficult political moments but had later been abandoned when key decisions were being made.
Koimburi’s exit, coming before Kamau’s defection, raised questions about whether DCP can hold together the political network it hoped to build in Mt Kenya and beyond.
