Democracy for the Citizens Party (DCP) leader Rigathi Gachagua has accused President William Ruto of attempting to instill fear in him as part of a broader strategy to fragment the Mt Kenya region politically.
Speaking during an interview on a popular television station on Monday, January 12, 2026, the former Deputy President claimed that President Ruto wants him to retreat from public life and confine himself to his home, a move he believes would open the door to the political division of the Mt Kenya bloc.
“Ruto wants me to buy fear so that I can retreat to my house,” Gachagua said, adding that he has no intention of yielding to intimidation.
Gachagua maintained that he has made personal sacrifices to unite the Mt Kenya community and believes it is his responsibility as a leader to continue doing so. He warned that failure to maintain unity would render the region politically irrelevant at the national level.
“If I do not do this, the Mt Kenya people will become extinct and irrelevant in national political discourse,” he argued.
The DCP leader further claimed that his withdrawal from active politics would give President Ruto the opportunity to divide the region and consolidate support, ultimately easing his path to re-election in the 2027 general election.
According to Gachagua, the battle for Mt Kenya is central to Kenya’s broader political contest, and any attempts to weaken or fragment the region’s leadership must be resisted.
His remarks reflect escalating political tensions between the former allies, as Mt Kenya increasingly becomes a key battleground ahead of the 2027 elections, with unity, influence, and regional bargaining power at the heart of the contest.
