A fresh storm has hit the United Opposition after former Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua unveiled a zoning plan that would bar affiliate parties from fielding candidates for governor, MP and MCA positions in Nairobi.
Mr Gachagua announced that only his Democracy for the Citizens Party (DCP) would present candidates for governor, senator and woman representative, while the 17 parliamentary and 85 MCA seats would be shared out between DCP and Kalonzo Musyoka’s Wiper party under a proposed zoning deal.
He said the arrangement was part of a strategy between DCP and Wiper to secure a majority of seats in the capital in the 2027 General Election.
However, the announcement triggered immediate revolt.
Former Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua poses for a photograph after unveiling his new political outfit, the Democracy for the Citizens Party (DCP), at the party headquarters in the Lavington, Nairobi, on May 15, 2025.
Photo credit: Thomas Mukoya | Reuters
Wiper, Jubilee, Democratic Action Party–Kenya (DAP-K) and United Progressive Alliance (UPA) dismissed the proposal as reckless, exclusionary and politically destabilising.
Leaders accused Mr Gachagua of attempting to edge out coalition partners and weaken unity within the opposition.
Speaking in Kariobangi North on Sunday, Mr Gachagua argued that zoning would help replicate ODM’s past electoral success in Nairobi — success he attributed partly to past Wiper support.
“We have an agreement with the Wiper leader. The deal is that governor, senator and woman rep will be on DCP, and we will work with Wiper to secure at least 16 out of 17 MPs. All the votes Ruto got in Nairobi were courtesy of Gachagua — and they have now moved to DCP,” he said.
In 2022, ODM’s Raila Odinga was forced to drop a similar plan after smaller parties protested that it favoured bigger players.
Coalitions typically consider zoning to avoid splitting votes among allies — but smaller parties often view it as a political strangulation tactic.
Already, Mr Gachagua’s plan has since triggered a political backlash, with other partner parties claiming a plot to sideline them in city politics. Wiper has also distanced itself from the purported arrangement, saying the coalition has many partners that have to be accommodated.
Makueni Senator Dan Maanzo, a close ally of Mr Musyoka, said such a move would only lead to a fallout within the coalition. He said all the opposition outfits have a chance to field in Nairobi. He said the discussion should be about settling on the most popular candidate as opposed to only allowing one or two parties to field in Nairobi, which he said has nearly all the communities.
“It is a way of trying to throw out other people. The United Opposition has more than five political parties. We have to remain united and accommodate everybody because there are other communities (other than the two) that live in Nairobi,” said Mr Maanzo.
“It can only be about a more popular candidate. It cannot be an affair of two political parties. Whoever is behind the idea is basically trying to bring disharmony within the opposition.”
DAP-K secretary-general Eseli Simiyu termed the suggestion as a personal view that does not represent the general feeling of the opposition, while his Jubilee counterpart Jeremiah Kioni said the former ruling party would field candidates in every part of the country.
Mr Kioni said Mr Gachagua’s remarks show his disdain for other parties within the coalition. “He is dismissive of other political partners. We are in a multiparty democracy, where every political party has a right to contest for whichever position. His party is still new, but he already has a low opinion of other parties.”
United Opposition leaders, led by former Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua (center), DAP-K Party leader Eugene Wamalwa (left) and Wiper party leader Kalonzo Musyoka (right), address the media at SKM command center in Nairobi on November 3, 2025.
Photo credit: Lucy Wanjiru | Nation Media Group
“As Jubilee we are committed in this opposition, but they keep calling us red wheelbarrows. It is only through mutual respect that we will be able to present a united front in the next elections,” said Mr Kioni.
UPA national chairperson Nyambega Gisesa said Mr Gachagua “should learn to be accommodative of other political players. Every party has a role to play within the United Opposition.”
Former Nyeri Town MP Ngunjiri Wambugu — a member of Jubilee Party — said there was no way a single party can lock partners from fielding candidates in the capital city. He said it was also premature for the coalition to start talking about zoning two years before the next contest.
“There really is no way one single party; a new one at that and one that has never fielded candidates at that level; can hold the exclusive rights to field such critical positions in the most important county in Kenya,” said Mr Wambugu, a former ally of Mr Gachagua.
“Even if a discussion on zoning was to be held, it would not be exposed two years to the election due to the despondency it would create among partner parties, and the advantage it would give to those parties outside such an agreement. So this is just one of Gachagua’s amateurish hallucinations.”
Kitui Senator Enoch Wambua (Wiper) and Embakasi Central MP Benjamin Gathiru alias Mejja Donk described the suggestion as part of coalition making. The two said there would be give and take should the coalition take the zoning route. They said the interest of the coalition would be to capture most of the seats across the country.
“The art of coalition building is a delicate exercise. It involves pushing, pulling and pushing back as partners pursue party interests while keeping eyes wide open on an agreed shared destiny. I can’t speak for DP Gachagua but I know that the coalition we are crafting will accommodate more political parties than just Wiper and DCP,” said Mr Wambua.
“If zoning becomes the ultimate option in fielding candidates for the various elective posts across the country, I believe that all coalition partners will each get a rightful share of the elective slots arrived at through mutual understanding and respect.”
Mr Wambua said besides zoning, there are also other options that can be explored by the United Opposition.
Mr Gathiru said Mr Gachagua’s suggestion was informed by the perceived minimal presence of some of the affiliate parties in Nairobi. He said that it would only make sense if parties with a strong presence are allowed to field in Nairobi.
Currently, Jubilee has Amos Mwago (Starehe) and Mark Mwenje (Embakasi West) while Wiper has Julius Mawathe (Embakasi South). Eight out of the 17 seats are under Orange Democratic Movement (ODM), while the ruling United Democratic Alliance (UDA) has four MPs. One MP was elected as independent.
“What we are saying is that we zone so that Wiper does not compete against a DCP candidate. If the other parties also have candidates, then we can consider having a joint candidate. No one is interested in locking out the other,” explained the MP, who is a close ally of Mr Gachagua.
He accused Jubilee of being in both the opposition and government, saying most of Jubilee’s elected leaders were in the broad-based government, raising questions about the party’s stance.
Prof David Monda, a US-based political analyst, said the plan can either work for the opposition or backfire on Mr Gachagua.
“It could work if other opposition players see themselves as having to play second fiddle to Gachagua/Kalonzo to have any political relevance. In other words, hang on their coattails because seeing either of them defect to the government or go it alone would be disastrous.”
“It can also backfire on Gachagua if some members of the opposition defect to the government. Portraying Gachagua as a tribal kingpin with self-centred ethnic chauvinism focussed on regional interests with no national outlook,” said Prof Monda.
