United Opposition leaders are voicing growing frustration over what they describe as former Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua’s “gatekeeping politics” in Mt. Kenya.
According to multiple leaders, every time they plan to tour the region, Gachagua blocks their moves, insisting that he has already “consolidated Mt. Kenya under lock and key” and that there are matters he is still sorting out. The leaders now argue that Gachagua is deliberately keeping them away from the people of Mt. Kenya in order to position himself as the sole broker of the region’s vote.
“What Gachagua wants is simple—he wants Mt. Kenya sealed off so that no other leader has the chance to sell their agenda directly to the people. When the time for negotiations comes, he wants everyone to go through him,” one senior leader remarked.
The leaders also questioned Gachagua’s double standards, noting that he is always eager to tour other regions under the opposition coalition yet has never hosted his colleagues in Mt. Kenya for political campaigns. “When did you last see Gachagua hosting other opposition leaders in Nyeri, Kirinyaga, or Kiambu for a rally? He only invites them for social functions at his Wamunyoro home. That is not politics—that is gatekeeping,” another leader said.
Last week, Wiper leader Kalonzo Musyoka pushed back, insisting that the opposition must tour Kiambu regardless of Gachagua’s maneuvers. Following the PLP National Delegates Congress, the leaders went ahead and visited Kiambu, signaling their intent to break the barrier.
Moving forward, the coalition says it will be watching closely to see if Gachagua extends invitations for political tours in Mt. Kenya. “We cannot allow one man to lock up an entire region,” they said.
