Former Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua plans to trigger by-elections for select lawmakers, aiming to establish a formidable opposition before 2027.
During an interview on Monday, February 24, he shared that several Members of Parliament and Senators had already signalled their intention to abandon President William Ruto’s United Democratic Alliance (UDA) in favor of his soon-to-be-unveiled political party.
“Our political party is ready, and for strategic reasons, I did not want to unveil it before May. But I must say one of the reasons we wanted the IEBC to be constituted,” Gachagua said.
He emphasized that once the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC) is reconstituted, lawmakers who exit UDA will run under his banner in fresh by-elections. “This is because quite a number of Senators and MPs want to quit UDA, join our new party, and go for by-elections. We should unveil the party once the IEBC has been reconstituted,” he added.
According to Gachagua, he has been consulting leaders from across the country since December. He disclosed that 139 Members of the County Assembly (MCAs) had already pledged support for his upcoming party, waiting only on the IEBC’s reconstitution to formalize their departure from UDA.
Gachagua also revealed he intends to consult former Prime Minister Raila Odinga on party organization. “I would be going to ODM for benchmarking. I must talk to Raila Odinga about how he crafted the political machine. I have two years to create one,” he announced.
Reflecting on past political alliances, the former deputy president expressed regret over his previous partnership with Ruto. “I will make sure that in whatever coalition we go with whoever, our interests are well anchored through a watertight agreement. One of the burdens I carry, which is very heavy and weighs me down sometimes, is how foolish I feel that I was deceived by Ruto.”
For now, his new party remains unnamed, though Gachagua believes it will reshape the political landscape by consolidating an opposition bloc—and force a wave of by-elections if defectors make good on their pledge.
