NAIROBI, Kenya- DCP leader Rigathi Gachagua has declared himself the preferred presidential candidate of the United Alternative Government for the 2027 General Election, setting up a potentially decisive contest within the opposition coalition.
Gachagua made the declaration on Monday, August 24, 2026, while presenting a report on his 55-day consultation with Kenyans at his Wamunyoro residence.
The former Deputy President said the consultations had produced three clear objectives that he had been instructed to pursue ahead of the 2027 election.
The first, he said, was to use all legitimate means to hold the government accountable and oppose schemes he claimed were designed to oppress Kenyans or misuse public resources.
“I must use everything in my powers to keep this Government accountable while using every legitimate means available that will call out, stop and break any scheme that is engineered by this government to loot tax payer’s funds or oppress the people of Kenya,” Gachagua said.
His second objective was for the United Alternative Government to settle on a single presidential candidate.
Gachagua said the opposition alliance could not afford to field multiple candidates against President William Ruto, arguing that unity would be critical to defeating the Kenya Kwanza administration.
“That the United Alternative Government must identify One Presidential candidate to contest the 2027 General Election,” he said.
But it was his third objective that is likely to attract the most political attention.
Gachagua said Kenyans who participated in the consultations had instructed him to seek the presidential ticket himself.
“That Rigathi Gachagua shall be the preferred Presidential candidate of the United Alternative Government in the 2027 general election,” he said.
He argued that his experience, political network and national mobilisation capacity made him the strongest candidate to deliver victory for the opposition alliance.
Gachagua, however, left room for negotiations, saying he would not stand in the way of a united opposition ticket if his colleagues ultimately persuaded him that another candidate was better placed.
“In the event that my colleagues persuade me otherwise, I should not and I will not be the reason why the united alternative government should fail to have one presidential candidate,” he said.
The declaration marks a significant escalation in Gachagua’s 2027 positioning, moving his political project beyond opposition to the Ruto administration and directly into the contest for the presidency.
