Former Deputy President and Democracy for the Citizens Party (DCP) leader Rigathi Gachagua has dismissed claims by Githunguri MP Gathoni Wamuchomba that he is forcing her to join his political outfit.
Speaking on Monday, January 12, Gachagua said the pressure Wamuchomba is facing has nothing to do with him and everything to do with her constituents, who are demanding political alignment ahead of the 2027 general election.
According to Gachagua, voters in Githunguri have already made it clear that any leader who wants their support must associate with DCP.
“Coerced by who? It is the constituency. If they are telling her she is not DCP, she is gone. What can I do about it? Mine is just to sell DCP. I am not asking her to join; I am saying if you want to be elected, come to DCP.
“I don’t elect leaders; it’s the citizens who elect. Then the people say yes, what Gachagua is saying is true, if you are not in DCP, you won’t be elected,” Gachagua stated.
The former Deputy President further distanced himself from accusations of intimidation, saying he only sets the political direction in the Mt Kenya region, while voters make their own choices.
“The constituents are intimidating her, and they are telling her to follow what the leader is saying. It’s not me, mine is just to set the tempo. Whether people agree with me or not is not for me to decide. I have not told anybody not to join any other party. I have just told people to join DCP,” he added.
Wamuchomba accuses Gachagua of threats and intimidation
Wamuchomba had accused Gachagua of using threats and insults to force her into the DCP. In a statement issued on January 5, she claimed he employed similar tactics while serving as Deputy President when she opposed the Finance Bill 2023.
“Now, former Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua is using threats and insults to intimidate me to join DCP Party. When he was DP, he did the same to intimidate me when I voted ‘No’ for the Finance Bill 2023. God deflated him painfully,” she said.
The Githunguri lawmaker also questioned Gachagua’s authority within the DCP, arguing that official records at the Office of the Registrar of Political Parties (ORPP) do not list him as a registered party official.
“He started a party, which he claims is a ‘mlima’ party, and all of us must join. Yet from ORPP records, he’s not even an official, let alone a party leader,” Wamuchomba added.
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Wamuchomba further accused Kiambu Senator Karungo Thang’wa of being used to attack leaders who refuse to associate with DCP, even though he still holds office under the United Democratic Alliance (UDA).
She challenged DCP-linked leaders to resign and seek fresh mandates if they believe the party enjoys genuine public support.
“He’s using Kiambu Senator Karungo Thang’wa to demean those not in the party. Karungo is still a UDA senator screaming about another party. If really this party is strong, why can’t Senators Karungo, Methu Muhia, and Joe Nyutu resign first, then we elect them through their new party?” she asked.
Wamuchomba ended the debate by making it clear she has no plans to defect.
“I’m not joining the DCP Party, and I’m in UDA till 2027,” she said.
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