Rigathi Gachagua Rebuilds Political Base Through DCP Two Years After Impeachment

Rigathi Gachagua has re-established a political foothold via the Democracy for the Citizens Party (DCP) two years after his removal from the deputy presidency, positioning the party as a challenger to President William Ruto’s United Democratic Alliance (UDA) in Mount Kenya ahead of the 2027 general election.

Elected alongside Ruto in 2022, Gachagua’s mobilisation of Mount Kenya voters helped cement the Kenya Kwanza coalition, but disagreements over policy, appointments and regional representation strained the partnership and culminated in his impeachment on October 17, 2024 after the Senate upheld five of eleven charges.

Following his removal, Gachagua launched DCP in 2025 to provide an alternative platform for his supporters and to contest the upcoming election.

The party’s expansion accelerated in July 2026 when Murang’a Governor Irungu Kang’ata announced a re-election bid on a DCP ticket and Nyandarua Governor Kiarie Badilisha declared his intention to defend his seat through the party; senators Joe Nyutu of Murang’a, Karungo Thang’wa of Kiambu and James Murang of Kirinyaga also joined, as did MPs Benjamin Gathiru (known as Mejja Donk), James Gakuya and Edward Muriu.

An Infotrak survey published in July 2026 placed DCP third nationally with 9 percent support, behind UDA at 22 percent and ODM at 21 percent.

DCP’s electoral record includes three ward victories in November 2025 – Douglas Twala Masikonde won Narok Town Ward with 6,007 votes against UDA’s Robert Kanyinke Ole Kudate’s 4,479, while David Wanyoike Warui and Dickson Okwiri Aduda secured seats in Kariobangi North and Kisa East respectively – and a parliamentary by-election win in Ol Kalou in July 2026, where Sammy Douglas Waweru Kamau obtained 35,440 votes against UDA’s Samuel Muchina Nyaga’s 5,450; the party also finished second in the Emurua Dikirr parliamentary by-election.

Gachagua has emerged as a leading figure in the United Alternative Government (UAG), working with opposition leaders Kalonzo Musyoka, Martha Karua, Fred Matiang’i, Eugene Wamalwa and Justin Muturi; in August 2026 he said “the alliance was committed to fielding a single presidential candidate”, while noting internal disputes over leadership and indicating he was the preferred candidate but would step aside for a stronger alternative.

The outcome of Gachagua’s impeachment appeal remains pending and could affect his eligibility to run for office, and the 2027 election will determine whether DCP’s organisational growth and selective electoral successes can evolve into a nationwide coalition or stay confined to his traditional strongholds.