Gachagua Claims Ol Kalou By-Election Was a Contest Between Ruto and Mt Kenya

Democracy for Citizens Party (DCP) leader Rigathi Gachagua has claimed that the recently concluded Ol Kalou parliamentary by-election was not a contest between political parties, but rather a political showdown between President William Ruto and the Mt Kenya region.

Speaking on Sunday, July 19, during a church service at ACK St. Thomas Cathedral in Kerugoya, Kirinyaga Central Constituency, the former Deputy President said the outcome reflected what he described as the region’s rejection of government influence and political inducements.

Gachagua said he deliberately stayed away from actively leading the Ol Kalou campaign, leaving it to Nyandarua Senator John Methu, because he believed the contest had become a test of the relationship between the government and the people of Mt Kenya.

“I left the Ol Kalou campaign to Nyandarua Senator John Methu because I knew I was not the one in the contest. It was the community itself,” Gachagua said.

According to the DCP leader, the by-election result offers an early indication of the political direction the Mt Kenya region is likely to take ahead of the 2027 General Election.

He alleged that despite the government’s significant investment in the campaign, voters rejected the ruling United Democratic Alliance (UDA) candidate.

Gachagua claimed the government spent more than KSh14 billion campaigning for the UDA candidate but still failed to secure victory.

“In the mountain, I only had 18 elected leaders to defend the mountain, but with the Ol Kalou MP-elect, I now have 19 elected leaders to defend Mt Kenya,” he said.

He further claimed that UDA received about 5,000 votes, alleging that the amount spent translated to approximately KSh3 million per vote.

“UDA got only 5,000 votes with KSh14 billion. That means they were buying one vote at KSh3 million,” he claimed.

The former Deputy President also alleged that government officials who participated in the by-election campaign had been instructed to refund campaign funds following the party’s defeat.

“Those government officials who were campaigning for Ol Kalou have been told to refund the money because they lost in the by-election,” he alleged.

Gachagua further claimed that political realignments were already taking shape ahead of the next General Election, alleging that several leaders currently allied to President Ruto had expressed interest in joining his political camp.

He claimed that a Principal Secretary from Nyeri County and seven Members of Parliament had contacted him seeking to defect.

“There is a PS from Nyeri who called me saying he wants to join me so that he can vie for Governor. There are seven MPs from Ruto’s side who called saying they want to join me, but I told them to come during the day and not at night so that they can be photographed and be seen by the President,” he said.

On security, Gachagua accused security agencies of using excessive force during the Ol Kalou by-election. He alleged that two people were killed and that women were sexually assaulted during the operation.

He also criticized Interior Cabinet Secretary Kipchumba Murkomen over his appeal for victims to report the incidents to police.

“Interior Cabinet Secretary Kipchumba Murkomen is telling us to report those who killed two people in Ol Kalou and raped women to the police station. How can you report to the same police officers who attacked you?” Gachagua posed.

The DCP leader also urged foreign tourists to postpone travel to Kenya until after the 2027 General Election, claiming that insecurity had worsened due to what he described as the emergence of government-sponsored criminal gangs.

“We are asking tourists to stay away until after the elections next year so that they can be safe,” he said.

The remarks are expected to add to the increasingly heated political debate surrounding the Ol Kalou by-election and the shifting alliances ahead of the 2027 General Election, as both the government and opposition continue to court support in the politically influential Mt Kenya region.