Africa-Press – Kenya. Former Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua has declared that the Mt Kenya region will vote as a bloc in the 2027 General Election to unseat President William Ruto.
Gachagua insisted that the region has withdrawn its political support from the Head of State.
Speaking on Sunday at ACK Gitugi in Mathioya, Murang’a County, Gachagua said Ruto was fully aware that his 2022 victory was largely anchored on Mt Kenya votes, support he claimed no longer exists.
He argued that once the region votes as a unified bloc, Ruto would have no path to re-election.
“He (Ruto) knows very well that if the mountain votes as a bloc, he stands no chance,” Gachagua said, adding that the President’s political survival now depends on efforts to fragment the Mt Kenya vote.
He likened the strategy to tactics used by the late former President Daniel Moi during the 1992 elections to weaken opposition strongholds.
Gachagua assured that the candidate picked by the United Opposition to face Ruto in 2027 will receive full backing from the Mt Kenya region.
“The candidate who will be picked by the United Opposition will be guaranteed the entire votes from the mountain,” he said.
“We will not allow anybody to divide Mt Kenya votes,” Gachagua added. “Kalonzo Musyoka, if the formula favours you, you will get the entire votes from the mountain. Matiang’i, if it favours you, you will get the entire Mt Kenya vote, the same with my sister Karua and Eugene or even me.”
Gachagua, who is the leader of the Democracy for the Citizens Party (DCP), said the Opposition was already united and only waiting for the appropriate moment to unveil its strategy.
He noted that the focus in Mt Kenya would not be political persuasion but voter mobilisation.
“The only issue we will deal with in Mt Kenya is registration of voters and working on turnout on election day,” he said. “We do not want people to be wasting time trying to convert others to be aligned to One Term. These people are already One Term. The conversation here is voter registration and voter turnout.”
He urged parents to ensure that their children aged 18 years and above register as voters, adding that the opposition knew how to handle turnout “at the right time.” “We will vote for anybody but not Ruto,” Gachagua said.
The event brought together several opposition leaders, including Wiper party leader Kalonzo Musyoka, former Interior Cabinet Secretary Fred Matiang’i, PLP leader Martha Karua, DAP-K leader Eugene Wamalwa, former Starehe MP Maina Kamanda, former South Mugirango MP Omingo Magara, Naivasha MP Jane Kihara, Kitui Senator Enock Wambua, and DP leader Justin Muturi.
Kalonzo accused Ruto of using intimidation rhetoric to project inevitability. “We will bring this country to order, and we mean it. Why insult other leaders and say you will win with three million? Where will he get the votes?” Kalonzo asked. “He is saying that to scare us but we will not fear. We are very focused as the Opposition.”
Matiang’i called for unity among opposition leaders, saying personal ambition must be set aside for national interest. “This time round, if we stay together, we will return the country to the right path. We have a mission to help this nation,” he said.
“The needs of the people are bigger and stronger than those of individual leaders. If you really love your country, no one in the Opposition should say they must be president.”
Karua warned against what she described as growing disregard for the Constitution. “The country has a constitution and we will not allow Ruto to break it. Kenya is not a dictatorship; it is a democracy,” she said. “If we stick together, the law cannot be broken, but if we are divided, the constitution will be disregarded.”
She also cautioned security agencies against following unlawful directives. “Police officers do not have to obey illegal orders. You will be held responsible individually if you break the law,” Karua said, urging opposition supporters to remain united “to liberate the country.”
Wamalwa dismissed claims that opposition leaders were being lured into government. “So many of us want to be President, but we will front one,” he said. “We might be six aspirants but we will front one of us to send William Ruto home.”
