Gachagua: First 'lock' the country, then pick opposition candidate

Former Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua has said the opposition should first consolidate support across the country before settling on the individual to challenge President William Ruto in the 2027 General Election.

Gachagua said opposition leaders should stop spending time in workshops, seminars and strategic meetings over who should lead them and instead focus on building a strong national voting bloc.

“Plan ni kufunga, hakuna formula ingine. The plan is to lock. You saw how I locked Ol Kalou,” Gachagua told a delegation from Subukia Constituency during a meeting at his Wamunyoro residence.

He claimed his political mobilisation strategy had already secured support in the Mt Kenya region and Nairobi, with the Maa community and Kipsigis areas next on his political itinerary.

“I have locked the mountain, I have locked Nairobi, and I am just about to complete locking the Maa nation before I go to the Kipsigis,” he said.

Gachagua said he would be in Emurua Dikirr on August 21 as part of efforts to consolidate support in the Kipsigis community.

“I will be in Emurua Dikirr on August 21 to lock it. There is no other formula to remove Ruto from office,” he said.

He said the opposition should first secure support in different regions before deciding who would carry the joint presidential ticket.

“I have told my colleagues, let us not waste time in workshops, seminars, strategic meetings. Let us lock it first. When we are done, we come to the hotel and ask who will lead us,” he said.

Gachagua compared the process to preparing for a major political contest, saying leaders should deliberate on leadership only after consolidating support.

We want to lock out of the country, then come and sit in a five-star hotel; we eat well as we discuss, but after we have locked the country,” he said.

His remarks come amid efforts by opposition parties and leaders to form a united front ahead of the 2027 polls.

The emerging alliance brings together several political formations and prominent leaders, although questions remain over who will ultimately emerge as the coalition's presidential candidate.

Gachagua dismissed suggestions that his approach was inflexible, saying his strategy was based on his experience in Kenyan politics.

“I hear some others say I am too rigid. I am not. I am being strategic because I have been in this game for long,” he said.

He attributed previous presidential victories to the ability of political leaders to consolidate support in key regions before elections.

“How did Ruto become President? It is because I had locked the mountain,” Gachagua said.

“How did Uhuru become President? We locked the mountain and Rift Valley. How did Kibaki become President? We locked,” he added.

Gachagua said defeating an incumbent president would require a carefully coordinated political strategy.

“There is no other formula to win the presidential seat, and removing a sitting president is not a walk in the park. That is the truth,” he said.

He described Ruto as a formidable political opponent and said the opposition could not afford to underestimate the challenge of defeating him.

That is why I am a hardworking person because that is a difficult job. If it is a new president, it could be easy, but Ruto is not easy,” Gachagua said.