How Uhuru-Gachagua silent war puts Opposition unity on the line

Democracy for Citizens Party (DCP) deputy leader Cleophas Malala has accused the Uhuru-led Jubilee Party of plotting to destabilise DCP and undermine the popularity of its leader, Rigathi Gachagua.

Read: Uhuru move jolts Ruto, Gachagua

Malala claimed Jubilee was working with President Ruto’s camp to divide Mt Kenya, a region where Mr Gachagua has been working to consolidate support since leaving government.

“I don’t come from the mountain, and thus I can speak and, in the evening, go back to Kakamega and eat my ugali. That party (Jubilee) must be warned not to cause chaos, if they are indeed part of the United Opposition,” Mr Malala declared.

He suggested Jubilee had aligned itself with Dr Ruto’s United Democratic Alliance (UDA), citing what he termed as symbolic “red wheelbarrows” being unveiled in Mt Kenya. 

“If you work with Kasongo (Ruto) and have been sent with a red wheelbarrow, this is not a party that wants good for our party leader and DCP at large,” Mr Malala charged.

His sentiments followed sustained attacks on Mr Gachagua by Mr Kenyatta’s party, which has instead blamed him for working with president Ruto to undermine Dr Matangi’s candidacy.

On Tuesday, Jubilee Secretary General Jeremiah Kioni accused the former Deputy President of trying to strong-arm Dr Matiang’i into abandoning Jubilee during coalition negotiations.

According to Mr Kioni, Mr Gachagua even directed Dr Matiang’i to sidestep Jubilee and instead front a smaller Kisii-based outfit.

Read: Ruto banks on split Mt Kenya, Raila

“He is a project of president Ruto and is simply trying to hoodwink Kenyans,” Mr Kioni said of Mr Gachagua during a interview on Tuesday.  

But Political analyst Prof Gitile Naituli of Multi Media University of Kenya warns that the ongoing exchange of accusations between former President Kenyatta’s Jubilee Party and former Deputy President Gachagua’s only risks weakening the opposition ahead of the 2027 elections.

Prof Naituli argued that Uhuru’s political camp is in panic over its declining influence in Mt Kenya, leading to what he termed as misplaced attacks. 

“Uhuru’s axis would have wanted Matiang’i to have acceptance in Mt Kenya. They are now panicking because they feel they will not penetrate. So, they are throwing accusations not here nor there,” he said.

Prof Naituli also dismissed claims that Mr Gachagua was undermining opposition unity, noting instead that Uhuru himself had shown only lukewarm support for Raila Odinga during the 2022 race. 

“If anything, it is Uhuru who would want Ruto back to State House. We know of Uhuru’s lukewarm support for Raila in 2022 — he never really campaigned. So, accusing Gachagua of being a Ruto project looks far-fetched,” Prof Naituli said.

Read: Raila’s political gambles

The opposition’s unity has appeared increasingly fragile, with the latest parallel events last Week only highlighting the widening rift.

As president Ruto’s UDA projected unity and celebrated its achievements in Nairobi, Kenya’s opposition put its disunity on full display last Friday.

Orange Democratic Movement (ODM) leader Raila Odinga’s troops, former President Kenyatta, together with Dr Matiang’i and former deputy president Gachagua camp pulled in different directions at separate, high-profile political gatherings.

While Mr Odinga’s camp was in Kisii County marking ODM@20 celebrations with his deputy Simba Arati and a host of party bigwigs, Mr Kenyatta was in Nairobi presiding over a Jubilee National Delegates Conference (NDC) alongside Dr Matiang’i. 

At the same time, Ms Martha Karua was also in the city declaring her presidential ambitions during the People’s Liberation Party (PLP) conference, flanked by Mr Gachagua, Kalonzo Musyoka, Justin Muturi, Eugene Wamalwa and Mithika Linturi among other ‘united opposition’ leaders.

Read: Gachagua: I don't regret telling off Uhuru in front of dignitaries

The simultaneous events not only underscored a fractured opposition landscape but also highlighted the difficulty of building a united front against President Ruto’s UDA, which is courting Mr Odinga’ ODM under the broad-based government framework.

Mr Kioni however, insists that nobody would pressure Dr Matiang’i to play his politics as they wish.

“Do you think Matiang’i is a person to bully by any chance? He was not bullied when he was in government, and we would not want him bullied now,” he said, criticising Mr Gachagua’s political approach.

The latest exchanges highlight the widening rift between Uhuru and Gachagua — two men who have projected an anti-government stance, but now appear to be on opposing trajectories. 

Their feud is shaping the Mt Kenya political landscape and, by extension, the opposition’s roadmap to 2027.

Read: Kenya is ripe for female president

Embakasi North MP James Gakuya, an ally of Mr Gachagua says that Mr Kenyatta’s Jubilee appears to have made up its mind to go it alone in the 2027 election.

“There was a notion that there would be one united opposition, in which Jubilee was supposed to be part of. But in the last Jubilee NDC, it looks like they have opted to go on their own, probably to sponsor a candidate, most likely Matiang’i,” said Mr Gakuya.

“I’m not worried at all because Matiang’i will only split votes from the Kisii region. I’m totally confident that Mt Kenya votes will not split just because Uhuru Kenyatta has picked a different candidate.”

But Githunguri MP Gathoni Wamuchomba, a member of the Kenya Moja alliance insisted Mr Kenyatta remains “the undisputed kingpin of Mt Kenya region.”

“He didn’t force it on us, at least in his ten years rule with his flaws, he was never impeached and never impeached his deputy. He unified the country. He’s now at liberty to bless anybody to take over from him,” Ms Wamuchomba said. 

In a jibe apparently directed at Mr Gachagua, Ms Wamuchomba cautioned against “entitlement politics,” adding that no single party or politician holds the monopoly over Mt Kenya region’s support.

“It’s disheartening to see mountain people attacking each other for political competition; this entitlement is too much! Before DCP, there was Jubilee UDA, DP and others. Nobody has the monopoly of the eight million mountain votes. We said before, hatupangwingwi! Uhuru Kenyatta is the undisputed Kingpin of the mountain, and he didn’t force it on us,” she added.

Read: Rebel minister: Justin Muturi, my fallout with Ruto

Analysts warn that the mutual suspicion and public accusations risk splintering the opposition further at a time when unity is critical to challenging President Ruto’s Kenya Kwanza administration.

Prof Naituli says, both Jubilee and Gachagua’s DCP should stop trading barbs and instead sell their political agenda. “None of them should be accusing one another. They should focus on campaigning for their candidates. Gachagua is not even a candidate. Throwing barbs at each other only shows how disunited they are,” he remarked.

Prof Naituli added that it was still too early for parties to fight when no vote was at stake. “Nobody is voting right now. They should be selling their agenda, not fighting. They should tell us what they will do for us,” he said.

He cautioned Dr Matiang’i against seeking legitimacy in Mt Kenya before consolidating his home turf. “Matiang’i should first consolidate Kisii, Kuria, and Luo support — not Mt Kenya,” he said.

He however, described the former CS as a potentially formidable candidate if properly guided. 

“Matiang’i is a competitive candidate if guided the right way. He is more believable as a technocrat than the politicians who have perfected the art of lying. He should not be anybody’s project.”

He warned that continued infighting could derail efforts to build a common platform. 

[email protected]