Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua has refuted media reports suggesting he has acquired a new political party ahead of the 2027 elections.
Amid ongoing political tensions within the ruling Kenya Kwanza Coalition, reports claim the DP has reached out to some political players for a possible deal.
Gachagua has recently been involved in exchanges with close allies of President William Ruto, accusing them of undermining him.
The Nation newspaper reported yesterday that Gachagua has contacted The New Democrats Party, initially headed by former President Mwai Kibaki’s son Jimmy Kibaki.
The daily reported that sources claimed the DP was reaching out to several political players, including a former official in ex-president Uhuru Kenyatta’s administration, to secure a deal.
“He has acquired a political party and recently approached a governor from Western Kenya to be part of his team. He even asked him to plan a meeting with a senior former CS so that they can discuss future politics,” an unnamed source said, as quoted by the Nation.
The DP quickly dismissed the report, accusing the media house of malice. Through Head of Deputy President’s Communication Njeri Rugene, the DP demanded an apology from the media house and a retraction of the article.
“This one-sided false and concocted story is laced with innuendos and malice. To associate His Excellency the Deputy President with another political party, especially one with questionable associations, can only have been done in bad faith, with the sole intention of undermining His Excellency’s role as the Deputy Party leader of the UDA Party,” the DP said in a statement.
The DP’s office alleged that the article sought to defame the DP and did not take into account Gachagua’s perspective on the matter.
“It is deliberately intended to disparage and attack the integrity of His Excellency Rigathi Gachagua, the Deputy President of the Republic of Kenya,” the statement added.
“The article also clearly violates the tenets of professional journalism that demand objectivity, balance, and fairness. In this regard, we demand a retraction of this fabricated article and an apology with the same prominence.”
