Rigathi Gachagua has stepped up efforts to rally political parties in the Mt Kenya region behind a common political front, proposing the creation of what he called the "Hyena Coalition" to unite parties supporting the one-term campaign ahead of the 2027 General Election.
The Democracy for Citizens Party (DCP) leader said the proposed alliance would bring together political parties from across the region without requiring them to surrender their identities. Instead, he said each party would continue operating independently while working together towards a shared political objective.
Speaking on Thursday, Gachagua said he would ask Democratic Party leader Justin Muturi to convene leaders of the region's political parties to begin discussions on formally establishing the coalition.
He revealed that the idea had already attracted interest from several parties.
"There are nearly 30 political parties in the Mt Kenya region. About 16 of them contacted me last night, saying they had heard I intended to ask Justin Muturi to convene a meeting, and they were very pleased with the proposal," Gachagua said.
"We want all the One-Term parties in the Mt Kenya region to come together and form a Mt Kenya coalition of parties committed to a one-term."
According to Gachagua, the proposed name was a direct response to recent remarks that likened opposition leaders to hyenas, saying they had chosen to embrace the label instead.
"Kwa sababu tumetukanwa tumekubali, tunataka tujiite hyena coalition. My brother JB convene all of us hapa milimani as hyena coalition, mafisi wote," he said.
He said there was no intention of creating a single political party, stressing that every outfit would remain intact under the coalition arrangement.
"We want all these parties to remain together. I also want us to have many parties because we need enough agents to protect our votes," he said.
Gachagua explained that coalition members would only be expected to agree on one presidential candidate, while every political party would remain free to field candidates in parliamentary, county and other elective positions.
"There should be no zoning except for the presidency. That is the only position we need to agree on," Gachagua said.
He added that leaders expected to join the coalition shared the same political mission despite belonging to different parties.
"Hapa we all know our enemy and among each other we have no problem at all," he said.
The proposal comes as opposition leaders continue to shape their strategy ahead of the next General Election.
Earlier this week, Gachagua said selecting a joint opposition presidential candidate was not an immediate priority, arguing that every political formation should first strengthen its own support before entering coalition talks.
"I want to tell the people of Kenya there is no hurry to arrive at a single presidential candidate. First things first. We must first consolidate," he said, adding that he would continue popularising DCP across the country before discussions on a joint presidential ticket begin.
He also rejected claims that DCP wanted other political parties in the Mt Kenya region to fold and join his party.
Instead, he said the party supported a multi-party approach and only wanted cooperation in the race for the presidency.
His remarks followed criticism from Democratic Party leader Justin Muturi, former Cabinet Secretary Peter Munya of the Party of National Unity (PNU) and Democratic Empowerment Party (DEP) leader Lenny Kivuti, who dismissed reports that they had been asked to dissolve their parties and join DCP.
The three leaders maintained that political parties operate independently under their constitutions and the Political Parties Act, and that any decision to merge or dissolve a party must be approved through the appropriate party structures.
At the same time, Murang'a Governor Irungu Kang'ata defended his move to DCP, saying many residents had already embraced the party and that remaining in the United Democratic Alliance (UDA) would have forced his supporters into an unnecessary political dilemma.