Tensions within Kenya’s political landscape escalated on Tuesday after Samson Cherargei sensationally claimed that the ruling United Democratic Alliance (UDA) is plotting a covert infiltration of Democracy for Citizens Party (DCP), the party associated with former Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua, ahead of the fiercely anticipated 2027 General Election.
Speaking to journalists at Parliament Buildings on Tuesday, May 26, the outspoken Nandi Senator alleged that UDA operatives were preparing to quietly sponsor candidates within DCP in a strategic move aimed at maintaining influence in the politically critical Mt Kenya region.
According to Cherargei, the alleged plan would involve backing selected aspirants under the DCP banner to contest influential seats, including the high-stakes Kirinyaga gubernatorial race expected to dominate regional politics ahead of 2027.
The senator further launched a blistering attack on Gachagua, accusing him of allegedly commercialising DCP nominations and reducing the party’s ticketing process into what he described as a political marketplace.
“I want to warn all aspirants under the DCP that it is the highest auction in the house. Some of us have intelligence that the people who are funded will be given the party tickets by the DCP,” Cherargei claimed.
His remarks are likely to deepen the growing political hostility between allies of President William Ruto and Gachagua’s expanding political camp, which has recently intensified mobilisation efforts across the Mt Kenya region.
Cherargei also ridiculed Gachagua’s recent tour of the United Kingdom, where the former Deputy President had reportedly sought financial backing from Kenyans living abroad to strengthen his political movement.
In a sharply worded attack, the senator alleged that the fundraising mission fell far below expectations.
“He told us he was going to raise Ksh2 billion in London, but I am told he raised only Ksh2 million, or was it Ksh1.5 million, because Kenyans within and outside the country knew that this is a political con man,” Cherargei alleged.
The claims have not been independently verified, and Gachagua’s allies have strongly rejected assertions that the UK trip was unsuccessful.
Supporters of the former Deputy President insist the visit was deliberately shortened to allow him to return home and address pressing political matters, including internal DCP activities and preparations for upcoming by-elections.
Cherargei nevertheless maintained that UDA remains firmly determined to retain political dominance in Mt Kenya, even if some candidates contest under rival party tickets.
“As the government, Mt Kenya is a stronghold of UDA. We will not allow anybody or any individual to masquerade. We are going to have our candidates in UDA and also in DCP, but they sing UDA at night,” the senator claimed.
The remarks are expected to fuel speculation over growing divisions within Mt Kenya politics, where several leaders elected under UDA have recently distanced themselves from the ruling party amid shifting regional alliances.
Attention has particularly turned to Kirinyaga County, where the battle to succeed Governor Anne Waiguru is already shaping into one of the most fiercely contested races ahead of 2027.
Waiguru is constitutionally barred from seeking another term, opening the field for an intense succession contest that could become a key political battleground between UDA and opposition-aligned forces.
Among the leading figures positioning themselves for the race is former Kirinyaga Woman Representative Purity Ngirici, who recently abandoned UDA and declared her willingness to work with opposition parties allied to Gachagua.
Ngirici, who narrowly lost the 2022 gubernatorial contest to Waiguru by fewer than 8,000 votes, recently signalled her readiness to run on any opposition-linked platform.
“I will join any opposition party, DCP, PLP, Jubilee or DP, so long as it is in the opposition,” Ngirici said in an earlier statement.
Meanwhile, Kirinyaga Woman Representative Njeri Maina has increasingly emerged as one of DCP’s most vocal allies in the region, highlighting the shifting political loyalties currently reshaping Mt Kenya’s power dynamics.
Neither DCP nor UDA had issued an official response to Cherargei’s specific infiltration allegations by the time of publication.
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