By The Weekly Vision Team
A clandestine power struggle seems to be unfolding within the UDA party, with Deputy President Rigathi Gachagwa at the centre of it all. The DP has stepped out of his comfort zone and is pushing for his interests in the upcoming elections, sources say. His main focus is to retain his political relevance in the current administration, and for him to achieve his goal, he is diligently working on gathering his loyal followers, aiming to ensure that the majority of elected leaders in the forthcoming party elections are allied to him rather than President William Ruto.
Insider information from within the UDA party suggests that President Ruto has also been diligently working to maintain his hold on the party leadership, with some saying that he has tried to undermine his deputy’s authority and ensure that his DP lacks any meaningful control in the party. In pursuit of this objective, President Ruto is said to be making a vigorous effort to amend the UDA party constitution, with the primary aim of introducing two more deputy party leader positions. The intention is to dilute and reduce Mr. Gachagua’s influence in the party.
In a strange twist of events, the UDA party Secretary General, Cleophas Malala, has proposed the abolition of the deputy party leader position and the subsequent transfer of its authority to either the national chairman or secretary general. Mr. Malala is a close ally of Mr. Gachagua. In the UDA party framework, the office of the secretary general holds immense power, granting him control over the party in the event of the absence of the deputy party leader.
New information has surfaced, revealing Gachagua’s intentions to oppose the creation of additional positions. To achieve his objective, the Deputy President has strategically aligned himself with a majority of elected officials who are supportive of his idea. By leveraging his numerical advantage, he plans to thwart any efforts to amend the constitution and introduce the proposed extra positions that may end up undermining him.
Furthermore, President Ruto has been diligently working towards the consolidation of Kenya Kwanza affiliate parties into the UDA party, specifically aiming at Musalia Mudavadi’s ANC party. Recent findings indicate that William Ruto’s objective is to strategically place Mr. Mudavadi and his allies in influential roles during the UDA’s upcoming elections.
It has been observed by analysts that DP Gachagua is also making a deliberate effort to seize control of the UDA party in preparation for the party elections, likely in response to the president’s intentions to undermine his position and limit his authority. According to analysts, William Ruto went to great lengths to obstruct his deputy’s endeavours by appointing individuals from his Mount Kenya backyard to counter him.
Ndindi Nyoro, Kimani Ichungwa, Prof. Kithure Kindiki, and Moses Kuria, among others, are all lined up to check on the DP in his Mount Kenya backyard. There are also speculations that Kirinyaga Ann Waiguru will do the dirty job of checkmating the DP. The mountain region within the UDA party is now divided into two camps: that of DP Gachagua and the Ndindi Nyoro camps. It has been reported that the DP has assured his trusted allies that his camp is determined to emerge victorious in the UDA elections in the mountain region, regardless of the circumstances.
It is highly suspected that President Ruto is supporting the Ndindi Nyoro camp against his deputy. All these are the result of suspicion that Ruto is planning to replace DP Gachagua with Musalia Mudavadi as his running mate in 2027. Analysts say that Gachagua will not let it go easily.
There are speculations that the DP’s decision to protect his political territory is driven by the belief that Ruto plans to groom Ndindi Nyoro or Musalia Mudavadi as his successor in 2032. These speculations provide additional context for the DP’s defensive stance. According to reports, DP Gachagua has been advised by his strategists to secure control of the UDA party through the upcoming party elections as a means to confront the 2027 running mate talk and the 2032 Ruto succession race. According to sources, DP Gachagua is determined to employ his means to ensure the placement of his loyalists in significant positions during the party elections.
It is also said that the DP has devised a plan to ensure that those assigned to oversee the elections at the ward, constituency, and county levels are individuals who support him. Allegedly, this strategy is intended to enable him to exert influence and manipulate the results to serve his interests.
