Gachagua argued that Ol Kalou by-election had demonstrated the region’s political direction ahead of the 2027 polls.

By Cantona Joseph  July 29, 2026 15:33 (EAT)

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‎Former Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua has claimed President William Ruto will secure only two per cent of the vote in the Mt Kenya region in the 2027 General Election, insisting the region has resolved to vote as one bloc. 

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‎Gachagua said the political contest in the region was no longer between rival candidates but between President Ruto and the Mt Kenya electorate.

‎”The election in Ol Kalou was a contest between Ruto and the community, and there was no way he could have won because he has no votes. The votes are with the community,” Gachagua said.

‎Speaking at his Wamunyoro residence in Nyeri while hosting a delegation of leaders from Nyandarua county led by Governor Kiarie Badilisha, he argued that the outcome of the recent Ol Kalou by-election had demonstrated the region’s political direction ahead of the 2027 polls.

‎According to Gachagua, leaders in the region have agreed to remain united to prevent any attempts to split the Mt Kenya vote.

‎”We have decided Mt Kenya is one because if we separate, Ruto will win,” he said.

‎The former DP claimed that in the 11 counties he considers part of the Mt Kenya region, leaders who align themselves with President Ruto risk overwhelming defeat at the ballot.

‎”In 2027, here in our 11 counties in the mountain, the contest is already defined. If you are with Ruto, you are against the community and you will go nowhere,” he said.

‎Gachagua further claimed that elected leaders who support the President would struggle to win re-election.

‎”Anybody, whether an MCA, MP, senator, woman representative or governor, if you are on Ruto’s side you will get up to 10 per cent of the votes only in this region,” he said.

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‎He went further to predict that President Ruto himself would receive only minimal support across Mt Kenya. 

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‎”I have allowed Ruto up to two per cent in Mt Kenya. We are allowing him only about 1,000 votes in each constituency. Otherwise, it will be 700 or 800 votes,” he said.

‎Gachagua also dismissed what he described as attempts to divide the region into Mt Kenya East and Mt Kenya West for political gain.

‎He maintained that the region remained united and that voters had rejected any efforts to create political divisions ahead of the next General Election.

‎”The votes of Mt Kenya East are intact. The people have rejected attempts to divide them using the Mt Kenya East and Mt Kenya West narrative,” he said.

‎Badilisha who spoke during the event, expressed confidence that Gachagua will be the next president.

‎The meeting came a few weeks after Murang’a Governor Irungu Kang’ata formally declared that he would defend his seat on the Democracy for the Citizens Party (DCP) ticket, becoming one of the leaders to join Gachagua’s political outfit.

‎Welcoming Kang’ata to the party, Gachagua said DCP was rapidly expanding its national footprint and was positioning itself to field candidates across the country in the 2027 elections.

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He expressed confidence that the party would emerge as a major force in Parliament and county assemblies after the polls.