PORTLAND, United States- DCP leader Rigathi Gachagua has revealed how the United Opposition abandoned plans for a joint secretariat after two women introduced by one of its principals allegedly leaked details of a private meeting before it had ended.
Speaking to Kenyans living in Portland, Oregon, Gachagua described infiltration as the greatest threat facing the opposition as it works towards selecting one candidate to challenge President William Ruto in 2027.
He said opposition leaders initially established a joint secretariat and that its work had been progressing well until a new principal joined the coalition and brought two women into the team.
“We had started with a secretariat and things were going very well. Then we brought in a new principal, and he brought some two girls to the secretariat,” Gachagua said.
He did not identify the principal or the two women.
According to Gachagua, concerns arose during a private meeting held at a hotel along Lang’ata Road in Nairobi. He said details of decisions made during the talks appeared on the Telegram-based “Nation Africa 411” news platform before the meeting concluded.
“We went for a meeting somewhere along Lang’ata Road. When the meeting was going on, I saw a 411 on what we had decided,” he said. “Then we knew the secretariat had been infiltrated.”
Gachagua said opposition leaders subsequently agreed to suspend the joint secretariat until they settle on a single presidential candidate.
“Then we agreed we shall not have a secretariat until we name a single presidential candidate, when there is nothing Kasongo can do,” he said, using a nickname he regularly employs when referring to President Ruto.
Gachagua responds to Mukhisa Kituyi
His remarks followed concerns raised by former UNCTAD Secretary-General Dr Mukhisa Kituyi during an interview on Citizen TV.
Kituyi questioned the opposition’s preparedness to remove Ruto from office, citing the absence of a joint secretariat.
Gachagua said Kituyi may not have been fully briefed, insisting that the decision was strategic and did not indicate disorganisation within the opposition.
“We don’t have a secretariat, not because it is not necessary, not because we are disorganised. It is strategic,” he said.
According to Gachagua, every opposition party will instead retain a small internal team comprising trusted individuals until a joint presidential candidate is selected.
“So we agreed to let every party have a small secretariat of the people you can trust. And the people you can trust are so few,” he said.
‘My PA and adviser sold me’
Gachagua said his concerns about infiltration were informed by his experience while serving as Deputy President.
“Ask me. My PA was compromised by Kasongo. One of my advisers was compromised by Kasongo when I was in office, and they sold me,” he said. “They were given money, and they sold me.”
He said the experience had made him cautious about sharing political plans with staff and associates.
“For me, I do most of the work, and the rest I give Reverend Dorcas to type for me. So we are careful,” Gachagua said.
He argued that the risk of infiltration would remain until the opposition announces its presidential candidate. After that, he said, the coalition would have little confidential information left to protect.
“Once we do, there is no danger anymore because there is nothing to hide anymore,” he said. “If we do now, he will know our strategy. He will know who we want and what we are thinking.”
DCP members warned against distractions
Gachagua also accused President Ruto of placing allies within opposition parties and linked the ongoing leadership dispute in the Jubilee Party to the alleged infiltration strategy.
He did not provide evidence for the allegations, and those he accused had not responded publicly.
The DCP leader asked his supporters to avoid spending time confronting individuals they consider government allies or political “projects.”
“Our main focus is William Ruto. Don’t get distracted,” he said. “Once we deal with him, automatically we have dealt with his moles, his projects and his allies.”
Gachagua said fighting individual government allies would divert the opposition from its main objective of defeating Ruto in the 2027 presidential election.
