Former Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua has asked security officers and other Kenyans to continue supplying his political camp with “critical information”, promising protection for those willing to come forward.
The Democracy for Citizens Party (DCP) leader made the appeal on Friday in a brief social-media post that could deepen questions about the nature of the information reaching the opposition as political activity gathers pace ahead of the 2027 General Election.
“To our officers and other Kenyans of good will, continue giving us critical information. We will protect you,” Mr Gachagua said in a post on his official Facebook page.
He did not disclose the nature of the information, identify the officers involved or explain what action his political team intends to take on the intelligence it is receiving.
But the carefully worded message comes as Mr Gachagua steps up efforts to build a formidable opposition movement capable of challenging President William Ruto in next year’s elections.
The former Deputy President has increasingly presented himself as a central figure in efforts to unite opposition parties, while simultaneously strengthening his DCP’s presence across the country.
His strategy has involved a combination of grassroots mobilisation, political alliances and pressure for the opposition to settle on a single presidential candidate to face Dr Ruto.
Gachagua has previously insisted that the opposition should not rush to name its candidate, arguing that doing so too early would expose the coalition’s strategy to the governing side. He has nevertheless maintained that the opposition is committed to fielding one candidate.
“We are committed to having a single Presidential candidate to face William Ruto,” Mr Gachagua said in an interview.
That approach has placed him at the centre of an increasingly complicated opposition conversation involving Wiper leader Kalonzo Musyoka, DAP-Kenya leader Eugene Wamalwa and other political figures.
Recent reports have also pointed to disagreements within the opposition over who should eventually carry the presidential ticket, with Mr Gachagua’s own political ambitions forming part of the calculations.
Gachagua’s appeal for information comes against the backdrop of a deliberate effort to build political structures that can operate beyond rallies and public declarations.
In June, he embarked on a political retreat at his Wamunyoro home in Nyeri, saying the opposition’s mobilisation phase had largely been completed and that attention was shifting towards identifying a single candidate capable of defeating President Ruto.
“The work of political mobilization to remove President William Ruto from office is complete. The next priority is identifying a single presidential candidate to face him,” Mr Gachagua said during the retreat, according to reports on his remarks.
He has also been seeking to consolidate his influence in Mt Kenya, a region where his DCP secured a significant political boost after winning the Ol Kalou parliamentary by-election.
Following the victory, Mr Gachagua intensified his mobilisation in the region, urging politicians affiliated to other opposition parties to join DCP and arguing that the result demonstrated the direction voters in the region were taking.
The former Deputy President has simultaneously sought to expand his appeal outside Mt Kenya.
During opposition tours of Western Kenya, he declared that the opposition could mobilise millions of votes to defeat President Ruto, while presenting a united opposition as the vehicle through which this could be achieved.
His political message has largely centred on the cost of living, government accountability, the economy and what he describes as the failure of the Kenya Kwanza administration to address the concerns of ordinary citizens.
He has also ruled out any political accommodation with President Ruto, portraying a strong opposition as essential to holding the government accountable.
“The handshake process is nonsense. It is responsible for the erosion of our democracy,” Mr Gachagua said during a podcast interview in the United Kingdom in May/
He added: “Good democracy needs government and opposition, because power corrupts and absolute power corrupts absolutely.”
Information war
Mr Gachagua has increasingly sought to position himself as a politician with access to information from within government and security circles.
His latest appeal therefore goes beyond the ordinary opposition demand for whistleblowers to expose wrongdoing. By specifically addressing “our officers”, he appears to be signalling that his political network includes people within or close to the security establishment.
The former Deputy President has made similar claims in recent weeks.
Ahead of the Ol Kalou by-election, he accused senior security officials of losing control of the National Police Service and alleged that rogue officers were operating outside the command of Inspector-General of Police Douglas Kanja.
“You seem not to get it; the command of the National Police Service has completely gone to Mr Kipchumba Murkomen, Raymond Omollo and rogue politicians allied to Mr William Ruto,” Mr Gachagua said in a letter to Mr Kanja.
He has also made the integrity of the electoral process a central part of his political message.
After the Ol Kalou by-election, he argued that opposition supporters needed not only to vote but also to protect their votes, describing the contest as a template for the 2027 General Election.
“Voting is not enough; you vote and protect the vote. We now have a template from the Ol Kalou by-election,” Mr Gachagua said during a live interview with KTN, as reported by The Standard on July 22.
He added: “They tried intimidating the people of Ol Kalou, but they did not succeed. We are celebrating what happened, and people from across the country are calling to benchmark on how it worked.”
His latest call for information fits into that wider narrative, although he has not established any direct connection between the information he referred to on Friday and election preparations.
It nevertheless raises questions about whether the former Deputy President is seeking to create an informal network of government insiders, security officers and ordinary citizens who can alert his political organisation to developments within the administration.
That would represent a significant escalation in the way political parties traditionally gather information, particularly if the network extends into state institutions.
There was, however, no immediate indication that the officers Mr Gachagua referred to were acting outside their official duties or that any government information had been unlawfully obtained.
Murkomen dismisses Gachagua’s intelligence claims
The government has previously pushed back strongly against Mr Gachagua’s claims that he receives information from serving security officers.
Interior Cabinet Secretary Kipchumba Murkomen dismissed the former Deputy President’s assertions in July, saying the security establishment no longer depended on informal sources of information.
“We are moving away from gossip-based collection of evidence to science. I saw an impeached former leader claiming he is well connected to police officers and receives gossip every day because he is not busy unlike the President,” Mr Murkomen said during an event at the Directorate of Criminal Investigations headquarters on July 23.
He added: “That is an old style of collecting evidence. We now have a modern police service driven by science and technology. We do not need his gossip to run the National Police Service.”
Mr Murkomen also defended Inspector-General of Police Douglas Kanja against Mr Gachagua’s criticism.
“I have full support and faith in the leadership of the Inspector General. He has carried out his duties with dignity, honour and respect for the citizens of Kenya and his office,” the Interior CS said, according to The Standard.
The remarks set up a sharp contrast with Mr Gachagua’s latest appeal.
While the former Deputy President is encouraging officers and members of the public to continue supplying information to his political camp, the Interior Ministry has questioned the credibility and value of such intelligence.
The exchange also illustrates how security and intelligence have become part of the increasingly bitter political contest ahead of 2027.
Mr Gachagua has repeatedly accused the administration of using state institutions against political opponents, while government officials have rejected his allegations and questioned his motives.
Opposition ticket remains unresolved
For Mr Gachagua, however, the message reinforces an increasingly clear political strategy: build a nationwide network, keep the opposition united, protect the vote and maintain constant pressure on the government.
His immediate challenge will be translating that strategy into a coherent coalition.
The former Deputy President has succeeded in positioning himself as one of the most vocal anti-Ruto figures, but the opposition remains a crowded field, with several leaders harbouring presidential ambitions.
The question of who ultimately gets the opposition ticket remains unresolved.
Gachagua has said there is no need to make the decision prematurely. But as parties begin positioning themselves for the 2027 contest, the competition to control the opposition machinery is likely to become as intense as the eventual battle with President Ruto.
