Former Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua has stepped up efforts to expand his Democracy for the Citizens Party (DCP) in Nakuru after receiving former Nakuru Woman Representative aspirant Agnes Njambi Githinji, who has shifted her political ambitions to the Gilgil parliamentary seat.
Githinji defected from former President Uhuru Kenyatta's Jubilee Party and will seek the Gilgil seat on a DCP ticket in the 2027 General Election.
Announcing her entry into the party on Wednesday, Gachagua said Githinji had secured more than 180,000 votes when she contested the Nakuru Woman Representative position in 2022 and was now seeking to represent Gilgil constituents in Parliament.
"Hon. Njambi contested the Nakuru County Woman Representative seat in the 2022 General Election on a Jubilee ticket, securing more than 180,000 votes. At the request of her supporters, she is now seeking to represent Gilgil Constituency in Parliament on a DCP PARTY," Gachagua said.
He described her as a politician with an extensive grassroots network and urged her to consolidate her support ahead of the party nominations scheduled for March next year.
"With her extensive grassroots network, I have encouraged her to build on that support and prepare for the party nominations in March next year," he said.
Githinji's entry gives DCP another aspirant in Nakuru, a county where Gachagua has been seeking to establish the party beyond its traditional Mount Kenya support base.
In the 2022 elections, Githinji garnered 194,610 votes to finish second in the Nakuru Woman Representative race behind United Democratic Alliance's Liza Chelule, who won with 382,143 votes.
Her decision to contest in Gilgil marks a shift from a countywide seat to a constituency contest, setting up a possible nomination battle within DCP before she can face candidates from other parties in the General Election.
Gilgil is currently represented by Martha Wangari, who won the seat in 2022 on a UDA ticket with 35,363 votes. She defeated Jubilee's Nderitu Mathenge, who received 19,764 votes.
The constituency had 95,654 registered voters in the 2022 electoral register, making it a contest that will require candidates to build support across its five wards.
Gachagua's latest recruitment comes as he intensifies efforts to position DCP as a competitive political vehicle ahead of the 2027 elections.
In August, he took the party's mobilisation campaign to Nakuru, where he sought to attract local leaders and strengthen its grassroots presence.
The party has also received several elected leaders from the county. Among them are Members of County Assembly who shifted their allegiance to DCP as Gachagua sought to build a network of political support in the region.
The recruitment of Githinji is significant to that effort because she comes with an established electoral profile from the 2022 countywide contest, although her previous votes were cast across Nakuru and do not automatically translate into support in Gilgil.
Her entry also places the focus on the party's nomination process, which will determine whether she gets the opportunity to carry its ticket in the constituency.
Gachagua has continued to use defections by politicians from rival parties to market DCP as an alternative political vehicle for the next General Election.
Welcoming Githinji, he declared that the party was gaining momentum, saying: "DCP is the party of the moment—and the future is Green."
