Former Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua and his allies during a church service at PCEA Emmanuel Matanya Church in Laikipia County on January 19, 2025.
Allies of former Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua appear to have rejected his call to resign from their elective seats and seek a fresh mandate under his new political party.
Mr Gachagua announced in February that some of his allies were waiting for the reconstitution of the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC) before resigning from President William Ruto’s United Democratic Alliance (UDA).
The plan, according to Mr Gachagua, was to trigger a “small General Election” in the populous Mt Kenya region to demonstrate a major political shift from UDA to his Democracy for the Citizens Party (DCP).
“We have decided to wait for the IEBC to be constituted, and then we will launch our party. We will have several by-elections [in the pipeline]. As of today, we have 139 MCAs who want to resign from UDA,” Mr Gachagua said on February 24, 2025.
“We will force a small General Election after the IEBC is constituted because our people do not want to live a lie. Mt Kenya people are honest, they are people of integrity, and they don't know how to pretend,” he said.
Former Deputy President and DCP leader Rigathi Gachagua gestures during an interview with NTV at his Karen home in Nairobi on June 27, 2025.
He urged MCAs, MPs, and Senators allied to him to take “this brave decision,” assuring them they would be re-elected with a strong majority and become heroes whose political careers would thrive for decades.
However, with DCP now registered and the IEBC reconstituted, Mr Gachagua’s allies appear to have developed cold feet. Interviews with several of his allies indicated that the matter has not been formally discussed within the party. Some said they were focused on campaigns for the forthcoming by-elections triggered by various deaths as well as Cabinet appointments.
Gatanga MP Edward Muriu said the plan to resign remains part of the long-term strategy but is not a priority at the moment.
“First things first, we want to deal with the upcoming by-elections. We aim to sweep all of them in the Mountain under DCP. The rest can come later. It is still part of our agenda to reclaim the Mountain from UDA for betraying our people,” he said. Embakasi Central MP Benjamin Gathiru, also known as Mejjadonk, said any decision to resign would be made individually, as there is no official party position on the matter.
Resigning from elective office mid-term is a significant risk.
It would expose leaders to potential electoral defeat less than three years into their five-year terms. It also requires heavy financial investment for fresh campaigns at a time when many are still recovering from the costly 2022 election.
A 2021 study by governance experts Karuti Kanyinga and Tom Mboya revealed that candidates who spend more have a better chance of winning elections. The study estimated the cost of running for Senate at Sh35.5 million, for woman representative at Sh22.8 million, for constituency MP at Sh18.2 million and for MCA at Sh3.1 million.
Analysts have described Mr Gachagua’s push for mass resignations as a major political gamble that could backfire. Some of his allies may desert him if forced to resign, fearing electoral defeat or financial strain.
By-elections would also mean facing off against candidates from other political parties in a country where about three in every five MPs are voted out at each election.
In the August 2022 elections, 211 Members of the National Assembly and Senate lost their seats. In the National Assembly, 146 constituency MPs were ousted, while 34 of the 47 elected women representatives were replaced. Thirty-one of the 47 elected senators also lost their seats.
Githunguri MP Gathoni Wamuchomba (left), Kiambu Senator Karongo wa Thangwa (centre) and Gatanga Mp Edward Muriu address journalists in Nairobi on January 7, 2025 where they demanded for the release of all abductees.
The trend was similar in 2017 when 166 out of 290 MPs lost their positions. Only 119 MPs were re-elected, while in the Senate, only 14 out of 35 returned. Twelve senators opted to run for governor.
US-based university lecturer and political analyst Prof David Monda warned that Mr Gachagua’s strategy is fraught with risk.
“It’s a gamble because his allies may abandon him for safer and more secure political options if he insists they resign to seek new mandates,” said Prof Monda.
“It also poses a risk to him personally. If his allies lose local elections, they might demand political favours or soft landings in the form of appointments or material rewards for their loyalty,” he added.
Only opposition leader Raila Odinga has successfully pulled off such a move when, in 1997, when he was the MP for Lang'ata, he resigned and won back the seat under a new outfit, the National Development Party (NDP). This is after leaving Ford Kenya following a leadership fallout.
