Former Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua has announced plans to force by-elections for specific leaders before the 2027 general election.
Speaking during a recent interview with KTN News, Gachagua revealed that several MPs had approached him, seeking to ditch Ruto’s United Democratic Alliance (UDA) party for his new party.
Gachagua noted that once the lawmakers, including prominent Members of Parliament and Senators, left UDA, they would then proceed to by-elections under his party.
Gachagua announces plans to force by-elections for specific leaders before the 2027 general election. Photo: Courtesy.
According to Gachagua, as of February this year, about 139MCAs had already pledged their support for his new party and were ready to quit UDA and proceed to by-elections.
The former DP moreover disclosed that he was yet to unveil his new political party due to strategic reasons.
Among them include the delays in the reconstitution of the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC).
“Our political party is ready, and for strategic reasons, I did not want to unveil it before May. But I must say one of the reasons we wanted the IEBC to be constituted.This is because quite a number of Senators and MPs want to quit UDA, join our new party, and go for by-elections. We should unveil the party once the IEBC has been reconstituted,” Gachagua said.
He further revealed that the decision to form a new political party followed consultations with several leaders across the country since December last year.
Gachagua also noted that he would soon hold a meeting with former Prime Minister Raila Odinga to seek advice on how to form and maintain a strong political party.
“I would be going to ODM for benchmarking. I must talk to Raila Odinga about how he crafted the political machine. I have two years to create one. I will make sure that in whatever coalition we go with whoever, our interests are well anchored through a watertight agreement. One of the burdens I carry, which is very heavy and weighs me down sometimes, is how foolish I feel that I was deceived by Ruto.”
