Discontent is brewing inside the Democracy for Citizens Party (DCP) after aspirants accused party leader Rigathi Gachagua of persistent extortion disguised as campaign contributions ahead of Thursday’s Mbeere North by-election.
According to multiple aspirants who spoke on condition of anonymity, Gachagua has once again ordered each aspirant to contribute KSh 250,000 by end of day tomorrow, calling it a “final push” to protect the vote. This comes barely a week after the same aspirants were instructed to contribute KSh 400,000, funds they say have never been accounted for.
The aspirants are now demanding transparency, questioning how the party leader is spending the millions of shillings collected every month. Sources inside the party claim Gachagua recently collected over KSh 50 million, and is reportedly targeting an additional KSh 25 million by tomorrow’s deadline.
The complaints intensified after aspirants revealed that during the recent campaign tour in Mbeere North, Gachagua allegedly did not spend any of the funds. Instead, he is said to have repeatedly claimed he “forgot the bag with money at home,” forcing aspirants to pay campaign bills through M-Pesa. Several expressed frustration at being treated like “cash cows,” alleging that Gachagua is the one benefiting financially from the by-election—not the party or its candidate.
One MP familiar with the situation said this behavior explains why Gachagua’s entourage of elected leaders has been shrinking.
“Most MPs now appear in his meetings only technically—show face, shake hands, then vanish,” the MP said. “They have realized his trend of demanding money and shifting bills to them.”
DCP is backing Karish in the Mbeere North race, while UDA has fronted Leo Wamuthende. But inside DCP, the bigger fight appears to be about money, not politics.
Some aspirants now fear that if Gachagua continues with these patterns, he may face a second impeachment from within the party after the 2027 elections, this time over alleged financial misuse and authoritarian leadership.
For now, tension remains high as members wait to see whether Gachagua will account for the millions already collected—or demand even more.
