Blow to RUTO as another Governor quits UDA and joins GACHAGUA’s DCP ahead of the 2027 elections (PHOTOs)

Wednesday, July 29, 2026 - President William Ruto has suffered a major blow in his re‑election bid after Nyandarua Governor Kiarie Badilisha quit the United Democratic Alliance (UDA) and officially joined former Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua’s Democracy for the Citizens Party (DCP).

The defection comes barely three weeks after DCP clinched victory in the hotly contested Ol Kalou parliamentary by‑election.

In a statement on Wednesday, July 29, Gachagua announced that Governor Badilisha and members of the Nyandarua County Assembly had crossed over to his party and would defend their seats on DCP tickets.

“I am delighted to receive Governor Kiarie Badilisha of Nyandarua County and the entire County Assembly into the DCP Party,” he said, adding that they would participate in primaries scheduled for next year.

Gachagua described the move as part of a broader “liberation of Kenya” campaign.

“The people of Nyandarua County, led by their Governor, have brought a message of goodwill.

“They are answering the call for the liberation of Kenya,” he declared, insisting that DCP shared a common vision for the country’s future.

Gachagua claimed more leaders were abandoning rival parties to join his outfit, which he said was rapidly gaining grassroots support.

The development comes just days after Murang’a Governor Irungu Kang’ata also quit UDA and joined DCP on July 24, pledging not to seek re‑election under Ruto’s party.

Earlier this month, DCP scored a major breakthrough when its candidate, Sammy Kamau Ngotho Waweru, won the Ol Kalou by‑election with 35,440 votes against UDA’s Samuel Muchina Nyaga, who managed 5,450.

The victory was widely seen as a turning point for Gachagua’s fledgling party and a sign of its rising influence ahead of the 2027 General Election.

The Kenyan DAILY POST.