Kiambu gubernatorial aspirant Muita Ndung'u has challenged the Democracy for Citizens Party (DCP) to clearly explain what it stands for, saying Kenyans should support political parties based on their policies rather than emotions linked to former Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua's impeachment.
Speaking during an interview on Radio Generation on Wednesday, Ndung'u argued that political competition should be driven by ideas and solutions to the country's challenges instead of events surrounding Gachagua's removal from office.
"The DCP wants us to vote emotionally based on Rigathi Gachagua's impeachment, but they forget before Rigathi Gachagua's impeachment there was the Finance Bill, which they were part of," he said.
He urged voters to question what the party intends to offer the country before deciding whether to support it.
"What does DCP stand for? What is its philosophy? What is it going to do for you?" he posed.
Ndung'u also raised concern over what he described as growing political intolerance in parts of the Mt. Kenya region, claiming people with different political views are increasingly being labelled as enemies.
"If you do not belong to us, you're a msaliti," he said, adding that democracy should allow citizens to hold different political opinions without facing pressure or intimidation.
His remarks come a day after leaders of the Democratic Party (DP), Party of National Unity (PNU) and Mbus Party dismissed Gachagua's call for their political parties to dissolve and join DCP.
In a joint statement issued on Tuesday, DP leader Justin Muturi, PNU leader Peter Munya and Mbus Party leader Lenny Kivuti said every political party operates independently and its future can only be determined through its own constitutional structures.
"We wish to state, unequivocally, that every political party is an independent institution established under the Constitution and the laws of Kenya, with its own members, delegates, elected officials and governance structures," the leaders said.
They added that "unilateral pronouncements by one political leader purporting to direct, dissolve, merge or determine the future of another political party are not only legally untenable but are also deeply offensive" to party members and officials.
The three leaders maintained that Article 38 of the Constitution protects every Kenyan's right to form and join a political party of their choice, saying Gachagua "has neither the legal nor the moral authority to prescribe the existence or future of other political parties."
Even as they reaffirmed their commitment to working with other opposition parties ahead of the next General Election, they insisted any political alliance must be built on "mutual respect, consultation and voluntary cooperation — not coercion, political ultimatums or demands for surrender."
The leaders also challenged Gachagua to apply the same standard to leaders leaving the United Democratic Alliance (UDA), saying those shifting political parties should resign and seek fresh mandates through by-elections if the realignments are based on principle.
Ndung'u further predicted that DCP would encounter increasing political competition across parts of the Mt. Kenya region, including Kiambu, Nakuru and Meru, arguing that more voters are beginning to prioritise issue-based politics over campaigns centred on individuals.