Rigathi Gachagua Meets Charity Ngilu at Wamunyoro to Discuss 2027 Opposition Coalition

Former Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua met former Kitui Governor Charity Ngilu at his Wamunyoro residence in Nyeri County on Tuesday, November 3, 2026, as opposition leaders intensify talks on a possible coalition for the August 2027 General Election.

The two discussed lessons from the 2002 National Rainbow Coalition that ended KANU rule, with Ngilu walking Gachagua through how NARC was crafted and implemented; she had helped engineer the alliance alongside the late former President Mwai Kibaki and the late Michael Kijana Wamalwa.

Gachagua described Ngilu as the “Iron Lady of Kenyan politics” and said the insights would be instrumental, adding that the meeting gave him a “2002 moment” and promising to identify a presidential candidate who will win by a landslide; Ngilu said she was convinced Gachagua is fully committed to a united, inclusive alternative and stressed that any future government must be inclusive by design.

The meeting follows Gachagua’s October 20 gathering with Linda Mwananchi Movement leader Edwin Sifuna and other leaders at Wamunyoro, where they agreed to pursue cooperation toward a joint presidential candidate, and an October 26 meeting with Wiper Patriotic Front leader Kalonzo Musyoka, where they pledged to bring their bases together under one banner.

On November 2, Gachagua reportedly proposed a three-bloc arrangement linking DCP, Linda Mwananchi and Wiper to consolidate support from Mt Kenya, Western and Ukambani regions; the proposal drew criticism from Jubilee presidential hopeful Fred Matiang’i, who warned against regional voting blocs, and former National Assembly Speaker Justin Muturi, who accused Gachagua of political bullying and called for mutual respect in coalition building.

Ngilu, leader of NARC and former member of the Azimio la Umoja One Kenya Coalition, attended an Azimio leadership meeting chaired by Kalonzo in August and remains active in opposition despite a low public profile since leaving the Kitui governorship in 2022; she is currently seeking the Kitui governorship.

The opposition has yet to agree on a joint presidential candidate, formal coalition structure or power-sharing formula ahead of the August 10, 2027 General Election, and Gachagua’s engagements are part of his effort to build a united front against President William Ruto’s Kenya Kwanza administration.

Gachagua, impeached as Deputy President in October 2024, has remained an influential opposition figure and intensified his political engagements after returning from a United States tour earlier in October.