Former DP Rigathi Gachagua has declared himself the preferred presidential candidate of the United Alternative Government for the 2027 General Election, while pledging to step aside if opposition leaders agree that another candidate has a better chance of defeating President William Ruto.
Speaking after concluding his consultations with political leaders, professionals, religious leaders, youth, women, elders and grassroots representatives at his Wamunyoro home, Gachagua said Kenyans had given him three clear assignments — hold the government accountable, unite the opposition behind one presidential candidate and persuade his colleagues to back him for the presidency.
"Objective Number Three: That Rigathi Gachagua shall be the preferred Presidential candidate of the United Alternative Government in the 2027 general election," Gachagua said.
He said he had been instructed to convince his colleagues that he was the best candidate to deliver a first-round victory, citing his political experience, networks, infrastructure and what he described as the trust of Kenyans.
“I have the energy, I have the trust of the people, I have the leadership, I have the experience, the infrastructure, I have the capacity, and the political network to deliver victory,” he said.
But Gachagua sought to strike a conciliatory tone on the question of an opposition alliance, saying his personal ambition would not stand in the way of efforts to field a single candidate against the Kenya Kwanza administration.
“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 places Gachagua at the centre of the opposition's increasingly intense debate over who should challenge President Ruto in the August 10, 2027 election.
Gachagua said Kenyans had told him that the election would be an opportunity to replace what he described as a government that was insensitive to their concerns.
“We shall go to the general election to elect a listening President, and caring leaders; what we have now, a majority are boisterous, callous, dictatorial, and with itchy fingers,” he said.
He said the Wamunyoro consultations had been triggered by demands from Kenyans who visited him and wanted him to listen to their expectations of the proposed United Alternative Government.
“Once again, as a leader, I needed the people to guide me. I needed to hear their expectations. What they wanted the United Alternative Government to become; what they wanted to see from us,” he said.
Gachagua said the consultations had revealed widespread dissatisfaction with the state of the economy, education, healthcare, agriculture, security and governance.
On education, he said Kenyans wanted the next administration to restore better free primary and secondary education, introduce free TVET education and create a university education model that responds to their needs.
“They are completely crushed and the gains made over the years have been eroded in a record three years,” he said, quoting the concerns presented to him.
Agriculture was another major concern, with Gachagua saying farmers were struggling with high input costs, food prices and failing value chains.
“Kenyans want their agriculture back,” he said, citing tea, coffee, pyrethrum, sugarcane and cotton among cash crops he claimed had suffered under the current administration.
He also warned the government against interfering with the cooperative movement, saying members had accumulated more than Sh1.2 trillion in deposits.
“Our Cooperative movement in the country have mobilized over Kshs. 1.2 trillion in deposits. That is their money, their savings. They do not want this regime to touch a coin,” he said.
Gachagua said Kenyans opposed the sale of cooperative assets to politically connected individuals and wanted such assets protected for members.
On healthcare, he said Kenyans had told him the health system was broken and demanded reliable supplies of medicines in public hospitals.
“Kenyans want drugs in hospitals,” he said.
He said healthcare reform should go beyond registration under the Social Health Authority, arguing that the next administration would need to strengthen the health workforce, information systems, access to essential medicines and technology, health financing and governance.
Security and human rights featured prominently in his address, with Gachagua accusing the government of tolerating or facilitating violence against citizens.
“The people told me they cannot understand how a police vehicle can be used to ferry goons,” he said.
“Kenyans want the goon culture in their country swept out once and for all,"Gachagua added.
Gachagua also renewed his call for investigations and prosecutions over alleged abductions, extrajudicial killings and disappearances.
He said responsibility should not end with individuals who allegedly carried out violence but extend to officials who may have ordered or coordinated such actions.
“They meant the ones who sat in comfortable offices coordinated and signed off on declaring a war on their own people must also stand trial. They must be prosecuted. They must be convicted,” he said.
He also called for a public inquest into deaths during the 2024 Gen Z protests and the July 7 Saba Saba demonstrations.
“The people of Kenya who called on me want a public inquest on this matter and all those involved in the killing of our young people to face the rule of law,” he said.
Gachagua said Kenyans wanted to know how many young people died during the protests and wanted the day officially marked in the country's calendar.
The former Deputy President also accused the government of failing to protect places of worship, citing alleged attacks at Kariobangi North, Gatundu South, ACK Cathedral in Nairobi and Kisumu, and ACK Witima Church.
“Kenyans want the church to be off-violence from the state,” he said.
He pledged that under his leadership, the Church would retain what he called its rightful position in the country.
The economy, taxation and declining household purchasing power were also raised during the consultations.
