Former deputy president Rigathi Gachagua's Democracy for the Citizens Party (DCP) has recorded notable gains in the Thursday, November 27, by-elections, securing three county assembly seats.
DCP won in Kariobangi North, Narok Town and Kisa East Wards, a significant performance for a party that was launched in May 2025, six months before the by-elections.
In Kariobangi North Ward, DCP David Warui won with 2,282 votes, followed closely by independent candidate John Katua, who received 1,956 votes. Ouma Majua of ODM came third with 1,351 votes, while Njoka Maina of the ruling UDA got 955 votes.
In Kisa East Ward, Aduda Okwiri of the DCP party won with 1,952 votes, followed by Joel Ongoro of the Movement for Democracy and Growth party (MDG), who got 1,541 votes. The seat fell vacant after former MCA Peter Maloba was attacked by unknown individuals in 2024. He lost his life during the confrontation.
Douglas Masikonde of the same DCP party emerged victorious in Narok town ward by-election with 6,007 votes, followed by UDA’s Kanyike Ole Kudate, who got 4,479 votes. Kanyike was the son of the late Lucas Kudate, the former MCA, who passed away due to illness in February 2025, leaving the seat vacant.
In his congratulatory post to the winners, Gachagua saluted voters for standing against intimidation and rejecting voter bribery, which he said is an ingredient in Kenya's politics.
“Our party, making the newest kid in the Block, which is seven months old, whitewashed old parties some old as twenty years,” Gachagua said.
The Narok Town by-election was seen as highly contested, with Gachagua personally going to the area to campaign for his candidate.
In the final days of the campaigns, on November 24, Gachagua was teargassed by police and faced disruptions from armed youth that he alleged were sponsored by the government.
Gachagua claimed he received intelligence about a threat to his life; therefore, he wore a bulletproof vest and a ballistic helmet.
"Clear instructions had been issued by this cowardly regime to block me and my entourage from accessing Narok town to campaign for Masikonde, no amount of blood money, police excess or brutality will intimidate the people of the Republic of Kenya," Gachagua stated.
After Masikonde was announced the winner in the Narok town by-election, Gachagua alleged that the government sent goons and police to torch ballot boxes.
"After losing the Narok township ward by-election, the government has sent goons and police to burn ballot boxes and KIEMs kits, but it's too little, too late," he asserted on his social media pages.
Before the by-elections, the former DP alleged, in a series of letters, that the government was planning to rig the elections, accusing the police and some IEBC officials of accelerating the scheme.
"It is upon your commission to get the trust of the people of Kenya. Your credibility is on the line ahead of the 2027 general elections." Gachagua said in a letter to the IEBC chairperson, Erastus Ethekon, on November 25.
