DICTATORIAL TENDENCIES!’ Opposition coalition TEARS APART as Munya launches blistering attack on Gachagua
The fragile opposition alliance in Mount Kenya has been plunged into total turmoil following a sensational war of words between top regional heavyweights.
KENYA’S opposition front is facing an explosive civil war after Party of National Unity (PNU) leader Peter Munya publicly vowed NEVER to support former Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua for the presidency.
The devastating fallout erupted during a fiery live television broadcast on Wednesday night, August 5, where Munya launched an unsparing attack on Gachagua, accusing his former ally of displaying “dictatorial tendencies” and treating rival political figures with utter contempt.
The bitter row threatens to completely splinter the voting coalition across the populous Mount Kenya region ahead of the next presidential election cycle.
‘SOMETHING WRONG WITH HIM’
Appearing on live television, Munya delivered a scathing assessment of Gachagua’s suitability for the nation’s highest office, insisting that the former DP’s autocratic leadership style mirrors the very governance problems currently crippling the country.
“That’s why I am hoping he [Gachagua] is not a presidential candidate, because I would not support that kind of a person to run the country,” Munya declared during the broadcast.
Refusing to pull any punches, the PNU chief turned his sights on Gachagua’s recent controversial public remarks:
“Those dictatorial tendencies are the same ones we are saying we don’t want in the current government. How can you call people miti, walking like sticks? I think there is something wrong with him and he needs to address that very urgently.”
THE TRIGGER: ‘WALKING LIKE TREES’ INSULT
The ferocious clash follows escalating tension between Gachagua and senior opposition figureheads—including Democratic Party leader Justin Muturi and Devolution Empowerment Party leader Lenny Kivuti.
Speaking earlier on Wednesday from his Wamunyoro home in Nyeri following a high-stakes meeting with a political delegation from Murang’a County, a defiant Gachagua fired back at critics who accused him of trying to forcefully crush smaller parties to build his Democracy for Citizens Party (DCP).
Dismissing claims that he had instructed rival groups to dissolve, Gachagua used the controversial Swahili phrase “kutembea peke yako kama miti” (walking alone like trees) to mock leaders who resist a consolidated political block.
“Kama unataka mazungumzo kuhusu siasa za kutafuta urais tafuta kura, uache kutembea peke yako kama miti,” Gachagua warned.
(“If you want talks about presidential politics, go look for votes and stop walking around alone like trees.”)
BATTLE FOR THE MOUNT KENYA CROWN
Tensions in the region have reached boiling point following the DCP’s high-profile victory in the Ol Kalou by-election. Emboldened by the win, Gachagua has aggressively pushed for a single, consolidated voting block under his stewardship.
However, legacy party leaders across Mount Kenya view the move as a hostile, authoritarian attempt to dismantle multi-party democracy and position himself as an undisputed regional dictator.
Munya’s public refusal to back Gachagua sends a clear shockwave through the political landscape: any attempt to build a unified opposition ticket under Gachagua will face uncompromising internal resistance unless deep-seated personal animosities and ideological clashes are urgently repaired.
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