The Democratic Party of Kenya (DP), founded by former President Mwai Kibaki, says it is ready to welcome impeached Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua and his allies who plan to storm out of President William Ruto’s United Democratic Alliance (UDA).
The party, which was among those formed immediately after former President Daniel Moi’s regime reintroduced multiparty democracy in 1991, said association with President Ruto’s Kenya Kwanza was no longer tenable due to its style of governance.
“We don’t even believe that Kenya Kwanza still exists after the President and his UDA party decided to form the broad-based government that included ODM party members in the Cabinet. That was the end of Kenya Kwanza,” said Mr Jacob Haji, DP’s Secretary-General and spokesperson.
He said that although DP had not held formal talks with Mr Gachagua, it remained open to all.
“Gachagua is a formidable force in Kenyan politics and, therefore, the kind of personality we would like to have at the helm of this party,” Mr Haji said yesterday.
Mr Gachagua promised to give direction to his supporters, especially from his Mt Kenya backyard, by the end of this month and is expected to officially announce his new political vehicle.
“The direction will be about running away from the betrayal that has been meted out to us. It will be about saying no to the politics of enslavement. It will be about correcting the mistakes that led us to trust blindly and give our 87 per cent of votes to Dr Ruto in an unstructured arrangement,” Mr Gachagua recently told Inooro FM.
Nyeri Governor Mutahi Kahiga, a close ally of Mr Gachagua, hinted at what the announcement might be. “Essentially, the announcement will be about herding the willing mountaineers out of the UDA. The Mountain must have its political identity, its brand and its cause. This is what the majority have demanded,” said Mr Kahiga.
Yesterday, Kiambu Senator Karungo Thang'wa and his Murang’a counterpart Joe Nyutu, allies of Mr Gachagua, told the Nation they do not know whether Mr Gachagua wants to take over DP.
On Tuesday, DP’s top decision-making body, the National Executive Council, held a meeting with chairpersons from 36 counties in Nairobi to plan what officials described as “the party’s future ahead of the 2027 elections”.
The meeting coincided with the bombshell by former DP leader and Public Service Cabinet Secretary Justin Muturi, over the abduction of his son Leslie last year, which he blamed on the National Intelligence Service. But DP officials said their move to invite Mr Gachagua to join the outfit had nothing to do with Mr Muturi.
“Mr Muturi ceased to be the leader of DP when he was appointed Attorney-General after the 2022 elections and has since taken a back seat in party affairs,” Mr Haji said.
DP National Chairman Esau Kioni said that there had been no meeting between the party and Mr Gachagua or his representatives, but “if he decides to join us, he will be most welcome”.
Although the officials insisted that Mr Muturi no longer held any position in the party, the CS said that he was still in charge and could not hand it over to Mr Gachagua.
“We can’t allow him to take over the party. Rigathi has been charged. I know he’s in court but if the High Court finds that he was properly impeached, he would not be eligible to stand,” said Mr Muturi. “I am not the leader of the party but I still call the shots just like (Musalia) Mudavadi still calls the shots in his Amani National Congress.”
