Gachagua rattles political scene with push for DCP-only candidates in Nairobi in 2027 polls

Former Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua has triggered a political storm after claiming that his political party should be the one to field candidates for elective seats in Nairobi County in the 2027 General Election.

Gachagua alleged that he had reached an agreement with Wiper Party leader Kalonzo Musyoka to allow his Democracy for Citizens Party (DCP) to field candidates in Nairobi.

Political analysts and operatives are treating Gachagua’s revelations with caution.

Nairobi gubernatorial hopeful Tony Gachoka, a member of the Kenya African National Union (KANU), has dismissed the claims by Gachagua that his party “owns” Nairobi.

He criticised the former deputy president for claiming that DCP’s victory in the Kariobangi North Ward by-election signalled a trend that would be repeated in 2027, insisting that his party would field candidates in all elective seats.

Gachoka pointed out that political leaders from other parties, including Kalonzo Musyoka and Western region figures like George Natembeya, had distanced themselves from Gachagua’s remarks — further underscoring what he termed as their irrelevance in Nairobi’s political environment.

Emerging dominant force

On November 30, 2025, during a thanksgiving service at PCEA Kariobangi North Berea Parish in Nairobi, Gachagua presented DCP as an emerging dominant force in Nairobi politics ahead of the 2027 polls.

His remarks came shortly after DCP’s victory in the Kariobangi North Ward by-election, where its candidate, David Wanyoike Warui, won with 2,282 votes.

Gachagua used the occasion to celebrate the win as a “beginning” and unveiled what he described as a power-sharing deal with Wiper party leader Kalonzo Musyoka — framing it as a strategy to end the Orange Democratic Movement’s long-standing influence in the city.

He claimed that, under the supposed agreement, the governor, senator and woman representative seats would go to DCP. Of the 17 MP seats, Gachagua asserted that 16 would go to DCP and one to Wiper. Of the 85 MCA seats, he said 75 would be taken by his party.

Political analyst and High Court advocate Ambrose Weda said Gachagua’s “reckless” remarks demonstrated the reasons he was removed from office.

Coast-based political analyst Kazungu Katana warned that Gachagua was steering himself towards political self-destruction.

People's democracy

“I thought DCP stands for people's democracy. What happened to the clarion call? Anyway, Rigathi can say anything; that's his way of doing politics. Put simply, he's lost his sense of reasoning, politically,” Katana said.

Other Topics To Read

• Headlines
• Rigathi Gachagua
• Kalonzo Musyoka
• Wiper party
• opposition coalition
• Democracy for Citizens Party
• Kenyan politics
• Nairobi 2027 elections
• Kariobangi North by-election
• ODM influence
• Gachagua rattles political scene with push for DCP-only candidates in Nairobi in 2027 polls
• Politics

Meanwhile, the Wiper leader has dismissed Gachagua’s claims of a deal that would see his party step aside in all major Nairobi races in favour of DCP.

Speaking at a thanksgiving ceremony in Machakos County, Musyoka denied that any such agreement existed and accused the government of spreading falsehoods to sow division within the united opposition.

“Stop this propaganda that Wiper has left all the seats in Nairobi for DCP. They have to try everything to create tensions between us,” Musyoka stated.

He reaffirmed that the opposition was intact and committed to moving forward together in their bid to unseat President William Ruto in 2027.

“We are calling our colleagues to sit together. There's nothing seriously wrong, and we will take a collective stand,” Musyoka noted.

Gachagua had earlier alleged that this agreement would give DCP control of all the top Nairobi seats in 2027, including the governor and senator positions.