![](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/africa\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/1571879f-bb64-4834-bf9e-515d5ae7147b.webp\")
Gatundu South MP Gabriel Kagombe addressing a DCP rally in his constituency on August 16, 2026\/ HANDOUT<\/p>\nGatundu South MP Gabriel Kagombe addressing a DCP rally in his constituency on August 16, 2026\/ HANDOUT<\/p>\n
Gatundu
\nSouth MP Gabriel Kagombe was heckled by residents in his constituency as he
\naddressed a Democracy for Citizens Party rally, exposing the political
\ndifficulties facing his recent defection.<\/p>\n
The MP, who
\nrecently left the United Democratic Alliance, was immediately heckled as soon
\nas he was invited to address the crowd by former Deputy President Rigathi
\nGachagua.<\/p>\n
Kagombe
\nsought to win over the hostile crowd by presenting his move to DCP as a
\npolitical transformation, likening himself to Saul, the biblical figure who
\nbecame Paul after his conversion.<\/p>\n
However,
\nresidents jeered and throughout his speech while waving their DCP hats.<\/p>\n
\u201cI came here
\nas Saul, but now I have become Paul. I have thrown away this hat. Put this one
\non me because I have joined the DCP,\u201d Kagombe said as he removed and threw away
\nhis cap, putting on the DCP-branded one.<\/p>\n
The
\nreception came after Kagombe, who was elected Gatundu South MP on a UDA ticket
\nin 2022, made a dramatic political shift from the ruling party to Gachagua’s opposition
\noutfit. <\/p>\n
Kagombe had earlier cited growing disillusionment among his
\nconstituents over unfulfilled government promises, particularly stalled Mau Mau
\nroads and unmet commitments to tea farmers, as some of his reasons for his
\nshift.<\/p>\n
He told
\nGachagua that he was willing to undergo the party’s vetting process and have
\nhis political record scrutinised before being fully accepted into the DCP camp.<\/p>\n
He appealed
\nto the party leadership to examine his conduct and political history, saying he
\nwould not return to the political camp he had abandoned. He also thanked
\nGatundu residents for accepting him despite the hostile reception during his
\naddress.<\/p>\n
“Najua hapa kuna vetting committee. Your excellency,
\nmimi nimekubali. Tukae nao, waniangalie, watu wa akina Gacheri, watu wa akina
\nThang\u2019wa, waniangalie kwa makini na waseme kama mimi nafaa\u2026”<\/p>\n
Kagombe’s
\ndefection is part of a wider political realignment in Central Kenya, where
\nseveral leaders who backed President William Ruto in the 2022 election are
\nreassessing their political alliances ahead of the 2027 General Election.<\/p>\n
Gachagua,
\nwho took over the microphone after Kagombe’s address, leaders supporting Ruto but
\nwilling to decamp to the opposition will have to face the electorate.<\/p>\n
“I have told all these leaders who are with
\nRuto that I have no problem with them. Let them come to the people. It is the
\npeople who decide,\u201d Gachagua said.<\/p>\n
The former
\ndeputy president has been using DCP to build a political base across Mt Kenya
\nand is working with other opposition leaders to popularise a united opposition
\nmovement ahead of the 2027 elections.<\/p>\n
The push has
\nheightened competition for the Mt Kenya vote, which remains one of the
\ncountry’s most politically influential blocs. The region overwhelmingly backed
\nRuto in 2022 but has since witnessed growing political divisions following his
\nfallout with Gachagua.<\/p>\n
Many
\npolitical leaders in the Central region are expected to make similar moves as
\nthe united opposition continues to popularise its agenda and court politicians
\nwho remain in government-aligned parties.<\/p>\n
The realignment
\nis also unfolding against the backdrop of a renewed battle over the political
\nidentity of Mt Kenya, with rival factions disagreeing on whether the region
\nshould maintain a united political front or be divided into eastern and western
\nblocs.<\/p>\n
Public
\nService Cabinet Secretary Geoffrey Ruku has been at the centre of calls for Mt
\nKenya East, comprising Meru, Embu and Tharaka Nithi, to pursue a more
\nindependent political and development agenda from Mt Kenya West.<\/p>\n
Ruku has
\nargued that the eastern side of the mountain has historically received a
\nsmaller share of development and political opportunities. He has cited
\ndisparities in infrastructure, including road development, in making the case
\nfor greater consideration of Mt Kenya East.<\/p>\n
His position
\nhas, however, attracted resistance from leaders allied to Gachagua, who argue
\nthat dividing Mt Kenya would weaken the region’s collective bargaining power
\nahead of the 2027 election.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Gatundu South MP Gabriel Kagombe addressing a DCP rally in his constituency on August 16, 2026\/ HANDOUT Gatundu
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