NAIROBI, Kenya- DCP Leader Rigathi Gachagua has responded to President William Ruto’s assertion that the opposition has no agenda, listing four pledges he says would guide a new administration if it wins the 2027 General Election.
Addressing residents of Kitengela, Gachagua said the opposition’s priority would be to reclaim wealth he accused President Ruto of illegally accumulating.
Referring to the President as “Kasongo”, Gachagua said an incoming opposition administration would move to recover the disputed wealth once it takes office.
Gen Z accountability pledge
Gachagua’s second pledge was directed at police officers accused of killing young people during the Gen Z protests.
He said officers found responsible for the deaths would be arrested and prosecuted in court, placing accountability for alleged police abuses at the centre of his political message.
The DCP leader has repeatedly accused the Kenya Kwanza administration of presiding over abductions, extrajudicial killings and violations of the rule of law, claims the government has rejected.
His latest remarks come amid continuing public calls for accountability over deaths and injuries reported during the 2024 anti-Finance Bill protests.
Free education return
The third item on Gachagua’s list is the return of free education.
He said an opposition government would restore free learning for Kenyan children, arguing that parents have been forced to shoulder growing school-related costs despite the existence of free basic education policies.
Gachagua has previously criticised what he describes as falling capitation to schools and the erosion of gains made under free primary and day secondary education programmes.
He has also called for reforms in the funding of TVET and university education.
Plan to stop Affordable Housing programme
Gachagua’s fourth proposal is to stop the government’s Affordable Housing Programme and allocate the houses to police officers.
The pledge echoes an earlier proposal by Linda Mwananchi Movement leader Edwin Sifuna, who said affordable housing units should be allocated to police officers if the opposition forms the next government.
President Ruto has previously defended the programme, saying his administration had already set aside 20,000 housing units for police officers.
He has challenged opposition leaders to offer an alternative plan for housing and jobs instead of opposing the programme.
A recent High Court ruling also found that preferential allocation of affordable housing units to police officers or teachers cannot be introduced through presidential pronouncements alone and must be grounded in law, regulations or formal policy.
Gachagua did not explain whether police officers would receive the units for free, through rent-to-own arrangements or under a separate allocation framework.
Response to Ruto’s ‘no agenda’ attack
The four-point agenda is a direct response to President Ruto’s criticism that the opposition lacks a plan, policies and vision for Kenya.
Speaking in Nyamira on Sunday, President Ruto accused opposition leaders of fighting among themselves because they had no common programme to offer voters ahead of 2027.
The DCP leader and Wiper Leader Kalonzo Musyoka separately said on Sunday that the opposition would settle on one presidential candidate to challenge President Ruto, although they did not announce a joint manifesto or name their preferred flagbearer.
