Rigathi Gachagua is taking his 2027 presidential campaign beyond Kenya, announcing a planned visit to the United States as he seeks to mobilise Kenyans abroad and strengthen his challenge to President William Ruto.
The Democracy for Citizens Party (DCP) leader made the announcement on Tuesday while addressing supporters in Karatina, Nyeri County, where he said his focus was now shifting to the diaspora after what he described as growing support for his political project at home.
Gachagua said the US visit would give him an opportunity to engage Kenyans living there and organise support for his bid to remove Ruto from office in the next General Election.
“I had gone on a short journey, and I have just returned home to seek blessings because I want to head to America to arrange how to send Ruto home,” he said.
According to Gachagua, the political campaign against Ruto has already gathered enough momentum, with several areas that previously backed the President now moving towards opposition parties.
“The journey to send Ruto home is complete, waiting for election day to cast our votes is what now remains,” he said.
He named Nyanza, Western, Kajiado, Nairobi, Ukambani and Mt Kenya among areas he said had responded positively to the “Wantam” campaign.
Gachagua also pointed to the Ol Kalou parliamentary by-election as a sign of the changing political landscape, arguing that the result provided an early indication of what his movement could achieve in the 2027 presidential contest.
“Ol Kalou was just the test. I have traversed the entire of Kenya and people are saying Wantam. Kenyans have told me I'm the best suited to send Ruto home, they have told me to vie for the president's seat.”
The DCP leader has in recent days also sought to demonstrate the size of his political following as opposition parties begin discussions on how to field one presidential candidate against Ruto.
At a meeting attended by more than 3,000 grassroots mobilisers from Nyeri County at his Wamunyoro home on Monday, Gachagua claimed that he had already lined up about 12 million votes.
“I have eight million votes from the mountain, Nairobi one million, Maasai one million, Kipsigis 600,000. I have around 12 million,” he said.
He said the figures would be important when he sits down with other opposition leaders to discuss who should carry the opposition ticket in 2027.
Among the leaders he expects to engage are Wiper Party's Kalonzo Musyoka, Jubilee's Fred Matiang'i, PLP's Martha Karua, Linda Mwananchi's Edwin Sifuna, DAPK's Eugene Wamalwa and DP's Justin Muturi, among others.
Gachagua said the leaders must have a frank conversation on who has the strongest claim to lead the opposition and ultimately seek the presidency.
“I will sit down with Kalonzo and the rest for a candid discussion on who will lead Kenya and why. We must talk,” he said.
His vote estimate has, however, drawn sharp criticism from Narok Senator Ledama Olekina, who questioned the idea of measuring political strength through ethnic numbers.
Olekina said such calculations continued to feed tribal politics and did not provide a measure of a politician's ability to lead the entire country.
“The biggest disease rotting Kenya is this stupid belief that tribal numbers equal merit. We are still crawling as a nation because we are enslaved by tribalism,” Ledama wrote on X.
The senator further argued that commanding support within particular communities was not enough to qualify someone for national leadership.
He said a candidate who depended mainly on ethnic backing would struggle to build the wider support needed to unite the country, adding that raw figures from different communities could not replace a national political strategy.
“Riggy G, keep flashing those imaginary numbers you use to scare people. They don’t impress anyone serious. You remain a Moran who has never shown the capacity, discipline or intellect to drag Kenya out of its perceived ‘leadership mess’,” he said.
Meanwhile, Gachagua continued to consolidate his support in Mt Kenya, using his Karatina rally to urge residents to remain firmly behind his political plans as the 2027 election approaches.
He assured his supporters that he would remain loyal to their cause and would not abandon them.
“And I want to assure you my people at home, I will not let you down,” he said.
He also singled out Mathira, his home constituency, urging voters to deliver a strong rejection of Ruto at the ballot.
Gachagua challenged residents to limit the President's support in Mathira to no more than 1,000 votes, turning the constituency into a test of the political influence he says he commands in the region.
The latest exchange between Gachagua and Olekina adds to the growing debate over who can command the opposition vote in 2027, as potential presidential contenders seek support and prepare for negotiations over a possible single candidate.