Gachagua said professionals had complained about pending government bills, while workers had suffered from increased deductions from their salaries.
“The raiding of the payslip has greatly reduced people’s earnings, household incomes and affected spending power,” he said.
He said traders had described the country's tax environment as unpredictable and called for a framework that would encourage investment and trade.
“The people cried about the tax regime; traders told me that they are experiencing the murkiest tax regime in Kenya’s history; they [are] taxed into poverty,” he said.
Small-scale traders, he added, had opposed a proposed KRA directive affecting clearance of consolidated cargo, saying an increase in the duty threshold from Sh2.5 million to Sh3.5 million would eventually hurt consumers.
“Kenyans are saying, this must be stopped on the tracks,” he said.
Gachagua also criticised the Kenya Information and Communications (Amendment) Bill, 2025, saying Kenyans who consulted him believed it could undermine privacy rights.
He said the legislation required wider public participation and stronger data protection and oversight mechanisms.
On employment, Gachagua said young people wanted decent jobs, fair pay and better working conditions.
“They are overworked, underpaid and over-taxed,” he said.
He said the next administration would have to prioritise employment and protect young people from exploitation.
Gachagua also accused the government of failing to protect the environment and warned that continued destruction of natural resources could endanger future generations.
On public assets, he said Kenyans opposed what he described as the indiscriminate sale of strategic government property.
“The people of Kenya have clear instructions that strategic public assets that have been sold must be brought back to the people,” he said.
He said he would prepare a comprehensive policy paper covering different sectors after returning from the United States and present the blueprint to Kenyans for validation.
Gachagua said the consultations had also exposed distinct grievances across the country's regions.
In the South Rift, he said residents complained of unfulfilled development promises and alleged grabbing of community land.
From Nairobi, he said leaders, professionals and business people had described a city struggling with poor drainage, congested schools, demolitions and insecurity.
“Our capital city is in ruins,” he said, adding that residents had complained about streets that become “rivers” because of inadequate drainage.
He said Maa leaders had raised concerns over alleged land grabbing and police violence, while Coast leaders complained about the management of the Port of Mombasa, alleged seizure of ranches, mineral exploitation and the resurgence of drugs.
At the Coast, he said, “the drug epidemic is back,” adding that gains made during his tenure as Deputy President had been lost.
In Northern Kenya, Gachagua said residents complained of poverty, drought, inadequate water and poor returns from devolution.
“The drought still comes, the water has still not come,” he said.
In Western and Nyanza, he said residents were concerned about the crisis in the sugar sector, including taxation and the proposed sale or leasing of sugar factories.
North Rift residents, he said, continued to face banditry and cattle rustling.
For the Mount Kenya region, Gachagua said he had heard calls for unity and pledged to work towards bringing the region together.
“For the people of the Mount Kenya Region, I have heard your voice on Unity. This will be done. We are one people under one nation,” he said.
Gachagua also said journalists had complained about harassment and restrictions on media freedom.
“The media wants to be left free as espoused in our Constitution,” he said.
He linked the grievances presented to him to what he described as a broken agreement between the government and Kenyans.
“Overall, the people told me that the covenant with the Executive was broken and that the promises made therein remain unfulfilled to-date,” he said.
The former Deputy President acknowledged his own role in helping President Ruto win the 2022 election and said this was partly why he had chosen to campaign against the administration.
“I helped bring this administration to power. I rallied my people, my resources, my networks, my energy and my ability to move people, to put this government in office,” he said.
He rejected claims that his opposition to Ruto was motivated by bitterness following his removal from office.
“I do what I do because I have a responsibility to do it,” he said.
“Where I come from, when your hand causes harm, even the harm you never intended, you cannot walk away. You do not make excuses. You apologize and then you do whatever is within your power to make it right.”
Gachagua then delivered his clearest political declaration yet on the 2027 contest.
“That is exactly what I am doing; I played a big role to bring this government into power. It is hurting Kenyans. I am playing a bigger role to send it home come 10th August 2027 on the ballot,” he said.
He said the opposition's immediate task was to prevent fragmentation and ensure that competing political ambitions did not hand the government an advantage.
“Kenyans have been very clear that we cannot gamble nor can we take this task lightly,” he said.
“We must do what it takes including sacrificing our own personal political ambition to identify that one candidate.”
Gachagua said his political journey after Wamunyoro would focus on what he called the “liberation and restoration” of Kenya.
“There comes a time in life, when a patriot must make sacrifices for his Nation; that time is now,” he said.
He pledged that the United Alternative Government would campaign for a “fair, transparent, verifiable, credible, and democratic” 2027 election.
