Huge Blow To Gachagua as Senior Mt Kenya Leaders Threaten To Quit DCP Over This

A fresh storm has hit the Democracy for Citizens Party (DCP) just two years before the 2027 General Election, after a group of grassroots officials in Nakuru County announced that they are considering leaving the party.

The leaders claim they are frustrated with the way party affairs are being handled and say their concerns have been ignored for months.

The group, led by long-time party mobiliser Roes Kariuki, said the DCP entered Nakuru with strong support, but confusion and internal fights have weakened its structure on the ground.

Kariuki explained that many supporters joined the party believing it would grow into a strong alternative voice, but instead they have been met with obstruction, strained relationships, and poor coordination from senior figures.

According to Kariuki, attempts by local leaders and aspirants to meet the party boss, former Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua, have repeatedly failed. He said many feel abandoned, and their efforts to raise genuine concerns about party growth have been blocked.

“This party came to us strong. We embraced it because we believed it would help move the region forward. But today we are struggling because some leaders have shut the door on us,” Kariuki said during a press briefing in Nakuru town.

The tensions are emerging at a time when the United Opposition — under which DCP falls — is trying to build national momentum ahead of 2027. Opposition leaders have publicly denied any infighting, but the Nakuru fallout paints a different picture.

Critics of Gachagua have also grown louder in recent weeks. Nyeri Town MP Duncan Mathenge is among those who have accused the former DP of applying intimidation and heavy-handed tactics to gain control of the opposition coalition.

Speaking on a local TV station earlier this month, Mathenge compared Gachagua’s current leadership style to his earlier political years, warning that coercion could weaken efforts to present a united front.

“The same pressure, the same strong-arm behaviour, the same suspicion — that is what people in the United Opposition are dealing with now,” Mathenge said.

In Nakuru, the situation appears to be worsening. Grassroots leaders claim that Naivasha MP Jayne Kihara and the county party coordinator William Wachira are micromanaging operations, sidelining volunteers, and making it hard for members to freely engage national leaders. Some say other opposition parties are taking advantage of the confusion and quietly pulling DCP supporters into their camps.

Local organiser Eddy Chimuma described the party as “a shadow of what it used to be,” blaming internal wrangles and mistrust among top county officials. He called for urgent intervention from Gachagua, warning that the party risks losing its position in a politically strategic county.

“We cannot unite or plan anything when the very people meant to guide us are causing division,” Chimuma said.

“We feel pushed out of the political space by leaders who should be strengthening us.”

Another official, Joseph Karuri, echoed the complaints, saying the party’s leadership in Nakuru lacks vibrancy and teamwork. He criticized Kihara and Wachira for failing to bring energy to the party or create synergy among members.

Concerns over coordination are not new. A few months ago, Nakuru DCP secretary Simon ole Nasieku raised similar alarms, saying some senior figures were frustrating his work and blocking grassroots structures from functioning properly.