NAIROBI, Kenya – Kiharu MP Ndindi Nyoro has claimed that Rigathi Gachagua threatened to leave the United Democratic Alliance (UDA) and join Azimio la Umoja after losing an internal contest for the party’s 2022 presidential running mate position.
Nyoro, who described himself as Gachagua’s chief campaigner at the time, said the contest had narrowed down to Gachagua and then-Tharaka Nithi Senator Kithure Kindiki.
Speaking on Monday, September 14, Nyoro claimed Kindiki emerged as the preferred candidate with 28 votes, compared with Gachagua’s five.
According to Nyoro, Gachagua reacted by threatening to decamp to Azimio, prompting him to intervene and persuade William Ruto to select him as his running mate.
Nyoro recounts Gachagua-Ruto meeting
Nyoro said he, Ruto and Gachagua held a private meeting after the internal vote, where Gachagua allegedly indicated that he could switch political camps.
“Gachagua, Ruto and I went into a room. Gachagua removed his phone, told Ruto that since he was playing games and Uhuru was looking for his support, he would rather decamp to Azimio,” Nyoro claimed.
Nyoro said he subsequently urged Ruto to hand Gachagua the running mate position despite the internal vote.
“So I told Ruto to give the running mate position because he had been with us in the trenches. I was Gachagua’s chief campaigner; we had only five votes, but we won,” he narrated.
The account was presented by Nyoro as his recollection of events surrounding the selection process. It has not been independently verified.
Why Kindiki lost out despite winning vote
Nyoro said Gachagua’s dissatisfaction stemmed partly from Kindiki having recently joined UDA after being away from active politics for nearly two years.
He also claimed Kindiki had initially been pursuing the Tharaka Nithi gubernatorial seat and had sought a direct ticket.
“He came and told us that he wanted to become the governor for Tharaka Nithi and needed a direct ticket,” Nyoro said.
At the time, Nyoro said, UDA had recently persuaded then-Tharaka Nithi Governor Muthomi Njuki to join the party and wanted to use his defection to encourage other governors to follow suit.
James Mwangi, Macharia also considered
Nyoro further claimed UDA had considered other prominent figures for the running mate position, including Equity Group Holdings CEO James Mwangi and former Transport Cabinet Secretary James Macharia.
“We approached former Transport CS James Macharia to become our running mate, but he refused. We approached James Mwangi of Equity because we were looking at the geography and which person had not had political scandals,” he said.
The 2022 contest eventually saw Ruto pick Gachagua as his running mate, with the pair going on to win the presidential election.
Nyoro hits back at Gachagua
Nyoro’s latest remarks come amid a strained relationship with Gachagua, who has accused the Kiharu MP of receiving a payout from President Ruto to help divide the Mount Kenya vote.
Nyoro rejected the allegation and questioned how Gachagua could now turn against him after he had supported him during the 2022 running mate contest and later during his impeachment.
The Kiharu MP also denied being a mole within the opposition.
He challenged politicians seeking to work with Ruto in exchange for money to do so without associating his name with such arrangements.
