Gachagua Narrates Asking John Methu to Resign to Test Mount Kenya Influence

Gachagua Narrates Asking John Methu to Resign to Test Mount Kenya Influence

Democracy for the Citizens Party (DCP) leader Rigathi Gachagua has revealed that he once asked Nyandarua Senator John Methu to resign from his Senate seat to trigger a by-election that would test his party’s political strength in the Mount Kenya region.

Gachagua said he wanted Methu to contest the resulting by-election on a DCP ticket, creating an opportunity for him to directly challenge President William Ruto’s political influence in the region.

The former deputy president made the remarks during a town hall meeting with Kenyans in Marlborough, Massachusetts, on Saturday, October 3.

Gachagua said the plan was conceived after his political fallout with Ruto and following his defeat in the Mbeere North parliamentary by-election.

He said he wanted to use the proposed contest to establish the level of support his political movement commanded in Mount Kenya.

“When the MP died, I had decided I wanted a contest with William Ruto. I wanted to meet him head-on because he disrespected me,” Gachagua stated.

Gachagua wanted Methu by-election

According to Gachagua, he had persuaded Methu to consider resigning from the Senate and seeking a fresh mandate under the DCP banner.

He said the move would have created a direct political contest between the two sides and allowed them to measure their support through an actual election.

“I had actually persuaded Senator John Methu to resign his seat as Nyandarua senator, so there is a by-election. I wanted us to test ourselves,” Gachagua added.

However, the plan did not materialise after the death of former Ol Kalou MP David Kiaraho triggered a parliamentary by-election in the constituency.

Gachagua said the development forced him and his allies to abandon the proposed Senate contest and instead focus their political efforts on Ol Kalou.

“Before we could settle, our brother passed on,” Gachagua said.

DCP wins Ol Kalou by-election

The subsequent Ol Kalou by-election became an important electoral contest for DCP, which was seeking to establish a foothold in the Mount Kenya region.

DCP candidate Sammy Waweru Ngiotho won the seat with 35,440 votes, defeating UDA candidate Samuel Muchina Nyagah, who received 5,450 votes.

The result gave DCP its first parliamentary seat and placed greater attention on the party’s activities in the region.

Methu played a prominent role in the DCP campaign during the Ol Kalou contest. He was later designated as the party’s Secretary General after the plan for him to resign from the Senate was shelved.

Party switching and elected leaders

Gachagua’s remarks also come amid changes in political allegiances among elected leaders ahead of the 2027 General Election.

Several politicians from the Mount Kenya region have moved from UDA to DCP since Gachagua’s fallout with the ruling party.

Murang’a Governor Irungu Kang’ata, for example, joined DCP in July 2026.

Nyandarua leaders have also aligned themselves with Gachagua’s party, with the DCP expanding its presence in the region following the Ol Kalou victory.

The issue of changing political parties while holding an elective position has also attracted legal attention.

Under Section 14 of the Political Parties Act, a member who intends to resign from a political party must give written notice to the party and, where applicable, the clerk of the relevant House of Parliament.

The law also provides for circumstances in which a politician may be deemed to have resigned after joining or promoting another political party.

Gachagua’s account provides a glimpse into the political calculations surrounding party realignments in Mount Kenya, as political formations position themselves ahead of the 2027 General Election.

The proposed Methu resignation ultimately did not happen, but the former deputy president said the plan was intended to provide a direct electoral test of competing political influence in the region.

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Gachagua Narrates Asking John Methu to Resign to Test Mount Kenya Influence