The ruling United Democratic Alliance (UDA) is fast becoming an empty shell, going by the wave of defections sweeping across the Mt. Kenya region.
If UDA were a person, Mt. Kenya would be its heartbeat. In the 2022 presidential election, the region delivered over four million votes that carried President William Ruto straight to the house on the hill. Since politics is ultimately a game of numbers, those defections now cast a long shadow over Ruto’s re-election bid, putting his party’s grip on this vote-rich region in serious jeopardy.
Over the weekend, the party lost Murang’a County Governor Irungu Kang’ata, who declared he would not be seeking re-election in 2027 on the wheelbarrow party’s ticket. Kangata was one of UDA’s most vocal campaigners during the 2022 election cycle, a young and energetic voice whose message resonated deeply across Mt. Kenya.
Barely two days later, the ruling coalition suffered another blow. Kandara Member of Parliament Chege Njuguna announced that, after listening to the mood on the ground, he had made the decision to move to the Democracy for Citizens Party. Njuguna was officially welcomed into DCP by former Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua at a gathering in Ngararia on Thursday, where Gachagua praised him for heeding the voice of his electorate.
Gachagua went further, declaring that anyone still supporting UDA in Mt. Kenya is a sellout, and calling on voters to show such individuals a red card when the country heads to the polls next year.
With just 14 months to the general election, Gachagua’s DCP is rapidly gathering momentum while Ruto’s UDA continues to lose its footing in a region that has historically played a decisive role in determining the outcome of any presidential race.
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