Gachagua’s Jubilee Onslaught: A Fight to Secure Mt Kenya as Uhuru’s Shadow Lengthens
Walter Akillah
Impeached Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua has intensified his offensive against Jubilee Party and former President Uhuru Kenyatta, framing both as obstacles to his quest to reclaim Mt Kenya’s political centre of gravity.
In a hard-hitting interview from his Karen residence, Gachagua blasted Jubilee’s “double-faced” politics — accusing the party of straddling government and opposition while its deputy leader, Fred Matiang’i, openly campaigns for anti-government candidates in by-elections. The remarks sharpen a long-running resentment rooted in the 2022 rupture that saw Uhuru back Raila Odinga against William Ruto.
Gachagua, now positioning himself as Mt Kenya’s truth-teller, revisited that endorsement, dismissing both Ruto and Raila as “choices that failed the region.” He accused Uhuru of misleading the community and enabling what he calls the current administration’s “betrayal,” a narrative critics say is crafted to sanitise his own 2027 ambitions.
Yet beneath the fury lies a strategic worry: Jubilee’s revival. Uhuru’s November 7 appearance in Murang’a — where he defended Gachagua from party hardliners — underscored his lingering clout. At the same time, Matiang’i’s rallying behind DAP-K’s Seth Panyako in Malava, flanked by Wiper leader Kalonzo Musyoka, signalled Jubilee’s deliberate push into the opposition space — a move that complicates Gachagua’s grip.
While Gachagua himself quietly phoned Malava voters to back Panyako, his escalating jabs at Jubilee betray deeper anxieties over divided loyalties in a region he hopes to command.
Feud threatens to splinter the opposition ahead of 2027.
Gachagua’s attacks are a lockout strategy, but Uhuru’s pull makes total dominance impossible. Jubilee SG Jeremiah Kioni insists the party is focused on “discipline, not drama.”
For Mt Kenya, the battle lines are sharpening: DCP’s insurgent rise, Jubilee’s legacy strength — and a political heavyweight fighting to keep the crown from slipping.
