Jubilee Party’s 2027 presidential flagbearer Fred Matiang’i has thrown down the gauntlet to DCP leader Rigathi Gachagua, challenging him to ”meet on the ground” in Mt Kenya as he launches nationwide tours aimed at demonstrating his grassroots support.
The challenge comes two weeks after a bitter fallout between the two leaders over Mt Kenya politics, something now threatening to fracture the united opposition coalition from within.
Insider reports reveal that former President Uhuru Kenyatta is backing Matiang’i’s presidential bid, sending shockwaves through Gachagua’s camp.
Sources close to the DCP leader say his team is increasingly suspicious of a coordinated plot to sideline Gachagua and erode his regional influence in the vote-rich Mt Kenya region.
The simmering rivalry has exploded into public view in the Ol Kalou by-election, where the opposition’s fragile unity has collapsed spectacularly.
Instead of rallying behind a single aspirant, the DCP, Jubilee, and PLP parties have fielded candidates in the race.
Gachagua’s strategists have now openly declared that the DCP and Jubilee Party cannot peacefully coexist in Mt Kenya, signaling what could be an irreparable rift between the two camps.
In a hard-hitting interview on Friday, Dr. Matiang’i warned that the opposition risks losing credibility with Kenyan voters unless it builds genuine institutional trust rather than relying on empty rhetoric.
“Backstabbing, scheming, and counter-scheming will completely destroy the hope Kenyans have in a new government. If we become like those we seek to replace, then there will be no meaningful difference,” Matiang’i said.
The Jubilee flagbearer also affirmed that the selection of the opposition’s flagbearer must be conducted through a transparent and credible process, not through secret boardroom deals.
Matiang’i’s nationwide tours, set to kick off in the coming days, are seen as a direct response to questions about his ability to mobilize political support across the country by himself.
