{"id":147884,"date":"2026-07-24T15:02:56","date_gmt":"2026-07-24T15:02:56","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/chezaspin.com\/blog\/muranga-governor-kangata-joins-gachaguas-dcp-after-dumping-rutos-uda\/"},"modified":"2026-07-24T15:02:56","modified_gmt":"2026-07-24T15:02:56","slug":"muranga-governor-kangata-joins-gachaguas-dcp-after-dumping-rutos-uda","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/chezaspin.com\/blog\/muranga-governor-kangata-joins-gachaguas-dcp-after-dumping-rutos-uda\/","title":{"rendered":"Murang\u2019a Governor Kang\u2019ata joins Gachagua\u2019s DCP after dumping Ruto\u2019s UDA"},"content":{"rendered":"

NAIROBI, Kenya, Jul 24 \u2014 Murang\u2019a Governor Irungu Kang\u2019ata has ditched the ruling United Democratic Alliance (UDA) for former Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua\u2019s Democracy for Citizens Party (DCP), giving the opposition outfit yet another political boost as it builds momentum ahead of the 2027 General Election.<\/strong><\/p>\n

Kang\u2019ata confirmed on Friday that he will defend his Murang\u2019a gubernatorial seat on the DCP ticket, ending months of speculation over his political future after announcing in May that he would not seek re-election under UDA.<\/p>\n

\u201c[In] 2027 elections [I] will use DCP to defend my seat. But remain a link with Linda,\u201d Kang\u2019ata posted on X, in an apparent reference to maintaining ties with President William Ruto\u2019s development agenda despite leaving the ruling party.<\/p>\n

The Governor also recalled an article he authored on July 20, 2024, in which he predicted Gachagua would remain a major political force heading into the next election.<\/p>\n

\u201cOn 20th July 2024, I wrote an article predicting the then Deputy President Gachagua will be influential come 2027\u2014the money or the box metaphor,\u201d he wrote.<\/p>\n

The announcement came as Gachagua publicly welcomed Kang\u2019ata into DCP following a meeting at his Wamunyoro residence.<\/p>\n

\u201cWelcome home, Governor Irungu Kang\u2019ata, where you belong,\u201d Gachagua posted.<\/p>\n

\u201cToday at Wamunyoro Residence, I was pleased to receive my younger brother, Governor Irungu Kang\u2019ata, Governor of Murang\u2019a County, as a member of our party, DCP, the party of the moment and the future.\u201d<\/p>\n

Kang\u2019ata\u2019s defection comes at a pivotal moment for DCP, which is riding high after its landslide victory in the Ol Kalou parliamentary by-election\u2014 where Sammy Douglas Kamau Waweru, defeated UDA\u2019s Samuel Muchina Nyagah by more than 29,000 votes in a contest widely viewed as an early test of political influence in the vote-rich Mt Kenya region.<\/p>\n

Ruto: Elections are not life and death<\/a><\/p>\n

Ruto camp in reset mode<\/a><\/p>\n

The party has also stepped up its public visibility, with six allied senators earlier this week appearing in Parliament wearing DCP\u2019s signature neon green blazers in a coordinated show of unity following the Ol Kalou win.<\/p>\n

Friday\u2019s move completes a political journey Kang\u2019ata first signalled on May 3, when he announced he would not seek a second term on a UDA ticket, citing what he described as \u201chonest differences\u201d with the ruling party over priorities including manufacturing, healthcare and education.<\/p>\n

At the time, Kang\u2019ata said he had held candid discussions with President William Ruto but the two failed to reach consensus.<\/p>\n

\u201cAfter careful reflection, I have to state that come 2027, I will not defend my seat on the current party ticket,\u201d he said then, adding that he would later reveal the political platform on which he would seek re-election.<\/p>\n

Although he pledged to remain a disciplined UDA member until the end of his current term and continue working with the national government, Friday\u2019s announcement formally aligns him with Gachagua, who has been positioning DCP as the principal political vehicle in the Mt Kenya region ahead of the 2027 elections.<\/p>\n

Gachagua said the party had grown rapidly since its launch and was determined to become the majority party in Parliament and county assemblies after the next General Election.<\/p>\n

Those present during Kang\u2019ata\u2019s reception included DCP Secretary-General designate Senator John Methu, National Organising Secretary Senator Mithika Linturi, Murang\u2019a Senator Joe Nyutu, Kiambu Senator Karungo wa Thang\u2019wa, Kirinyaga Senator Kamau Murango and Laikipia Senator John Kinyua.<\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

NAIROBI, Kenya, Jul 24 \u2014 Murang\u2019a Governor Irungu Kang\u2019ata has ditched the ruling United Democratic Alliance (UDA) for former Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua\u2019s Democracy for Citizens Party (DCP), giving the opposition outfit yet another political boost as it builds momentum ahead of the 2027 General Election. Kang\u2019ata confirmed on Friday that he will defend his […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":0,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-147884","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized","entry"],"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack-related-posts":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/chezaspin.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/147884","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/chezaspin.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/chezaspin.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/chezaspin.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=147884"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/chezaspin.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/147884\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/chezaspin.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=147884"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/chezaspin.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=147884"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/chezaspin.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=147884"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}