Former Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua has dismissed the growing alliance between President William Ruto’s UDA party and ODM, arguing that the partnership will not guarantee the President victory in the 2027 General Election.
Speaking during a television interview on Thursday, Mr Gachagua claimed the opposition would have an easier time unseating President Ruto if Senator Oburu Odinga emerged as the President’s chief campaigner.
“We have no problem, and we shall accept the election outcomes in 2027. I heard Oburu saying that he wouldn’t work with me. We have an easy task if Oburu Odinga is William Ruto’s chief campaigner,” Mr Gachagua said.
The remarks came days after Oburu ruled out any political cooperation with the former Deputy President, signalling the deepening relationship between ODM and the Kenya Kwanza administration.
Mr Gachagua’s comments reflect the rapidly shifting political landscape that has emerged since his dramatic fallout with President Ruto. Once regarded as the President’s most trusted political ally and chief mobiliser in the Mt Kenya region, Mr Gachagua fell out with his boss over what he described as the marginalisation of the region in government appointments and development projects.
The fallout culminated in his removal from office, paving the way for Interior Cabinet Secretary Kithure Kindiki to be elevated to the position of Deputy President. Since then, Mr Kindiki has become President Ruto’s point man in Mt Kenya, while Mr Gachagua has positioned himself as one of the administration’s fiercest critics.
The former Deputy President has repeatedly claimed that despite losing his seat in government, he retains significant influence across the Mt Kenya region, a voting bloc that played a decisive role in President Ruto’s 2022 victory.
His latest attack on the UDA-ODM partnership also comes amid a changing leadership structure within ODM following the death of veteran opposition leader Raila Odinga. In the aftermath of Raila’s passing, Oburu Odinga has increasingly emerged as one of the most visible voices within the party and a key defender of its cooperation with President Ruto’s administration.
Political observers say Oburu’s growing prominence has made him an important link between ODM supporters and the broad-based government arrangement that brought senior ODM figures closer to the Kenya Kwanza administration.
However, Mr Gachagua appeared unimpressed by the development, insisting that Kenyans are more concerned about economic hardships than political alliances.
He argued that rising living costs, unemployment, taxation and frustrations over governance would play a bigger role in determining the outcome of the next election than elite political realignments.
“The problems facing Kenyans cannot be solved by political alliances. People are looking for solutions to the challenges affecting their daily lives,” he said.
Mr Gachagua also sought to project confidence in the opposition coalition currently taking shape under the banner of the United Alternative Government.
The coalition brings together Wiper leader Kalonzo Musyoka, People’s Liberation Party leader Martha Karua, former Interior Cabinet Secretary Fred Matiang’i and DAP-Kenya leader Eugene Wamalwa, among other leaders seeking to challenge President Ruto in 2027.
He urged supporters not to pressure coalition leaders into naming a presidential candidate prematurely, saying unity remains the opposition’s most important objective.
Political activity has already intensified across the country as rival camps position themselves ahead of the next election.
This week, Jubilee deputy leader Fred Matiang’i began a four-day tour of Meru County, a region that has become a focal point in the battle for Mt Kenya support. The county is home to Deputy President Kindiki and forms part of the wider Mt Kenya bloc that Mr Gachagua insists remains under his influence.
